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Brinli Merrill
Staff Writer Gas prices began to rise on June 14, 2022; although there are many reasons for this, the Russians invading Ukraine has been the biggest circumstance to affect this rise in prices. Gas prices usually increase over the summer, but this summer has been the more drastic uptick. During the height of the war, gas prices rose from two to three dollars per gallon to five to six dollars. Since some people have multiple kids in their families, it is harder for them to pay for gas and groceries. There are items that people like low-income consumers need to get even if they do not have enough money for them, especially with inflated prices. The people that do not have enough money and that have big families are the people that get affected the most by the high gas prices. Large families are the ones who are the most affected by the high gas prices because they have to provide for multiple people. The effect on society is becoming more prominent by causing more individuals to have bad health or other kinds of problems. According to NACS Consumer Fuels Surveys, “at least 70% of consumers say that gas prices affect their feelings about the economy.” The increase in oil prices lowers the rate of economic growth and increases inflation over a short period. According to The Federal Reserve Board, “If you have regular occasion to fill your car's tank with gas, you know that the price of gasoline has recently been both high and volatile,” which means that it is hard for people to get the gas they need when they do not have enough money for it. The money earned through gas sales goes directly toward several large-scale oil companies. The Ukraine war is what started the gas prices becoming higher. Americans used to have the gas that we use today transported from Russia to America. The Russian oil prices are increasing because of the lockdowns and the war in Ukraine. In conclusion, gas prices have affected a lot of people in the U.S. and low-income consumers because they do not have a lot of money to be spending on gas. Now that gas prices have been going down, it will benefit most American families and other families around the world.
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Roman Davis
Staff Writer The month of September is the keeper of many things; one of those being Suicide Prevention Month. It was first declared and created in 1999 by Surgeon General David Satcher who issued his Call to Action to Prevent Suicide; in 2008, the community suffering with these issues created National Suicide Prevention Month in hopes that it would help others in need and raise awareness. Since then, this month has been made a time to acknowledge those affected by suicidal thoughts, spread knowledge, and connect individuals with suicidal ideation to services that help prevent more deaths from happening. According to the CDC, more than 41,000 individuals commit suicide annually; it is labeled the tenth leading cause of death among adults in the U.S. and the second leading cause of death among teenagers and young adults. As years pass, these rates are steadily increasing. Health research also indiciates that people with substance use disorders are almost six times as likely to attempt suicide at some point in their lives compared to others who do not have these disorders. To help prevent this from happening, the community has a multitude of resources that are able to help year round and run fundraisers during this month to help others in need. Bonneville High School has its own resource called Hope Squad, run by students within the school itself. One of these resources that works year round is the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and is dedicated to supporting others in the United States. Their website states, “Ultimately, NAMI wants any person experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviors to have a number to call, a system to turn to, that would connect them to the treatment and support they need.” The Alliance has a multitude of resources to turn to such as phone lines, text lines and even a website. These resources are for anyone to use and share to others needing help; a small reminder that the community is not alone in its struggle and that NAMI is here to help. Some resources to go to are down below, please share them with others in need of aid.
Kimmie Barnes
Editor-In-Chief Spanning from September 15 to October 15, National Hispanic Heritage Month is in full effect. This is a month dedicated to highlighting and celebrating Hispanic history, culture, and achievements. While the starting and ending dates may seem a bit odd, Hispanic Heritage Month begins September 15 because it is independence day for several Hispanic and Latino countries. A few of those countries include Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala. In addition, Chile and Mexico also celebrate their independence days during the duration of this month. Hispanic History Month initially started as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968; however, in 1988, the week changed into a 30 day celebration. Hispanic Heritage Month has a changing theme each year. The theme for 2022 is Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation. This year focusing on intersectionality and honoring the strength in diversity. The theme was created by Ily Soares, the supervisory accountant at Farm Credit Administration. The point driven by Soares is one of representation. She believes when all voices are represented the outcome of crucial decisions is more inclusive and advocates for the needs of people who more often than not are underrepresented. In a quote from Soares she states, “We call on citizens of this nation from all walks of life to look around and welcome new voices to the table. This will help us build stronger communities and in turn, a stronger nation.” Being able to recognize the strengths of different types of people and weld them together is what this year’s theme is all about. As previously mentioned, several Hispanic and Latino countries observe their independence day during Hispanic Heritage Month, invoking much celebration in those countries and for others from said countries. The