Theater Review: “What the Constitution Means to Me”

By Camila Cruz, age 16

Forward Theater’s production of “What the Constitution Means to Me,” directed by Jen Uphoff Gray, captures audiences with its unique approach to considering the United States Constitution.

Leading actress Colleen Madden of American Players Theater portrays playwright and protagonist Heidi Schreck in this autobiographical play. Madden opens the play by introducing herself as Heidi Schreck and explaining her connection to the Constitution. As a high schooler, Schreck competed in constitutional speech and debate contests, for which she earned college scholarships. At age 15, Schreck loved the Constitution and its study, and she felt deeply inspired by this “living document.”

The first part of the play revolves around 50-year-old Schreck “recreating” one of her high school competitions. She acts like her polite and invigorated 15-year-old self. But she also pauses her reenactment to comment on how her understanding of amendments and clauses has deepened through time and experience. [Read More]

Edgewood College and Wisconsin National Guard Launch Accelerated Teacher Education Program

by Sandy Flores Ruiz, age 18

For almost a decade, our country has struggled with teacher shortages. In hopes of addressing the shortage, in August of 2023, Edgewood College launched the Accelerated Teacher Education Program. Edgewood College has recently expanded the program through a partnership with the Wisconsin National Guard.

The idea behind the Accelerated Teacher Education Program is to recruit and train new teachers. Through the new expansion, Guard members and their spouses can get master’s degrees and state teaching credentials at the reduced cost of $9,750, which is a nearly 50% reduction from the original price of tuition.

The online program can be completed in a year and allows participants to specialize in elementary, secondary, or cross-categorical education. There are eight-week course segments, allowing for five start dates throughout the year. Applicants can start courses as early as this summer. [Read More]

Joe Gothard Hosts Inaugural Press Conference

by SSFP Editors

Incoming Madison school superintendent, Joe Gothard, had not spoken to news outlets since his hiring was announced six weeks ago. That changed on Thursday with an in-person press conference at Thoreau Elementary School on the city’s southwest side.

Gothard, whose start date has been moved up to May 20th, answered questions from reporters and students for about an hour. While he has not started the new job yet, Gothard stressed his commitment to Madison.

“It's meaningful for me to return to Madison because Madison is a community that never gave up on me and believed in me at times when I didn't always believe in myself,” he said. “I'm forever grateful for the opportunities I had in our schools working as a staff member.” [Read More]

New Test Results Show Significant Declines in Math and Reading

by Devika Pal, age 17

Virtual learning has led to some of the lowest math and reading scores among elementary and middle school students in more than 30 years, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Education. The study showed online learning exacerbated pre-pandemic difficulties for students who were already struggling. Learning losses also disproportionately affected lower-income and minority students.

Educators say this is especially alarming because reading and math are the foundation for all other subjects and predictors of high school success. After 30 years of increasing scores, they plunged.

According to data collected by the education department from the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, math, and reading scores for both 4th and 8th graders have dropped most significantly since 1990. In math, 38% of 8th graders tested below “basic” achievement levels, and 8th-grade reading scores also dropped. Fourth-grade reading had the lowest average score and math scores had their first-ever decline. Black and Hispanic kids had more significant drops than white students. Fourth-grade students who were eligible for free and reduced lunch struggled more than before compared to students who were not eligible. [Read More]

Rapidly Intensifying Hurricanes Could be a Consequence of Climate Change

by Dulce Vazquez, age 15

Throughout several decades, hurricanes have seen a trend of increasing intensity. The increasing strength of hurricanes has led people to be unprepared for their effects.

A thunderstorm that formed on the western coast of Africa turned into Hurricane Lee within a day. Hurricane Lee spun more than 130 km per hour placing the storm at a Category 1. A day later, it came across warm water in the North Atlantic. This doubled its wind speed from 130 km to 260 km per hour.

