Hurricane Florence Coverage

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SPORTS 5/6/25 2:31pm

Rocket League sparks connection at Elon

By Erin Martin

Founded in 2015, Elon’s esports scene has been growing steadily over the past few years, along with the rest of the world. This year marked a major step forward for Elon’s Rocket League program. The team competes under the Collegiate Carball Association and played in a Collegiate Conference Series tournament with other schools from the Coastal Athletic Association. The team also recently competed in the ZCL — a community based, independently managed tournament. There, Elon dominated the competition, sweeping through the bracket to take home the championship title.

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NEWS 5/5/25 2:56pm

Elon University SGA president works to create connections, plans for next year

By Trista Panagakos

Student Government Association’s Executive President and junior Anya Bratic said during her campaign that she wanted to be a connector for students on campus. After being elected, Bratic still believes her role as executive president is to be a liaison between students and the resources Elon University offers. Together with the senate, Bratic said she wants to better communicate with the student body on information they may not be aware of. After the election, some of the senate seats were left vacant, but Bratic has appointed 10 senators who have all been unanimously voted on by the senate.

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LIFESTYLE 5/5/25 9:52am

Togetherness in nature on display at Elon Strawberry Festival

By Katharyn MacDonald

Student-grown flowers, herbs and vegetables now occupy numerous dorm window sills and apartment living rooms after over 100 were adopted at the 16th Annual Strawberry Festival on May 2. The plants, which were grown by students through a hands-on, gardening-focused environmental studies course, have made a long journey since being first planted in January and February. For the first time, plants were able to be reserved online with a suggested donation amount. From atomic grape tomatoes to drama queen poppies, there were 63 plants to choose from, and many were sold out before the festival started.

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LIFESTYLE 5/4/25 4:13pm

‘Ryan’s Coffee’ builds career one cup at a time on TikTok

By Anjolina Fantaroni

A hazelnut iced latte with oat milk from The Oak House in downtown Elon has received a high rating from  TikTok coffee creator, Ryan Keane, known as “Ryan’s Coffee.” This coffee connoisseur is attempting to find the best coffee in North Carolina — and he’s made it pretty far. Keane, who lives in Charlotte, has traveled all over North Carolina and has reviewed over 50 coffee shops on his TikTok account, @ryaankeane. He said his idea began after filming himself trying a coffee shop he’d always wanted to visit. 

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NEWS 5/4/25 1:40pm

Jogging for Josh 5K honors Elon local, brings community together

By Audrey Geib

Members of the Elon community gathered outside Atlantic Union Bank in Burlington on Saturday morning for the second annual Jogging for Josh 5K. But for most, the morning wasn’t just about running – it was about remembering. The race honored the life of Elon local, Joshua Dane Hughes. He was the only child of Steven and Juanita Hughes, who organized the event to celebrate their son’s legacy and support a scholarship in his name. Twenty-nine participants walked the 1 mile path and 59 participants ran the 5K through Burlington and Elon, passing Magnolia Cemetery, Josh’s resting place.  

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LIFESTYLE 5/3/25 6:31pm

Burlington celebrates 34th annual Carousel Festival

By Nia Bedard

Burlington City Park opened its arms for its 34th annual Carousel Festival on May 3, featuring rides, local businesses, food trucks and musical performances. The Dentzel Carousel was built between 1906 and 1910 at the Dentzel Carousel Company and purchased by the city of Burlington in 1948. In 2019, the carousel was refinished and was returned to City Park in 2022. Festivities will continue from noon to 5 p.m. May 4. The carousel and other attractions including the miniature train, planes, cars and boats are currently open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

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SPORTS 5/3/25 5:36pm

Nick Dorn transfers from Elon to Indiana University in pursuit of NBA dreams

By Liya Rike

Nick Dorn, a former member of Elon’s men’s basketball team, entered the NCAA transfer portal on March 25 and announced his commitment to Indiana University on April 24. After reviewing game footage and discussing his decision with his coaches and family, Dorn decided that transferring would give him a better opportunity to reach the professional level. Dorn’s transfer to Indiana is a step up to a Big Ten program with rich basketball history, including 41 NCAA Tournament appearances and five national championships. Elon, by contrast, has never made the NCAA Tournament in its Division I history. 

