Arts & Entertainment

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NEWS 8/8/23 1:42pm

ABSS assistant principal arrested for alleged sexual misconduct

By Madison Powers

James Tyler Kelly, assistant principal at Southern Alamance Middle School, has been arrested for alleged misconduct with a student. He was charged with one count of felony sex act with a student and his bond is set at $50,000. This is the Alamance-Burlington School System's second alleged inappropriate conduct incident between within four months. In May, Ivan Danilo Ardila-Perez, former Southern Alamance Middle School Spanish teacher and soccer coach, was charged with two counts of indecent liberties with a student and two counts of indecent liberties with a child. 

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LIFESTYLE 8/4/23 12:07pm

Elon University students impacted by entertainment industry strikes

By Halli Harwood

May 2 marked the start of the Writers Guild of America strike, which was joined by the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists on July 14. With Elon in Los Angeles being one of Elon University's most popular Study USA Programs, Elon students abroad in LA this summer have had to deal with the challenges of navigating their internships in the midst of an entertainment industry shutdown. Yet, many Elon interns and Elon alumni maintain supports for writers and actors.

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NEWS 8/3/23 4:36pm

Construction begins for downtown Elon plaza

By Avery Sloan

After announcing plans to create a permanent outdoor structure in downtown Elon two years ago, construction for the project began Aug. 3. According to town manager Rich Roedner, construction is scheduled to finish near the end of November.

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NEWS 8/1/23 6:14pm

Lawsuit settled against Alamance County sheriff

By Avery Sloan

Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson settled a lawsuit for $430,000 on July 28. Two parties, Aris Hines and Brandi Thomason, filed their suit against Johnson in 2019 after being arrested in 2016 for falsifying documents to enroll a student at Eastern Alamance High School. The student played basketball and football for the school — causing the school to be stripped of 28 football and basketball wins. Hines and Thomason alleged offenses of Felony Common Law Obstruction of Justice and Felony Obtaining Property by False Pretenses.

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NEWS 7/26/23 5:12pm

Elon location of Mediterranean Deli to open six months later than expected

By Joseph Navin

Elon's Mediterranean Deli location will now open roughly six months later than expected due to a fire shutting down the business' Chapel Hill location July 22. After closing its Park Place location at 202 W. Haggard Ave. in 2022, Mediterranean Deli was set to open this summer in Acorn Coffee’s former location at 116 N. Williamson Ave. — while Acorn Coffee Shop is still set to reopen inside Elon University’s Belk Library this fall. Owner Jamil Kadoura said the deli will be begin operating out of The Story Venue on West Franklin Street this Saturday, July 29, while the original 410 W. Franklin St. location is unusable.

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NEWS 7/22/23 8:01am

Alamance Board of Elections candidates

By Madison Powers

The deadline for Alamance Board of Elections candidates was July 20, leaving a finalized list of candidates for primary elections this fall. City of Burlington elections will be held Oct. 10, while a primary for other municipalities in Alamance County will be held Nov. 7. Here is a brief list of candidates running for Elon Town Council, City of Burlington positions and Town of Gibsonville positions.

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SPORTS 7/20/23 1:51pm

CAA changes name

By Mason Willett

The CAA announced it's changing its name from the Colonial Athletic Association to the Coastal Athletic Association on July 20. According to the CAA, the name change comes from its expansion across the East Coast and its goal of  ‘United in Excellence.' Despite this, George Washington University announced last year that it would be dropping all “Colonial monikers” because of the name's glorification of colonialism. 

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LIFESTYLE 7/19/23 12:44pm

Assistant director of Elon University’s first generation support services begins position building relationships

By Abigail Hobbs

Kenneth Brown Jr. ’19 began his position as assistant director of Elon University’s first generation support services program in June. Brown said he aims to progress the program through building relationships and expanding the First Phoenix Mentoring Program. Though he began his career at Elon as a communications major, Brown said he switched to human service studies because he felt it would allow him to follow his passions in making higher education more accessible.

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NEWS 7/15/23 4:47pm

Elon University students encourage community to come together following anti-trans legislation

By Sarah T. Moore

Elon University students brace for the impact of three major pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation working their way through the North Carolina General Assembly. Despite Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of these bills on July 5, the General Assembly is scheduled to vote on overriding his veto July 19. House bill 574, senate bill 49 and house bill 808 would restrict transgender students from participating in school sports, gender affirming healthcare for minors and classroom instruction surrounding gender identity and sexuality. In 2023 alone, 413 pieces of anti-transgender legislation have been proposed or passed in the U.S. 

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NEWS 7/12/23 8:11pm

Elon University students impressed by University of North Carolina, Duke University’s recent tuition policies

By Abigail Hobbs

Elon University students reflect on the announcements made by Duke University and University of North Carolina, offering free tuition for in-state students who make less than $80,000 and $150,000 each year, respectively. These financial aid policies were announced within weeks of UNC losing their Supreme Court case on affirmative action, in which it was ruled that no higher education institution may consider the factor of race in its admission decisions. UNC's new tuition policy will come into effect at the start of the 2024-25 school year, while Duke's will begin in the upcoming 2023-24 year.