While Hurricane Lee caught lots of attention, Hurricane Jova reached Category 4, only a day and a half after becoming a named storm. Andra Garner from Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, found that recent storms were more than twice as likely to strengthen to a dangerous category of three or higher within a day. The possibility of a weak hurricane becoming strong within a day went from about 3.2% to 8.1%, within a few decades. Multiple elements boost storms' strengths, such as moist air and warm water, says Philip Klotzbach, an atmospheric scientist at Colorado State University. The world's oceans have become hotter due to global warming, which has implications for the intensifying abilities of these storms. [Read More]

Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula Faces Largest Volcanic Eruption in Decade

by Valeria Moreno Lopez, age 17

Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula has suffered its fourth and largest volcano eruption of the decade. The signs of volcanic activity started on Dec. 18, 2023, in the town of Grindavik, which is best known for its popular geothermal spa, the Blue Lagoon. Following weeks of thousands of earthquakes before the 18th, Grindavik and nearby towns evacuated more than 4,300 people.

A month before the eruption, a 2.5-mile-long fissure, which is a crack formed underneath the Earth, collected a significant amount of magma (molten rock). On Dec. 18, the opening reached the surface and nearly 150 cubic meters of lava flowed out per second for the first few hours. Heavy clouds of smoke and an orange hue covered the night sky in western Iceland. According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, the intensity of the eruption and earthquakes weakened by the next day.

Volcanic activity is not unheard of in Iceland, since it is home to 32 active volcanoes, many of them subglacial. Most eruptions take place in unpopulated areas and don’t interfere with any humans. Often, these volcanic sites become tourist attractions. Iceland is also situated on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where tectonic plates are frequently moving 2.5 cm apart per year. [Read More]

Wisconsin Students Could Return to School in August Under New DPI Proposal

by Jules Da Costa, age 15

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is proposing a policy shift that would allow schools to start before the traditional September 1st date. Current state regulations prevent public schools from starting classes before September 1st. The suggested rule change would modify existing legislation, enacted in 2002.

In recent years, more school districts have sought to start the academic year earlier. In 2023-24, over 100 districts asked to start the school year early. Just two years earlier, only 18 districts submitted such waiver requests.

Some exemptions already exist. School districts can start school early for things like construction projects, unexpected school closures, or transportation issues. The new exemptions proposed by DPI seek to help schools trying to improve attendance and student achievement. Schools offering special support in math and reading might also qualify for an exemption. DPI would also expand the exemption to districts looking to address mental health issues. [Read More]

U.S. Military's PFAS Pollution Threatens Communities Nationwide

by Camila Cruz, age 16

It is hard to imagine that the U.S. military, whose number one goal is to protect, is also one of the biggest contributors to the spread of chemicals that cause cancer, kidney disease, and many other serious health problems.

The military is one of the largest PFAS polluters in the world. PFAS are a group of 15,000 compounds that are used to make stain-, grease- and water-resistant products, making them extremely harmful to humans and animals. PFAS are also called “forever chemicals” because they are nearly indestructible.

PFAS in water is connected to birth defects, high cholesterol, decreased immunity, and much more. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared that less than one part per trillion (ppt) is safe to consume in drinking water. However, the levels of PFAS found around military bases have been much higher. [Read More]

New Breed of Supercomputer Aims for the Two Quintillion Mark

by Ayelen Flores Ruiz, age 13

There is a new type of supercomputer under construction known as an exascale supercomputer. Exascale refers to a supercomputer that can perform two quintillion operations in a second. This drastically compares with a phone which does 17 trillion operations and the human brain which does 228 trillion operations in a second. These computers can help rearrange human life.

One such new supercomputer has been built inside a data center in Aurora, Illinois, near Chicago. The computer, also called Aurora, is located in the Energy Department’s Argonne National Laboratory. Built by Intel and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Aurora is the size of two tennis courts and weighs 600 tons. High-powered machines like Aurora will take months to be fully operational because technicians are always on the lookout for errors, improvements, and changes. Although this process will take a long time, Aurora should be fully operating in 2024.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Frontier was the first working exascale computer and got the title of the world’s most powerful computer. Aurora is not fully operational, tests have shown it is the second-most powerful. Other supercomputers are being built around the world. For example, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is building a $600 million exascale computer named El Capitan, which potentially could be more powerful than Aurora. Another exascale supercomputer called Dojo is being built by Tesla, which spent more than $1 billion. The United Kingdom and other places are trying to create their exclusive supercomputers. [Read More]

March Madness Is the Ultimate NCAA Basketball Showdown

By Owen Ayite-Atayi, age 16

March Madness is one of the most anticipated and most-watched sporting events there is. It is a high-stakes environment with a roaring atmosphere that keeps family, friends, and basketball fans on the edge of their seats.

