K.O Crime Rise A new dangerous game elevates crime rates in cities As small-­‐town Americans, we are lucky to be able to walk down our hometown streets and feel safe. Recently, streets haven’t been so safe in cities across the nation. A perilous game called ‘Knockout’ is trending in cities all over and, for many people, is a reason to live in fear. The game doesn’t have much for rules. Only one objective: knock out a random stranger with one punch. “The game is really stupid and dangerous. I don’t see the point. It’s a new form of rebellion,” senior Chelsea Sasse said. While the game might create a twisted ‘rush’ of sorts for the players involved, people in big cities are having to prepare themselves for attacks. In numbers, the amount of attacks seems almost minuscule, but brutal. A case in Brooklyn, involved a 76-­‐year-­‐old woman, Yvonne Small. Ironically, the violation took place during a rally against the assaults happening in that neighborhood. Small was treated by a Brooklyn hospital and discharged. Small’s assailant is still being tracked by the police in that area (pennlive.com). The knockout game becomes even more serious than hospital visits for some victims. Foxnewsinsider.com reports seven deaths have been associated with the game, and the players themselves are often teenagers. Psychologist Dr. Jeffery Gardere, told Fox News, “These kids are cowardly. Most likely the players are troubled teens that have been bullied or come from unstable homes.” Students agree the so-­‐called “knockout game” is inspired by a new video game, Grand Theft Auto [GTA] V. In GTA, the main characters can be controlled to cause violent acts ranging from punching civilians to stealing police cars and crashing helicopters. In the game, it’s considered mild entertainment to make your character assault strangers on the streets. “I think the game is definitely to blame for the creation of the knockout game. Video games become real to some people, and with just the press of a button a character can commit a murder with bare hands,” Tyler Theye ‘14 said. “If the players are specifically mimicking this game, than it’s obvious the video game is to be blamed,” History teacher Mick Suey said. Subjection to violence is definitely common between today and yesterday’s generations, and most agree the violence shown in movies and in video games causes changes in the mentality of teens. “Violence is so prevalent that it’s taken for granted. I don’t think the players understand that they could kill a person. Not just from a blow to the head, but also the fall that person is going to take,” Economics and Psychology teacher Randy Simpson said. Punishments for players of game are still in question. According to a news station in Buffalo, New York, (wivb.com) the state legislature is trying to create stern penalties that would put players in jail for up to 25 years, where teens would be sentenced as adults. “They players should definitely be punished in a way that will set an example for others. Jail time or fines, heavy on both. That is only way I see the game stopping,” Simpson said. Be There or Be Square
Seniors bring back a traditional hot spot
The Class of 1990 blazed the trail as the first class to ever graduate from the newly constructed Fairbury High School. Ever since this class, and even classes before, students of all types have graduated from our school, and they (for the most part) have had a traditional ‘hang out spot.’ For some, it’s been the City Park or Crystal Springs, or even at someone’s house. Even more traditional for Fairbury students, spending time at the square downtown (denoted as the four blocks surrounding the Jefferson County Courthouse) has been a popular pastime for several student groups throughout the years. “ While I was in high school in Fairbury, everyone hung out at the square. We mostly drove around town, the square served more as a place for us to meet up,” English teacher and 1989 graduate, Jed Martin said. Art teacher and 1983 graduate, Connie Schouboe, recollected similar experiences from her high school days. “We drove around a lot, but we did sometimes stop on the north or east side of square to sit and talk to classmates,” Schouboe said. The square’s popularity waned in recent years for a variety of reasons, but a great deal of it stemmed from police monitoring after complaints from local business owners about vandalism, littering, the use of profanity and other negative elements. Drinking, improper driving charges and smoking also prompted some tickets and arrests. Over the summer, the Class of 2014 officially brought popularity back to the town square. Almost every night of the summer season, beginning in early June, members of the senior class were reunited on the courthouse lawn. “Before we started hanging out at the square, we were having bonfires almost every night at Crystal Springs. It got tiring and really time consuming to organize all the things we needed to build a fire, plus there was more driving involved. Now at the square, we mostly sit around and talk,” senior Sierra Kroeker said. In the past, students took advantage of lower gas prices, and the cost-­‐friendly