Logan Ramsey
Editor-in-Chief
Local: Kent Tingey announced his retirement from ISU
Kent Tingey announced that Dec. 31 will be his last day at ISU after nearly three decades of service. Tingey started as director of university relations until he became vice president in 1999. Under his direction, ISU raised $152 million for its first-ever capital campaign, which resulted in the Stephens Arts Performing Center being built. Tingey has overseen ISU’s public and government relations, marketing and communications, development, the ISU Foundation, alumni relations and Holt Arena and the Stephens Performing Arts Center during his time as vice president.
Regional: Mountain Lion sightings are on the rise and the cause is unknown
Across the American West, Mountain Lion sightings are on the rise and Eastern Idaho is no exception.There have been a multitude of mountain lion sightings throughout the region in recent months. In one instance, a malnourished female cougar with a wounded eye was euthanized in Lava Hot Springs in January by Fish and Game officers. Wildlife experts seem to have more questions than answers to explain this uptick in mountain lion sightings and attacks.
Statewide: Idaho has seen an increase in female politicians
There’s been an increasing number of female politicians taking nominations and seats in Idaho in the 2018 midterm elections. This comes after a study done by the finance website WalletHub listed Idaho as 41st in the nation for “political empowerment” for women, based on the number of Idaho women elected to Congress, the state Legislature and statewide executive positions. In terms of nominations, there were two female nominees for Idaho lieutenant governor, the first female nominee from a major party for governor, two female nominees for state superintendent and dozens of female nominees for other positions.
National: The government could potentially shut down again
As part of the President’s 2022 budget proposal, he will request another $8.6 billion in border wall funding which could set the stage for another government shutdown. This comes after Trump declared a state of emergency on the southern border and is expected to propose to take $5 billion from Customs and Border Patrol and $3.6 billion from Department of Defense military projects. The President’s last wall request was for $5.7 billion and that set off the longest government shutdown in United States history.
International: Archaeologists found a trove of Maya Artifacts Dating Back 1,000 Years
Mexican archaeologists discovered a trove of more than 200 Maya artifacts beneath the ancient city of Chichén Itzá in Mexico in the the Yucatán Peninsula cave. The artifacts appear to date back to 1000 A.D. The explorers had to crawl on their stomachs for hours to reach the coveted artifacts. “For us, it was very hard, but thinking about Maya in ancient times going there through those passageways crawling with a big incense burner and a torch… I mean, you have to think about them with even more respect than we have always had because you see how important these caves were for them,” Guillermo de Anda, who helped lead the team, said.