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NEWS 5/3/25 1:09pm

A hushed legacy: Samuel Merritt’s story as a descendant of a lynching victim

By Lilly Molina

Samuel Merritt’s great-great grandfather, Wyatt Outlaw, was lynched on Feb. 26, 1870. Outlaw was dragged out of his home in the middle of the night by a mob of 60 and hanged on an Elm tree in the corner of downtown Graham. His body is nowhere to be found, and for a long time his legacy was hidden within the Outlaw family. Merritt remembers reading about lynchings in history books but could have never imagined that his family would have been affected. The Vietnam veteran and retired microbiologist can only feel proud of his ancestor.

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LIFESTYLE 5/2/25 4:47pm

Western vibes and queer pride fill Young Commons at Elon University

By Alice Morrissey

Senior Ana Sofia Rodriguez has worked with the Gender and LGBTQIA Center for four years as an event manager. This spring, she was given the opportunity to plan Spring Pride. She said she wanted to add her spin to the event, making it western-themed, sprinkling cowboy hats, boots and other western decor throughout Young Commons with games, food, and booths with student vendors and resources for students. The GLC hosts a Pride event each semester — one in October to celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month and another in the spring to keep the community engaged.

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LIFESTYLE 5/2/25 3:32pm

Music at the Plaza kicks off 2025 season

By Abigail Hines

Music at the Plaza returns to the downtown Elon plaza for its 2025 season at 6 p.m. on May 2. The bimonthly event brings live music and a lively crowd to the plaza every first and third Friday of the month. The event runs throughout May and June and then returns from August to October. GreenHawk Corporation is a sponsor of the event, and downtown development director Jill Weston said the partnership provides them a larger budget. The first event of the series will feature The Fandinos, a pop-rock band based in North Carolina. 

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NEWS 5/1/25 5:44pm

Burlington clinic provides free healthcare for people without insurance

By Liya Rike

The Al-Aqsa Community Clinic offers medical exams, lab tests, medications and specialist referrals, all funded by donations, mosque support and partnerships with local hospitals. Founded in 2009 by Amal Khdour, who is the coordinator, the clinic was created after Khdour noticed the medical struggles of refugee families. What started as a small operation with one doctor and donated medicines quickly expanded to serve patients from across the Triad, including Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Raleigh. LabCorp donates lab services, Greensboro Imaging provides free X-rays and Cone Health contributes an electronic medical record system.

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NEWS 5/1/25 3:04pm

Siembra NC to host community preparedness training at Elon

By Avery Sloan

Siembra NC is hosting an event at 6 p.m. May 2 in Sankey Hall 308 to provide a community preparedness training for students, faculty and staff, and community members. Siembra NC is a grassroots organization provides training to people on what to do when interacting with ICE and has a hotline people can send concerns into. Maria Mejia, Elon professor of philosophy, said dispelling myths on misinformation regarding Immigration Customs and Enforcement and immigrant rights is even more important right now.

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NEWS 4/30/25 3:58pm

Elon University research forum day shrinks slightly

By Virginia Vance

Elon University’s Student Undergraduate Research Forum is an annual tradition — however, this year’s SURF day was smaller than last year’s historic high. Featuring 268 presentations, SURF 2025 was closer in scale to SURF 2023’s 270 presentations than last year’s 321 presentations. Not all presentation types saw decreases. There were more presentations self-identified as “data intensive” in 2025 compared with 2024, but there were less sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion presentations compared to last year. DEI presentations shrank the most, from 72 presentations in 2024 to 42 presentations in 2025.