days are filled with festivals, parades, country-wide singing, dancing, good food, and oftentimes the history of their independence is recounted in schools. In Costa Rica and Guatemala, there is a torch running ceremony that takes place on the night of September 14. It is called Antorcha de la Independencia. During this ceremony a symbolic torch travels from Guatemala over the border into Costa Rica’s capital. The relay is to symbolize the news of freedom reaching Costa Rica in 1821, a month after Guatemalan independence, when it was a part of the Guatemalan kingdom. For more information about independence day in Hispanic and Latino countries check out: https://dmh.lacounty.gov/blog/2021/09/national-hispanic-heritage-month/ As one of the fastest growing minority communities in the United States, the culture cultivated by Hispanic people is something to be highlighted. There are numerous ways to support and appreciate that culture this month. This can be researching Hispanic artists, supporting small businesses run by Latinos, learning new food recipes, and gaining an education on the countless impacts that have been made by Hispanic and Latino people. It is crucial to recognize and appreciate the different perspectives and strengths that the Hispanic community brings to society. As the theme for this year’s Hispanic History Month brings to light, inclusivity creates a possibility for a stronger nation. Asher Montano
Staff Writer In the last several years, the American government has been making many decisions and changes to the way people live. For example, last month the Biden-Harris Administration’s Student Debt Relief Plan was instituted. This act means that some students with a household income less than $250,000 can apply to get $10,000 or more removed from their student loans. Households with an income of $125,000 or less can apply to get $25,000 removed. As good as this sounds for most students, these actions could have some downsides. These downsides may include situations such as taxpayers being irritated knowing that their money is going to pay for remaining loans instead of fixing roads, constructing bridges, and supporting the government. The government has to spend $1.6 trillion in order to forgive the debt of all of these students. $1 trillion of the money used to forgive is $10,000 per student with the right requirements. The other $600 million is used to add an extra $15,000 to those families who do not make more than $125,000 annually. With the amount of money the government is forgiving in addition to the amount of money people have been getting for food stamps and unemployment insurance, some say the money America has is getting stretched extremely thin. President Biden has made several immediate actions to take care of the problems in the United States. One of these that is stated by whitehouse.gov is the racial inequality in the country. For example, the actions that include discrimination, stereotypes, and fewer opportunities for people of a different skin color, still take place for people in America. The president wants to make more of an effort into promoting equity in the different races. He also aims for criminal justice, ending disparities in healthcare, and getting rid of poorer education country wide. The overall goal is to make sure that everyone across America has the same opportunities to be successful. As well as fixing the racial inequalities, Biden wants to fix the ever-changing climate. He wants to focus on every region to have safer disposal methods for trash and waste; furthermore, he is trying to have a clean energy source to further decrease wasteful products for the future. President Biden is aiming for net-zero emissions economy wide no later than 2050. Biden also wants to start fixing the economy; he wants to strengthen small businesses and increase the amount of jobs available. The pandemic caused a huge decrease in job availability, and many people were left unemployed. According to whitehouse.gov, Biden is very interested in fixing the many problems that COVID caused when it took the world by storm, and by doing that build the country bigger and better than it was before. Grisel Gonzalez
Staff Writer Anguish and grief overtook the people of the United Kingdom on September 8, 2022. On that indicated day, Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully in her home at the Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Elizabeth was the longest-serving ruler in England and reigned for just over 70 years. The Queen had been struggling with many health issues before her death, and she passed away due to natural causes. Upon her passing, Prince Charles took the throne and is now King Charles III. The coronation of Charles will take place sometime in 2023, and the title of Prince of Wales will shift to Prince William, Charles’s eldest son. Charles’s wife Camilla Parker will be taking up the title of queen consort “thanks to a special intervention by her mother-in-law” (The Cut). A queen consort shares her husband’s social rank and status, although she will not be the official queen. Her main job is to provide, support, and fellowship because the consort “does not hold a formal position in the structure of government.” According to Cosmopolitan, “As the wife of a monarch, Camilla will also become a Counselor of State. These are senior members of the Royal Family who can carry out duties on behalf of the king if he is unwell or overseas.” The monarchy already has a set plan of what is to come after the Queen’s passing. The roles of the new rulers have been set in place, and the grandchildren of the monarch are entitled to be princes or princesses. Before the Queen’s death, the monarchy formulated a plan nicknamed “Operation London Bridge” or the code phrase “London Bridge is down.” (Quora.com) This funeral plan mapped out the 10 days after Queen Elizabeth’s death. This method helped the monarchy stay organized and calm during this devastating turn of events. This plan of action includes her successor immediately taking over, the international declaration of her death, a period of official mourning, and the release of details for her state funeral. Operation London Bridge gave guidance to the people, and they are now aware of what is going to happen without Queen Elizabeth II. Charly Dixon