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NEWS 7/11/23 8:54am

Elon University sophomore remembered as ‘sincere’, ‘feet on the ground’ kind of person by friends and family

By Ryan Kupperman

Elon University sophomore Jason Titunik died in a car crash July 6 at the age of 19. His friends and family described and will remember him as a sincere, funny and compassionate person. Titunik is from Sarasota, Florida and his funeral will be held in New Jersey July 11. A memorial will be held on campus at the start of the school year, though further details are to come. Titunik was a history and political science major and enjoyed music, nature and fashion.

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NEWS 7/10/23 4:41pm

Elon University to discontinue COVID-19 quarantine protocols, reporting positive test results

By Avery Sloan

Elon University will discontinue its COVID-19 quarantine protocols, as well as reporting positive test results, for the 2023-24 school year. According to an email sent by Jon Dooley, vice president of student life, Elon is changing its testing protocol to reflect the federal emergency and World Health Organization’s declaration for COVID-19 — which ended in May. Dooley also clarified that COVID-19 related absences will now be addressed by individual faculty according to their syllabi.

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NEWS 7/7/23 3:17pm

Elon University sophomore killed after car crash in Salisbury, Connecticut

By Ryan Kupperman

Elon University sophomore Jason Titunik was killed after a car crash in Salisbury, Connecticut the evening of July 6. Titunik was a passenger in a vehicle driven by 19-year-old Robert Steinmetz, when state police reported that Steinmetz lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a utility pole on the shoulder of Route 44. The incident occured at the intersection of Canaan and Twin Lakes Road while the two were traveling east. Titunik was transported to Sharon Hospital with life-threatening injuries, but was later pronounced dead.

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SPORTS 7/6/23 11:22am

Elon University selects new athletic director

By Ryan Kupperman

Elon University selected Jennifer Strawley as its new athletic director after former director Dave Blank stepped down at the end of the 2022-23 academic year. Strawley will come to Elon as the former deputy director of athletics at University of Miami and is set to begin her role Aug. 1. Strawley has over 20 years of experience in athletics administration and has been involved in various committees and positions for both the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Atlantic Coast Conference throughout her career.

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LIFESTYLE 7/3/23 9:38pm

How to stay safe this 4th of July

By Ryan Kupperman

Elon University Police Sgt. Richard Hooks offered tips and resources for staying safe this 4th of July. According to Hooks, July 4th is the second-most-deadly holiday period of the year — just behind New Year’s — due to impaired driving and fireworks cause over 11,500 injuries and almost 20,000 fires across the country each year. 

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NEWS 7/3/23 12:29pm

Local train schedule excludes Burlington Station from two of its routes

By Naomi Washington

Raleigh and Charlotte train schedule is set to revise its current routes starting July 10, excluding Burlington Station from two of its routes. Under the new train schedule, a stop at the Burlington station will not be included on Train 71 and Train 76, which are two out of 10 of the routes. Under the current schedule, the first train from Raleigh arrives at Burlington Station before 8 a.m. After July 10, the first opportunity for commuters to get off at Burlington Station will be after 11 a.m. 

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NEWS 6/30/23 11:36am

Supreme Court rules against student loan forgiveness

By Ryan Kupperman

The Supreme Court ruled against President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan. The proposal, introduced in August 2022, would waive up to $430 billion in student debt for over 40 million Americans nationwide by forgiving up to $20,000 per person in student debt. The federal government put student loan repayment on pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, but is now set to resume in September. This decision comes just one day after the court ruled to end affirmative action.

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NEWS 6/29/23 10:51am

Supreme Court rules to end affirmative action

By Avery Sloan and Abigail Hobbs

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled to end affirmative action in the admission decision process of all universities and colleges, meaning institutions will no longer be allowed to consider race in the college admissions process. The Supreme Court has been debating affirmative action since 1978, when the court previously ruled that while universities could not make quotas, they could consider race in the admissions process. The court’s decision today goes against the precedents previously set. 

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NEWS 6/27/23 10:31am

Bill passes through state Senate and House that restricts transgender athletes

By Sarah T. Moore

House Bill 574 passed through the state Senate and House and would restrict North Carolina student athletes to only play on teams aligning with their assigned biological sex at birth. The bill now only requires North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper's signature before becoming law. It would apply to every middle school, high school and college in North Carolina for both interscholastic and intramural athletic activities. Elon University being one of the many educational institutions affected by the bill, it would take effect at the start of the 2023-24 academic school year if it becomes law.

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NEWS 6/26/23 10:19am

Parents frustrated following ABSS senior prank punishments

By Erin Sockolof

Parents are frustrated following the aftermath of Alamance-Burlington School System senior pranks at the end of the school year. The school system reprimanded over 80 students who did not walk at graduation, following damages that cost the district over $4,000. Five graduating seniors were charged with misdemeanors by the Burlington Police Department for damages that occurred at Walter Williams High School, while students who committed pranks at other schools within the district were punished internally by ABSS.

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