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LIFESTYLE 4/30/25 11:56am

Elon University’s Gender and LGBTQIA Center to hold Spring Pride

By Trista Panagakos

Elon University’s Gender and LGBTQIA Center is holding its Spring Pride event from 5 to 7 p.m. May 1 in Young Commons. The event will feature tabling from other organizations and on-campus services such as the Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education, Disability Services, and Counseling Services. This year Spring Pride will be Western themed which is  different from previous years, when the theme would center around spring or flower power. Part of the GLC’s plans for Spring Pride is to ensure students are aware of the community building efforts of the organization. 

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NEWS 4/30/25 10:31am

Elon University names student commencement speaker

By Charlotte Pfabe

Elon senior Craig Brandstetter was selected as the student undergraduate commencement speaker on April 30, according to an email sent to seniors by Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley. Brandstetter will deliver the message of appreciation on behalf of the graduating class of 2025 during the Undergraduate Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 23. In February 2024, the Student Government Association announced that all seniors who meet the application criteria would have the chance to apply to speak at the 2024 graduation ceremony. Previously, the senior class president automatically gained the spot.

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LIFESTYLE 4/29/25 7:28pm

‘Theater in its rawest form’: Elon students create, produce original play

By Sarah T. Moore

The term sororophobia refers to a woman’s simultaneous desire for and recoil from identification with other women. It encompasses the nuances of women who seek community with one another while comparing themselves to each other. It’s also the name of senior Laney Lynch’s second full-length play. Lynch, a B.F.A. acting student, began writing the play in fall 2023. It started as an idea and writing scenes of dialogue every now and then. But with encouragement from her friends, Lynch decided to write “Sororophobia,” a full-length, supernatural play about a group of middle school girls who summon a wish-granting demon.

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NEWS 4/29/25 3:26pm

Elon Poll finds Americans expect higher prices due to tariffs

By Trista Panagakos

A poll conducted by Elon University Poll surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults and found 80% of respondents anticipate higher prices due to President Trump’s trade policies. On April 2, Trump announced 10% tariffs on all countries and separate tailored tariffs on other countries such as China, who Trump has placed 145% tariffs on. Elon Poll found partisan divides among respondents about how higher tariffs will impact respondents' financial situations. The poll found 90% of Democrat respondents had much higher concern compared to 41% of Republican respondents. 

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NEWS 4/29/25 2:11pm

East Burlington comes together to protect equity, provide a voice

By Julia Donaghy

For years, there have been local efforts to remediate the 22-acre property once called the Tarheel Army Missile Plant. From 1942 to 2004, it was owned by the U.S. Department of Defense and previously leased to Western Electric, an electrical engineering and manufacturing company, to produce Nike Ajax surface-to-air missiles. Now, it remains abandoned under private ownership, creating more than just an eye sore to East Burlington, according to the Rev. Donna Vanhook, an Alamance County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor. 

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LIFESTYLE 4/29/25 8:49am

Elon University greek councils celebrate diversity, unity of greek life

By Rachel Holley

Elon University’s greek life organizations came together on April 28 on Young Commons for “Greek Fest.” The carnival-themed event was hosted by the four governing bodies of Elon University greek life: Panhellenic Association, Interfraternity Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council and the recently established Multicultural Greek Council. The event had free carnival themed food such as corn dogs, popcorn, cheeseburgers, churros and funnel cake fries. Along with the food, the event also had live music from student bands, games, crafts and an inflatable bounce house. 

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NEWS 4/28/25 11:20pm

Elon Town Council discusses proposed budget for 2026 fiscal year

By Ruby Burckle

Elon Town Council members debated whether it would be in the community and council’s best interest to increase property tax rates in order to fund the proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year during the town council meeting April 28. Elon Town Manager Rich Roedner proposed a property tax increase from $0.35 to $0.365, or a one and a half cent increase. Unlike many other municipalities, sales tax is the number one revenue source for the town of Elon, according to Mayor Emily Sharpe. The council will hold a public hearing on May 13 before approving the budget.

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