Joe Biden Wins 2020 Election After Days of Waiting
Julia Galway
Following his win in key swing states, Joe Biden has been projected to obtain enough electoral college votes to secure his position as the 46th President of the United States.
On Nov. 7, 2020, Democrat Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris were declared the projected winners of the 2020 election, defeating the Republican incumbents, Donald Trump and Mike Pence. Prior to Nov. 7, Decision Desk HQ was the only major news source to declare Biden the winner of Pa., with major news sources such as AP, NBC, ABC and CNN calling the election around 10:30 a.m. CST. Biden ran on a platform based on COVID-19 recovery, bipartisanship, improving the existing Affordable Care Act, increasing taxes on wealthier individuals to allocate more funds to lower-income communities and improving environmental policies.
This election was historic by electing the oldest individual into the U.S. Presidential office and the first Black and South Asian woman as Vice President in American history. Another historical factor of this election was the voter turnout. Biden received the largest amount of votes in history, followed by Trump from this same election. Additionally, this was the first election since 1992, where a candidate has defeated an incumbent President since Democrat Bill Clinton defeated incumbent George H. W. Bush.
D117 Winter Sports Return
Grace Semple
Due to COVID-19 this year sports have been pushed back or canceled, but after the long awaited uncertainty, the district announced that winter sports are happening.
Starting Monday, Nov. 16, cheerleading, dance, girls bowling and gymnastics will kickoff their seasons. Following on Monday, Nov. 30 is the start to girls and boys basketball. Next, District 117 anticipates to begin football, field hockey and boys and girls soccer Monday, Feb. 15. Lastly, baseball, softball, girls and boys track and field, boys lacrosse, boys tennis, boys volleyball and girls soccer will begin their seasons on Monday, April 19.
COVID-19 Vaccine continues through Final Phases ofTesting
Chloe Barbarise
Pfizer/BioNTech’s reports a 90 percent effective Covid vaccine that exceeds all expectations.
The potential end to the pandemic is in development when Pfizer, a popular drug company, devised a COVID-19 vaccine that has proven to be 90 percent effective in protecting people from the virus. The trial will continue through Dec. for researchers to continue looking closely at data. The outcome of the trial was better than any expert thought it would be.
According to The Guardian, Pfizer’s supply will have up to 50 million vaccine doses globally in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021. Each country will choose individually who those doses mainly pinpoint.
This is good news, especially for the United States because the country has just now hit 10 million cases, the most recorded in any country. Vaccine news has caused an increase in stocks, but certain companies that are used because of lockdowns, mainly Zoom, saw decreases.
The future of this vaccine is unknown, but people are hopeful. This marks a historic date for not only science, but humanity as well.
Oregon Legalizes Hard Drugs; Heroin, Cocaine, Among Others
Jacob Slabosz
After voters passed a ballot measure, Oregon has become the first state in the country to decriminalize possession of small amounts of hard drugs.
Oregon has become the first state in the country to decriminalize possession of many hard drugs, including heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and others, in a decision made by voters on the Nov. 4 ballot. Prior to this, Oregon was also the first state to decriminalize possession of marijuana.
Rather than facing time in prison, those found in possession of these hard drugs have the choice between a $100 fine or attending an Addiction Recovery Center. These centers will be funded through taxes on the state’s marijuana sales and will focus on a health-based approach to combating drug addiction. Though the measure does not change past convictions, it is possible that actions may be made to help convicts clear their criminal records.
According to the Associated Press, the same decriminalization in other countries like Portugal has proven to work quite well, which could provide insight on what it would look like in Oregon. The measure will likely lead to large reductions in addictions, overdoses and felony convictions.
The state also legalized psilocybin mushrooms, more commonly known as magic mushrooms, for therapeutic uses.
The measure to decriminalize hard drugs takes effect on Dec. 4. Punishment changes begin Feb. 1 of 2021 and Addiction Recovery Centers must be opened by Oct. 1 of 2021.