For the uninitiated, March Madness is a college basketball tournament. It is sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and determines the national champion of college basketball.

The name “March Madness” comes from the annual Illinois High School tournament, the first that used the term “March Madness” to describe its annual championship event. Henry V. Porter, a coach and educator, established the phrase in a 1939 essay for the Illinois Interscholastic magazine. His article was called “March Madness”. [Read More]

Learn About Kendrick Lamar's Legacy in Rap Culture

by Zayn Khalid, age 14

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, also known as Kendrick Lamar or K-Dots, has been on top of the hip-hop/rap podium for 14 years. Kendrick is known for his albums like “To Pimp a Butterfly” and “DAMN”, as well as his lyrical attention and creativity. Most of his music is politically charged and speaks about his upbringing involving gang culture.

Kendrick was born on June 17, 1987, in Compton, California. When he was young, he liked writing poems and stories. Kendrick grew up around a lot of gang culture in his hometown, which he openly writes about in his music. Later, at the age of 16, he started his rap career and went by the name of K-Dots. Kendrick then spread his mixtapes around and gained interest from music companies.

Kendrick’s mixtapes got so much attention that he ended up with a deal from Top Dawg Entertainment. He then released two mixtapes and started working with up-and-coming artists like Jay Rock, AB-Soul, and Schoolboy Q. Kendrick let go of his stage name, K-Dots, and began to use his name in 2010. His first album with Top Dawg Entertainment was “Section.80”, which was exclusively released on iTunes, but can now be found everywhere. Rap legend Dr. Dre took Kendrick under his wing and became his mentor in the music industry. Later, Dr. Dre signed Kendrick to his record label, Aftermath Entertainment, part of Universal Music Group. That put him alongside Eminem and 50 Cent and helped Kendrick take his career to the next level. [Read More]

The Fox River Cleanup, A Battle Against Decades of Pollution

by Sofia Zapata, age 14

The Fox River flows across central and east-central Wisconsin to Green Bay and was contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals during the mid-20th century It took almost 17 years to clean the entire river.

Between the 1950s and 1970s, the Fox River began to be contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, created by seven Fox River Valley paper companies. This chemical compound causes various harmful effects such as cancer and other health conditions. In addition, this substance can cause liver damage, acne-like skin, and neurobehavioral and immunological abnormalities in children.

There were many debates around the cleanup of the Fox River. One of them was about who would pay for the cleanup. Environmental activists said that the seven companies should pay to clean the river because they were the ones who contaminated it. However, the seven companies argued that taxpayers should also have to pay some of the cost. At the end of this argument, everyone decided that the seven paper companies responsible had to pay all the costs with a total estimated $1.3 billion. [Read More]

Understanding the Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

by Will De Four, age 14

Earth is changing as the icecaps are shrinking, forests are diminishing, and extinction rates are over 100 times greater than in the past millennia. Almost all of these changes are being caused by human activity, and the most destructive is the production of greenhouse gases.

The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air today is almost twice as much as there was 1,000 years ago. This shift has not been gradual either, as the largest spike of CO2 has occurred over only the past 150 years. But what has caused this rapid increase, and how can it be stopped?

The sun is what keeps Earth warm, shining on the planet to keep it at a reasonable temperature. Greenhouse gasses are a kind of gate, where light can enter with ease, but is not strong enough to escape once it becomes heat. The gasses that do this can build up, causing the planet to warm drastically. When animals breathe, they take in oxygen and release CO2, while plants do the opposite. This creates a cycle that allows the CO2 to remain at an acceptable rate. When people drive to work, crank up their air conditioning, or produce goods in factories, large amounts of CO2 are added. Humanity has now added too much CO2 for the Earth to handle. [Read More]

Dumb Phones on the Rise in the U.S. as Gen Z Looks to Limit Screen Time

by Allison Torres, age 15

Flip phones became popular in the 1990s and 2000s. At that time, they were a great invention in communicating with people wherever and whenever.

Over the years, phones have advanced technologically, which can be seen in both positive and negative ways. In 2007 smartphones came along, replacing flip phones with iPhones and Androids.

