1^ I I Cl EZ
I 11 ell I Lil ll
Recognizing African
Americans Who Have
Made Contributions
in Sports, Education,
Politics, Entertainment,
Literature, Science,
Culinart Arts,
and Journalism
pages 6-7
Volume 85 No. 6
Grimsley High School
801 Westover Terrace
Greensboro, NC 27408
February 27, 2013
rrighUFE
Before
people are
issued gun
licenses,
they must
know the
steps to take in order to
prevent such accidents.
Parents must make sure their
guns are in safe quarters,
away from their children’s
reach, and they should not
advertise to others that they
have them stored at home.”
7?
Mary Claire Hurley
pages
Hillary Clinton steps
down as Secretary of
State, but her future in
politics remains open
to debate. page 2
Issue of females on
front lines in combat
continues to draw
mixed emotions from
military and general
public. page 3
Celebrating its 11th
year, FringeFestival
wows crowds with
local artisit showcas
ing their unique
talents. page 8
As hockey players
return to the ice, fans
anticipate entertaining
games, and business
owners look forward to
improved revenue.
page 12
Index
News 1-2
Opinion 3-5
Spread 6-7
Features 8-9
Sports 10-12
J '
National Signing Day hit home on Wednesday, February 6, as five student athletes signed their
national letters of intent. NC State University: Natalie Labonge, swimming; Rachel Cox,
soccer. NC A&T: Charlie Jones and Rayshaun Mayfield, football. UNCG: Hill Gwynn, soccer.
Coaches, parents, fans, and athletes were grateful to the Whirlie Booster Club for their contin
ued support of the school’s athletic program. Proudest of all were Coaches Kontoulas,Martineau,
DeGraw, and Coiro. Woods photo
State of the Union pleases Democrats,
leaves Republicans dissatisfied
BY LUKE SUMERFORD
Layout Design Editor
On an annual basis, the
President speaks formally not
only before the American
people, but also, more specifi
cally, members of Congress,
his cabinet members, and the
entire panel of Supreme Court
justices. This oration, known
as the State of the Union ad
dress, is a requirement within
the Constitution of the United
States. The purpose is for
the President to inform
Americans how the nation is
functioning both at home
and abroad, as well as to out
line his policy agenda for the
year, and in the case of re
elected Barack Obama, the
next four years.
After concluding the tradi
tional ceremonial "thank
yous," the President initially
addressed the elephant in the
room, better known as
the economy.
"It is our generation's task,
then, to reignite the true en
gine of America's economic
growth - a rising, thriving
middle class," said Obama.
Throughout his first term
in the Oval Office, Obama
stressed the importance of a
thriving middle class, yet
since the economic recession
hit in 2009, the middle class
shrunk as did the conomy.
Both Democrats and Republi
cans agree that the middle
class needs protection. Such is
not new or bold information,
but what occurred next was
not only unexpected, but
also unprecedented.
Obama called on Congress
to raise the minimum wage
from what it is now $7.25 to
$9.00 an hour.
"Tonight, let's declare that
in the wealthiest nation on
Earth, no one who works full
time should have to live in
poverty," said Obama.
Knowing that he will be un
able to pass a stimulus pack
age through the House, politi
cal pundits speculate this
increase in minimum wage is
the President's form of a
stimulus bill.
Another important topic the
President focused upon was
education reform. He cited the
nation's low education rating
on a global scale and per
suaded his audience that the
greatest nation on earth could
do much better.
Obama also spoke about his
desire for Congress to pass
bills rewarding high schools
that prepare students for
college and future careers
in areas like science, math,
technology, and engineering.
He then proclaimed how
important early education
is for the development of
the country's youth, even
before kindergarten.
"Study after study shows
that the sooner a child begins
learning, the better he or she
does down the road. But to
day, fewer than three in ten
four year-olds are enrolled in
a high-quality preschool pro
gram," said Obama, who then
directed his attention to Geor
gia and Oklahoma, both states
funding Pre-K programs.
If implemented, the program
could change education
and help America become
competitive in areas of cience
and math.
Next came one of the
most emotionally inspiring
moments of a State of the
Union speech, as Obama
focused on the issue of gun
control, which has received
much press recently.
"In the two months since
Newtown, more than a thou
sand birthdays, graduations,
and anniversaries have been
stolen from our lives by a
bullet from a gun," said
Obama, emphasizing how
such statistics should not
reflect life in a modern coun
try like the United States.
Families of the victims of
the Newtown tragedy were
in the audience, along with
other victims of gun vio
lence that occurred within
the nation. Obama's strat
egy was to win over not
only the votes from mem
bers of Congress, but also
the hearts and minds of the
American people to
support gun control laws
that could prevent the mur
der of innocent people.
After the President con
cluded his speech,
the Republican party's ris
ing star, Florida Senator
Marco Rubio, offered a re
buttal. Somewhat over
shadowing his choice words
was his awkward pause in
the middle of his speech to
reach for a water
bottle. Rubio hit all the
points necessary to make a
case for the Republican
viewpoints. He criticized
the President for increasing
the deficit and trying to raise
taxes on the rich.