Staff Writer September is international childhood cancer awareness month. On average, 400,000 children a year and roughly 43 children every day are diagnosed with cancer. There are many different kinds of cancer that can affect children; however, Leukemia tends to be the most common type. In a compelling story from Children’s Cancer Institute, a little girl named Harper was diagnosed with cancer when she was barely two years old. She was confirmed to have Lymphoblastic Leukemia and was told that she would have to be in the hospital. Before she was diagnosed with cancer, Harper loved going to the park, walking her dog,visiting the beach, and being with her family. Harper was developing an ongoing chest infection and kept getting worse. A family doctor performed a blood test on Harper and within a few hours they told Harper’s family that they should head straight to the closest emergency room; her blood test result showed that she had Leukemia. Eliza, Harper’s mom, said, “I was thinking they’re all wrong. There’s no way that it’s cancer. [T]here’s just no way. Why?’ When they finally found out about Harper’s diagnosis, it hit the family hard. Eliza spoke on the subject, “I pretty much just cried the whole couple of weeks after they told us what they thought it was. It was like a mental car crash.” This was a hard situation for the family; however, they got through it together. After she was diagnosed, she had to have a port inserted in her chest for the chemotherapy to be administered; after one round, they found out that the port was getting infected and led Harper to be put into isolation. The treatments they were giving her triggered high fevers and she would scream until she would fall asleep because she was in immense pain. Harper suffered muscular atrophy and was unable to walk for a while; for a two year old that is hard to understand. Though Harper was young, she diligently fought her battle with cancer and is now a big sister. Another moving story from Children’s Cancer Institute told a different kind of view. A pleasant and loving girl named Charlie was diagnosed with stage four Neuroblastoma: her body was carrying more than 20 tumors. After multiple rounds of chemotherapy and many hopeful doctor visits, Charlie’s battle with cancer found some closure. Her family was always there for her from the start, they knew she was strong and could get through anything. Her mom promised her that she would keep fighting to find a cure for her. Charlie's mom never said why this had to happen and was always positive and believed that they could get through it. Charlie never complained about having cancer, though; she wished that no child would ever have to go through the treatments she went through. The two stories both had a different perspective of what it is like to have cancer. One mom was fighting for her child and knew that she could get through it, one the other hand the other mom just kept asking why. Cancer is a worldwide disease that affects many children, along with the rest of the family, yet people never think it will happen to their loved ones. Makenna Goertzen
Assistant Editor As the summer of 2022 comes to an end, Idaho residents and first responders face the devastating damage and repercussions of several major wildfires. On September 13, Idaho became the state with the highest-ranking number of active wildfires, with a recorded total of 270,000 acres that have burned across the state. Several of the wildfires are located in the Salmon-Challis National Forest, including Idaho’s largest wildfire, the Moose fire. This massive fire has devastated over 130,000 acres, and as of September 22 is only 51% contained. However, the rainy days and cooler temperatures of the coming fall are helping to tremendously slow the fire. According to East Idaho News, firefighters estimate that the full containment day will be October 31. Unfortunately, the movement of the Moose fire prompted evacuation orders which came into effect during early September; the Beartrack Mine and Leesburg were evacuated on September 6, and on September 8, another evacuation was ordered for a number of areas a few miles north of Salmon. The second largest fire in Idaho, named the Four Corners Fire, is located west of Lake Cascade in the Payette and Boise National Forest. A resident in the area reported the fire on August 13 after a thunderstorm had hit. (https://inciweb.nwcg.gov) Due to safety reasons, the Payette and Boise National Forest had to temporarily close down, including the region and roads around it. The Four Corners Fire has damaged 13,728 acres although 96 percent contained. The estimated containment date is September 24th. While the Four Corners fire was caused by a lightning strike during a storm, many of the current and previous fires were human-caused, including The Moose Fire. Fire agencies throughout the state are advising communities to take preventative action to prevent any further wildfires from developing. Idaho Department of Lands recommends precautions such as never leaving a campfire unattended, being sure the fire is completely extinguished before leaving, along with keeping a shovel and bucket of water nearby at all times when one is active. In addition, they advise citizens to “pay close attention to weather and drought conditions and avoid any activities that involve fire or sparks when it’s hot, dry, and windy.” As winter approaches, colder conditions and rainy days continue to aid in the efforts to distinguish Idaho’s active wildfires. Specially trained groups of firefighters known as hotshot crews are working tirelessly to prevent the flames from spreading into populated areas or causing any further damage to Idaho’s National Forests. If necessary, rehabilitation efforts will be put into place to restore and heal any harm that has been done. For more on how to prevent wildfires, fire safety, or any other information on this topic, go to: www.fs.usda.gov www.idl.idaho.gov www.redcross.org The Bonneville Buzz staff thank and sincerely appreciate all the efforts being made by Idaho’s firefighters and fire teams! Thank you for what you do! |
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