Smartphones have many advanced features like cameras, GPS, and many more applications, that can incorporate your data. This incorporation of personal information concerns people about their data being collected, shared, and used by companies. [Read More]

Wisconsin Trade Exams Now Available in Spanish, Paving the Way for Inclusivity and Opportunity

by Sandy Flores Ruiz, age 17

Wisconsin Trade Credentialing Examinations are now offered in Spanish, as of July 11, 2023. This will allow native Spanish speakers to take all trade exams in Spanish, which will eliminate a language barrier to obtaining a credential, and help them achieve a higher earning job.

The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services is investing in the expansion of the state’s workforce by creating changes like this, offering people the opportunity to be certified in a trade. The exam will help native Spanish speakers to get one of the state’s 240 professional credentials. Those include plumbing, contracting, electrical work and so much more. Many are excited about this new major advancement as it will allow more Hispanic people to be able to work in different fields.

However, people worry that this new advance will only benefit a few community members because of the following steps after the exam. In the state of Wisconsin, one in five Latinos do not speak English at all or do not speak it well. After entering those higher-level positions, many will struggle to succeed if the only language companies offer is English. Some question whether Wisconsin is creating false hope for people entering a workforce in which their native language is not spoken. [Read More]

New Research Leads to More Fentanyl Testing

by Camila Cruz, age 16

Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 44. However, due to outdated drug testing standards in emergency rooms, fentanyl overdoses are often missed or mistreated.

A nationwide study done by Epic and the University of Maryland-College Park shows that only about five out of 100 emergency departments do a screening test for synthetic drugs like fentanyl.

Just two milligrams of fentanyl, or the equivalent of about 10-15 grains of salt, is enough to be fatal. [Read More]

Concerns Rise as K-12 Test Scores Hit Record Lows

by Jules Da Costa, age 15

K-12 scores fell lower than ever in 2022 according to studies from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

The decline in test scores had many causes, but one of the main ones was parental ignorance. Many parents didn’t know how far their child had fallen behind and therefore couldn’t do anything to help. Parents also blamed schools for not informing them of their child’s shortcomings or learning gaps. Studies also found that students who spent more time learning online fell behind further.

COVID-19 left millions of students working and learning from home. When the schools switched to online learning, students who had access to quieter spaces, tutors, and computers were far more likely to excel. Meanwhile, students who lacked resources fell further behind. For these reasons, between 2019 and 2021 math scores dropped by the largest percentages in NAEP’s history. [Read More]

Public Health Officials Issue PFAS Updates for Dane County Fisheries

by Amelia Pearson, age 13

In 2023, there was an updated per-and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) warning enforced by the Dane County Public Health due to concerns about the 2023 fishing season. PFAS are harmful human-made chemicals that are used in a vast variety of products from firefighting foams to something as simple as fast-food wrapping.

One major concern centers around PFAS found in fish. Due to this, the Department of Natural Resource (DNR) and Department of Health Services (DHS) suggest a limit on the number of certain fish people should consume, such as Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye, and White Bass, which was recently added to the list. The DNR and DHS recommend only one meal including any of these four types of fish a month.

Due to the outcome of the fish sampling in 2020, the DNR heavily recommended new PFAS-based fish consumption advisories for Yahara Chain waters in Dane and Rock county. There was also a raised level of perfluoro octane sulfonic acid (PFOS), a type of PFAS found in various species of fish collected in lakes Monona, Kegonsa and Waubesa. [Read More]

Investigators Find Child Labor Violations in the Meatpacking Industry

by Hanna Eyobed, age 17

Meatpacking factories are violating labor laws and exposing children to dangerous chemicals, federal labor investigators found. Kids as young as 13 have faced dangerous exposure to chemicals used to clean biohazardous substances in Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

In Wisconsin alone, 50 illegally employed minors were hired under the supervision of the Packers Sanitation Service Inc. (PSSI). Upon investigation by the Labor Department, the PSSI was placed under review by a federal judge. The Labor Department also found 31 underage workers in three plants owned by the companies JBS and Turkey Valley Farms in Nebraska and Minnesota. Other underage employees have been identified in Arkansas. A 13-year-old who used to clean the JBS plant every night in Grand Island, Nebraska suffered a serious chemical burn from what was used to clean the plant. Other teens working at the plant stated that “everyone there knew '' that they were minors, according to investigators. The Labor Department has been comparing school records with employee rosters to find underage workers.

