Public Safety Town Hall, Sen. Durbin on nuclear weapons and our latest episode of the B-Side
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Welcome back to ‘In the Loop’! It’s your newsletter team — Kate, Lily, Billie, Sam, Faith, Lauren, Monique, Bridget and Jahlynn — here with your Monday night news.
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Tonight, we’ve got Sen. Dick Durbin discussing the Russia-Ukraine war, a public safety town hall that will be hosted at DePaul this week, runoff elections that are in full swing and 23 protestors were charged with domestic terrorism in Atlanta. Plus, some of us have seen New Girl more times than we can count, but Lauren Sheperd’s column tonight might make me start it again. Don’t miss our latest episode of the B-Side on Star Farm Chicago.
With that, let’s get into the news!
The B-Side: Star Farm Chicago engages Back of the Yards community, brings fresh produce to residents across the city
By Emily Soto, with Hailey Bosek and Sophia Saaverdra
Our next episode of ‘The B-Side’ takes us to the Lincoln Park Farmers Market in multimedia editor Emily Soto's 2022 piece titled “Star Farm Chicago Engages Back of the Yards Community, Brings Fresh Produce to Residents Across the City.”
This feature story helps to raise awareness of the impact and importance of urban farming to local communities. These urban farmers, while often not brought into discussions of agricultural contribution, help the public's health and safety by providing wellness and local produce to the people and the communities they inhabit. Soto follows Ryan Stratton throughout her day at the farmers market in an effort to report on the impact these urban farmers bring.
Story by Emily Soto
Produced and edited by Hailey Bosek
Read by Sophia Saavedra
One year into the Ukraine War, Sen. Durbin talks nuclear threat
By Lily Lowndes
It has been over one year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The small, Slavic country and its leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, have held strong against Russia and Vladimir Putin.
With no end in sight, the war wages on.
On Feb. 28, four days after the one-year anniversary of the war, Putin signed a bill suspending Russia’s involvement in the New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms treaty the country has with the United States.
Since the start of the war, the U.S. has been a large supporter of Ukraine, providing more than $32.2 billion in aid, according to the U.S. Department of State.
Will the threat of nuclear warfare impact the United State’s role in helping Ukraine?
Not a chance, according to Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, one of the co-chairs of the Senate Ukraine Caucus.
Durbin spoke with 14 East shortly after his return to the United States from a visit to European countries Romania and Georgia.
Durbin said he asked a similar question about nuclear warfare when visiting American troops at MK Airbase Romania.
“All bets are off at that point,” Durbin said in the event that Russia deploys nuclear weapons. “It all changes. Our orders, our Article 5 of the NATO Alliance applies.”
The article states that an attack against one or more members of the alliance in Europe or North America will be seen as an attack against all of them. The members will unite and rally to defend against the attackers.
The threat of warfare is not at that point yet. Durbin said that it is essential that the U.S. makes sure Putin knows the consequences of bringing nuclear weapons into play.
“If we don't make it clear that one step over that line, there's a price that you don't want to face, he'll consider it,” Durbin said.
The U.S. and NATO are certainly making it clear that they will not sit back and watch if things go nuclear.
“[Putin] can make all the threats he wants to make,” Durbin said. “But if he steps over the line, one inch into NATO territories, President Biden said the conversation changes, and it has to change.”
The Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are a part of the NATO alliance. Like Ukraine, the three Eastern European nations border Russia.
Durbin’s mother was an immigrant from Lithuania. The senator drew a personal connection to the Baltic states. He continued to relay the need to fight back against Russian aggression.
“The Baltic Republics combined are six or 7 million in those three nations,” Durbin said. “They are as vulnerable as any piece of real estate in the world to Vladimir’s aggression.”
Ukraine is still the main target of Russian attacks and it is holding strong.
In a Monday address, President Zelensky said that the country would continue to fight in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, not surrendering to the Russian troops.
“There is no part of Ukraine about which one can say that it can be abandoned,” Zelensky said. “There is no Ukrainian trench in which the resilience and heroism of our warriors would be disregarded.”
Amid ongoing war and Russian nuclear threats, Ukraine and its allies stay strong.
DePaul News
By Billie Rollason
Public Safety Town Hall, Loop Campus
This Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. the DePaul Student Government Association and Student Bar Association will be hosting a Public Safety Town Hall meeting. Panelists include police commanders, the Chicago Transit Authority Vice President of Security Kevin P. Ryan, as well as DePaul Public Safety Director Robert Wachowski and Loop Assistant Director Kevin Connolly. This meeting will be hosted in the DePaul Center, room 8005 with lunch provided. All members of the DePaul community are welcome to attend.
Student commencement speaker applications open
Calling all June graduates, if you have a powerful message to share with your college and classmates consider applying to be a student commencement speaker. Your application should include a written draft (400-650 words) and a video recording of you delivering the commencement speech. Applications are now open! Submit yours before March 31 at 12 p.m. to be considered. Learn more about the student speaker application, here.