lifestyle of the 1980s allowed students to drive more for fun. “When I was in high school, a gallon of gas cost less than a dollar. The price finally raised to a dollar when I was in college, and I remember thinking that was outrageous,” Schouboe said. Climbing gas prices prevent students from driving around, as teenagers would have done years ago. “ When we hang out downtown, everyone normally brings their own lawn chairs, or we sit on pickup tailgates. Usually we just sit around and talk about events and people, but occasionally we play catch or soccer on the courthouse lawn, and that makes it really fun,” senior Bryce Taylor said. Having school for a whole day and managing a job for most students can be stressful, so being able to spend time with friends on a regular basis is a highlight for students who spend their evenings down at the square. “It’s a nice place to hang out because there is room for everyone and it’s better to be outside,” Matt Henske ’14 said. Senior Aiden Burkitt has a similar philosophy about spending time downtown. “It’s a more relaxed environment because it’s free of parents, so we can basically do whatever we want,” Burkitt said. It is true that parents don’t have much say about what goes on down at the square, but with a group of teenagers meeting on the south side, the police department has easy access to keep watch on happenings just up the street. The Jefferson County Law Enforcement Center sits three blocks off the square. Although students agree the police officers don’t have a problem with the gang hanging out on the square. “The police officers have stopped by to check on us, but they never harass us or are ever too concerned about what we are doing. They have even mentioned that they like us all being down on the square because it’s convenient for them to keep track of us, and that way they know we aren’t causing trouble,” Kroeker said. Roaming the square has security benefits as well. “Hanging out at the square feels a lot safer than if we were to spend time at a park, or another public place. We have the police department right down the street, and there are people that live above the businesses, so we don’t have to be concerned about dealing with strangers passing by too often. As long as we are respective to those who do live near the square, it makes for a good place for us to get together,” Taylor said. Caught on Camera FHS Takes a Progressive Step with Live Stream Technology From typewriters to laptops, from black and white broadcasting to live television presentations, technology is progressing at an ever-­‐increasing rate. School districts are also adding more and more updated technology to their curriculum and activity roster as well. Recent technology advancements have been affecting students first-­‐hand. Chrome Books were introduced to students this year, as well at Smart TVs in the Media Center, along with an iPad display system that features past yearbooks in the commons. This year also brought the opportunity to live stream school events with a high-­‐tech camera, through a company called Striv. “The camera we use, plus most of the other equipment cost $2,500. The purchase was funded by the Booster Club. They see it as a great opportunity,” Activities Director PJ Smith said. Students agree with Smith about the live stream being beneficial. “Live Streaming events is a good thing because that way relatives of students involved can watch, even if they live far away or are unable to make it to the game. It is also good because our own students can watch it. If the volleyball team is on a bus coming home from a game, they can tune into the football game going on to keep track of scores. It would be a great way to support the team,” senior Adam Umland said. In the beginning, the stream technology raised the question: If people watched our games from home, would attendance become less? However, this question proves to have almost no significance. “I was also concerned with that when beginning streaming, but other schools who are involved in live streaming events claim it has not changed the turnout of spectators at their games. Live streaming the games so far has not changed the amount of people that come to games. People who normally attend games still come, numbers haven’t changed,” Smith said. Views for streaming have been slim, but as time passes it is forecast community members will tune in. “I think if we kept promoting the stream on websites like Facebook and Twitter more students would watch it, but it was also be helpful to advertise it in newspapers and in newsletters,” senior Zach Schacht said. Smith believes live streaming school events is only the beginning. “My future plans for this include starting a show. It would be great if we could have students create a news show for the school that could air once a week. I want that to begin either this upcoming spring or next fall. We could even use it to start a club or class,” Smith said. The live-­‐streamed events are accessible to anyone by visiting striv.tv and clicking the Jeff mascot. Students can help out by joining the live stream team by talking to PJ Smith, or a senior on the team.