It’s part of a larger investigation of PSSI’s more than 700 locations and other meat-packing companies in the Midwest. “This case should serve as a stark reminder for all employers that the U.S. Department of Labor will not tolerate violations of the law, especially those that put vulnerable children at risk,” said Michael Lazzeri, regional administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. [Read More]

Railroad Merger Could Mean More Hazardous Materials Will Cross the Mississippi River

by Oliver Zink, age 13

A new railroad along the Mississippi River will carry hazardous materials through communities and important geological areas with lots of wildlife. If any spills occur, wildlife and land will be damaged. The new railroad system will increase the carloads of two railroad companies by 41,000. There are significant concerns about increasing the chances of oil and gas spills.

The Canadian Pacific and the Kansas City Southern railroad companies are merging to create the first railroad stretching from Canada to Mexico. In case of an emergency, crews are on standby to clean up any spills using 66 different collections of equipment. The companies respond to their spills with qualified contractors. However, with the increase of loads, the chance of spills has risen and the need to increase the amount of this equipment has gone up as well. In some areas, it will be a challenge to clean up spills due to possible spring floods in the area.

Nothing is preventing the construction of this railroad as it would cost money and more time. The trains will carry hazardous materials such as crude oil and petrol gas. Since the companies are common carriers, they are obligated to accept any good offer. [Read More]

The Android vs. iPhone Divide Among Teens and Young Adults

by Kelly Vazquez, age 18

There is a heated debate, primarily between teenagers and young adults, regarding the choice of mobile phones. In these debates, Androids are, more often than not, put down despite being the most commonly used worldwide.

Kira, a 15-year-old, reveals that she owns an iPhone because it's the popular choice among her friends, and she doesn't want to feel left out. Kira's experience with peer pressure to own an iPhone is not unique. According to Melissa Jones, a former teacher from Indiana, it's not just the type of phone that matters to students; it's also how "up-to-date" the phone is perceived to be.

Peer pressure to keep up with the newest phone trends is not only noticed in school but also on online platforms such as TikTok. Content creators participate in these debates, suggesting in videos that individuals still using Androids in 2023 are outdated. When presented with arguments such as the better battery and camera in Androids, content creators, like Abdoul Chamberlain, refused to change to an Android. Others have shared their experiences of being teased by peers for using Androids in high school through videos. [Read More]

Toxic TCE Chemical Found in Two Milwaukee Residential Buildings

by Alan Cruz, age 19

Trichloroethylene (TCE), a toxic carcinogen, recently gained attention in Milwaukee, when 250 Milwaukee residents first heard about this hazardous chemical from health officials knocking on their doors. They were evacuated from two apartment complexes in the area due to elevated levels of toxins remaining from the sites’ industrial history. Surprisingly, none of the tenants, despite experiencing short-term symptoms, were familiar with this harmful chemical.

This colorless liquid is found in certain factories for metal cleaning and can also be found in paint removers, adhesives, carpet cleaners, dry cleaning, and shoe polishes. Short-term exposure to TCE can result in dizziness, headaches, nausea, sleepiness, and confusion. Higher toxicity levels corresponding to prolonged exposure are associated with various health issues, including cancers, liver damage, and fetal defects, with effects that can manifest decades after exposure.

In Milwaukee County alone, there are 832 sites with a history of TCE pollution, and 261 of these sites are undergoing cleanup efforts. The remaining locations have been shuttered, suggesting that cleanup activities are complete, however, TCE may still be present. [Read More]

Wisconsin Rejects $1 Billion Dupont Settlement, Seeks Higher Compensation Over PFAS Contamination

By Will DeFour, age 13

The average person consumes approximately half a gallon of water daily, but this water isn't pure, as filtration systems sometimes allow pollutants to pass through. One particularly infamous group of pollutants, known as "forever chemicals," poses significant threats to both the environment and human health.