Industry Night: Women in Game Development
On March 8, DePaul Fundamental Research in Academic Gaming (DeFrag) will be hosting an Industry Night for Women in Game Development. The event will take place on the 11th floor of 1 E. Jackson Blvd from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The night will include a “Breaking Into Games” panel hosted by the Women of NetherRealm Studios, resume/portfolio workshops and student club booths. Our Associate Editor Anna Retzlaff will be covering this meeting for next week’s newsletter.
Coffee and Cocoa Cram
From 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on March 9, enjoy a late-night coffee and cocoa while preparing for finals week. The event will take place in the Lincoln Park Student Center. Find event details here.
Chicago Headlines
By Sam Freeman
Progressive alderpersons maintain seats — Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th), Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) and Ald. Rosanna Rodriguez-Sanchez (33rd) of Chicago’s Democratic Socialist caucus won their elections last Tuesday. Members of the conservative caucus also won reelection in five wards while there was little success for members of more moderate caucuses. In the meantime, progressive alderpersons are preparing for the runoff election, which will be held April 4. Joe Ward, Alex V. Hernandez, and Maxwell Evans from Block Club Chicago have the story.
New bill to prevent police from ticketing students in Illinois schools — An investigation conducted by ProPublica and the Chicago Tribune found that 12,000 tickets were distributed to students over three years, and revealed that Black students were twice as likely to be ticketed for violations of local law. Rep. La Shawn Ford’s (8th district) new bill would make it illegal for schools to involve police to issue citations for issues that can be addressed with a school’s disciplinary process; however, the law does not include enforcement measures for schools that continue to ticket students. Jodi S. Cohen of ProPublica and Jennifer Smith Richards of The Chicago Tribune have more on the bill.
Shooting in Bolingbrook kills 3 — Police arrested a 17-year-old boy after responding to a home invasion in the area. He fatally shot two girls and a man, while also injuring another woman. Richard Requena (also managing editor of Pueblo at 14 East) and Jake Sheridan from the Chicago Tribune have the story.
National Headlines
By Faith Hennig
Bannon wars with Fox — The former top advisor to President Trump has taken a stern position against the Fox News network and more specifically the leader, Rupert Murdoch. Trump’s Former advisor Steve Bannon said, “you’ve disrespected Donald J. Trump long enough,” this is another sign of tension between the former president's network and Murdoch’s conservative empire. These lashings are a direct result of the bad relationship Trump’s allies have with Fox due to their coverage of the January 6, 2021 attack in Washington. NBCNews Henry J. Gomez and Alan Smith report more on this situation.
Protestors charged with terrorism in Atlanta — On Sunday, 23 protestors were arrested and charged with felony domestic terrorism after alleged bricks and other dangerous items were allegedly thrown at police officers. The suspects involved were protesting the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, or otherwise known as ‘Cop City’. Most of the suspects are said to be from out of the state. Victoria Arancio, Morgan Winsor and Bill Hutchinson of ABCNews report that the suspects fall into a wide age range, from ages 18 to 49.
Biden visits Selma for ‘Bloody Sunday’ — President Joe Biden pays a visit to Selma, Alabama to mark the 58th anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday.’ Biden gave a speech at the Edmund Pettus Bridge where civil rights protestors were attacked by police in 1965, a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. This event led to the passing of the Voting Act, which Biden states is a fundamental right and is still under scrutiny to this day. After the speech the president marched across the bridge with advocates. Alex Hutzler reports on this story for ABC News.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Lauren Sheperd
Hello everyone and welcome to my final recommendation of the quarter. As we work our way through our last week of classes and into finals week, it’s important that we take time to ourselves to relax and focus on our mental health. One way I go about doing this is by watching some of my favorite episodes of one of my comfort shows. Last quarter, I recommended some of my favorite episodes of Friends. This quarter, I’ll talk about another one of my favorite shows: New Girl. Disclaimer, there are spoilers!
New Girl is a more modern sitcom but follows a similar structure and plotline to Friends. Instead of New York, the main characters live in Los Angeles, which ends up being important in certain episodes. The pilot opens with the main character, Jess, having to change her entire life when she finds her long-term boyfriend cheating on her in their apartment. She ends up finding somewhere to live online and moves in with three men: Nick, Schmidt and Coach. Another main character – Winston – replaces Coach in the next episode. Throughout the series, viewers watch as the characters grow and face roadblocks professionally, socially and romantically.
New Girl is comforting to so many college students, and it’s clear why. The show is funny and entertaining, and while there are different plots, you don’t have to think critically to understand what’s going on. It’s also relatable and reassuring, as most of the characters start the show in their late 20s and do not have their lives figured out. So, when you’re looking for a break from studying or writing papers, sit back, relax, and watch a couple episodes of New Girl.
Resources
Need resources regarding cooling centers, rental assistance, abortion access, COVID-19 testing and vaccines or mental health? Check out our complete list here.
That’s it for today! See you next Monday.
The 14 East Newsletter Team