These persistent pollutants are called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), an issue Simpson Street Free Press has been diligently covering for the past several years. They earned the name "forever chemicals" due to their indestructible resistance to biodegradation. PFAS are byproducts created during the manufacture of various products, including sticky notes, nonstick pans, packaging materials, carpets, and firefighting foam. These chemicals find their way into water sources such as the Mississippi River and local areas like Starkweather Creek, here in Madison. Even at extremely low concentrations, as low as 0.004 parts per trillion, PFAS can cause severe health problems, including low birth weight, kidney failure, and cancer.

Addressing these critical issues requires a reduction in PFAS contamination. Although the US Environmental Protection Agency and State Department of Natural Resources have attempted to establish regulations for these chemicals across the Midwest, their efforts have proven insufficient to halt the contamination. Consequently, over 20 states have denounced a proposed $10.5 billion settlement from a major PFAS producer, 3M. [Read More]

Unlocking Opportunities with a Madison Library Card

by Ayelen Flores Ruiz, age 13

The city of Madison is home to nine public libraries, as well as a mobile library, the Dream Bus. While the Madison Public Library system still lends out books, movies, CDs, and even video games, it has grown to offer a variety of additional opportunities and resources to Madisonians. The key to accessing these opportunities within Madison libraries and the South Central Library System: is a library card.

There are multiple ways to sign up for a library card. For example, sign-up can be done online or at any Madison Public Library location. You will need an ID and proof of your current address. The first card is free and then you can request free replacement cards.

The Madison Public Library website has a list of 30 things a cardholder can do with their card, such as checking out movies, books, computers, DVDs, ebooks, current newspapers, magazines, and many more interesting things. Students and other individuals can reserve a study room to work on homework or school projects. The rooms were made for people to use as a tool to meet with friends or group work members and study. [Read More]

Manufacturing Giant Reaches Landmark $10.3 Billion Settlement to Address PFAS Contaminated Water

by Alan Cruz, age 19

Manufacturing giant 3M, known for producing household staples like Scotch Tape, Command Strips, and Post-it notes, has settled with numerous cities and towns across the nation for $10.3 billion. This agreement aims to tackle the persistent problem of water supply contamination caused by the presence of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) also referred to as "forever chemicals," which have been identified as posing threats to human health.

Under the agreement, 3M will pay the landmark sum over 13 years to support communities.

The long-anticipated settlement could reach a staggering $12.5 billion. The settlement follows lawsuits alleging that 3M knew about the health risks of these chemicals in its consumer products. However, 3M does not admit any liability. According to Scott Summy, one of the leading plaintiffs' attorneys, the funds will be used for testing and cleaning up water supplies. Before this, chemical companies Chemours, DuPont, and Corteva reached a separate $1.19 billion settlement over PFAS pollution. Together, these settlements mark significant steps in addressing the PFAS issue and protecting water sources. [Read More]

Study at Stanford University Shows Steep Economic Costs from COVID Learning Loss

by Yoanna Hoskins, age 17

When the world shut down due to the pandemic, resources were ultimately lost, disrupting learning at all levels. However, K-12 students were the most affected by this learning loss, a study at Stanford University concludes.

Dr. Eric Hanushek, a Stanford economist, estimated that the learning loss might force the impacted K-12 students to earn $70,000 per student less than usual during their careers. Based on the results of eighth graders' national math test scores between 2019 and 2022, there was a 9% increase in failure to perform basic math skills. Furthermore, the scores created the greatest drop ever recorded to this date. Also, these scores translate to a learning loss of 0.6 to 0.8 years of school. If the estimate is correct, students educated during the pandemic will earn 5.6% less during their careers than those educated before the pandemic, adding up to more than $28 trillion lost throughout this century.

This study has coincided with studies conducted by researchers at universities like Dartmouth and Harvard which forecasted a drop of 1.6% in lifetime earnings for students in K-12 schools. Additionally, these studies uncovered that learning loss would ultimately result in lower graduation rates and higher arrests. [Read More]

Meta faces $24 Million Fine for Campaign Finance Violations

by Sandy Flores Ruiz, age 16

A Washington State judge has levied fines against Facebook's parent company in a campaign finance lawsuit brought by the state. Judge Douglas North of King County's Superior Court fined Meta, one of the richest companies in the world, nearly $25 million for repeatedly and willfully breaking the campaign fund disclosure law.

The State of Washington requires businesses to be transparent about their ad sellers. If asked, they must provide the public names and addresses of those who purchase political advertisements, who the advertisements target, how they were paid, and the number of views each political advertisement received. Washington's Fair Campaign procedures were established in 1972 and strengthened by legislative action, and more than 800 infractions have been detected that the corporation has committed.

Meta says the Fair campaign procedures are “unconstitutional because [they] unduly burden political speech” and are “virtually impossible to fully comply with.” The court has replied that Facebook's conduct during this case is pure “arrogance.” [Read More]

Locks and Dams on the Mississippi River Need Fixing

by Alan Cruz, age 19

The Mississippi River is a lifeline for the American economy and global food supply, with around 175 million tons of freight transported on its waters every year. However, the century-old locks and dams that guide the barges along the river are well past their expected lifespan. Uncertainties about who should pay for maintenance and repairs only add to the resulting slower transit times and fears of a major breakdown in the future.

The upper Mississippi River has been a challenge to navigate for decades. Shallow waters often made it possible for people to walk across, hindering commercial traffic. To address this, a project was approved by Congress in 1930 to create a system of 29 locks and dams, stretching from Minneapolis to Granite City, Illinois. Water locks are navigational structures that regulate water levels in a river or canal to allow boats and barges to move between different water levels. These locks allow the Army Corps of Engineers to control the water levels in different sections, ensuring a minimum depth of nine feet for barges to pass through.

Today, towboats on the river push an average of 15 barges at once. However, when they reach the 600-foot-long locks, they simply don't fit, and splitting up the barges takes twice as long. Mike Steenhoek, the executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition, describes the system as a garden hose connected to a fire hydrant. With farmers producing more corn and soybeans than ever before, delays have only worsened. [Read More]

Congress Approves $350 Million Funding for New Icebreaker to Boost Great Lakes Shipping Industry

by Devika Pal, age 17

The Great Lakes ice breakers allow over 90 million tons of cargo to pass through the Great Lakes region annually. Recently, Congress approved a $350 million defense funding bipartisan bill, called the Great Lakes Winter Commerce Act, to build a new icebreaker and optimize the Great Lakes shipping industry.

Shipping is the foundation of the Great Lakes economy. Behind the U.S. and China, the Great Lakes region would have the third-largest economy in the world if it was a country. They ship a range of items including farm products, steel, coal, and project cargo. Due to recent ice delays, the Great Lakes shipping industry lost 1.7 million tons of cargo and 28 days of work. The pandemic has exacerbated shipping delays, and along with ships getting stuck in ice, this has caused major supply chain issues.

The Mackinaw icebreaker is the only one of the nine icebreakers the U.S. Coast Guard owns that can open a path sizable enough for large freighters to traverse. Along with icebreaking, it also acts as a flooding control mechanism. The new icebreaker is similar in size to the Mackinaw and will serve the same purpose. [Read More]

Wisconsin Begins PFAS Testing this Fall

by Sandy Flores Ruíz, age 16

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, are a family of synthetic chemicals. They are used in everyday household products, such clothes, carpets, nonstick cookware, packaging, and firefighting foam due to their ability to repel water and stains. The PFAS family of approximately 5,000 chemicals are known as “forever chemicals” because they last for a long period of time in the environment and human body. Research suggests that these chemicals can cause various types of cancers, decrease birth weights, damage the immune and reproductive systems, impact hormone regulation, and alter thyroid hormones.

Since 2019, the DNR has been working to develop standards for two of the better known PFAS chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, to determine safe levels of these two chemicals in public water systems. Beginning this fall, Wisconsin communities will be required to test their water to ensure that the PFOA and PFOS do not exceed limits set by the State of Wisconsin. [Read More]

New Study Shows Pay Gap Between Men and Women even After College

by Devika Pal, age 17

Anisa Maredia carried an ambition of pursuing a career in dentistry but witnessed gender discrimination in the field. As a participant in hiring workers, she recalls interviewers inquiring about the marital status of female candidates. Maredia also called out the stark difference in pay salaries between males and females.

A 2015 Wall Street Journal report revealed a noticeable disparity in pay between men and women. Across some 2,000 universities, using 1.7 million graduates, the analysis found that men’s median pay surpassed females by 10%. This study shows that despite having similar credentials, the pay gap begins as soon as new graduates are out of college and are in the hiring process. [Read More]