By: Victoria Chavez

Mrs. Callie Bast, who is known as one of PHS best mathematics teachers , was selected as the 2020-2021 Teacher of the Year. With her bright attitude and her passion for teaching it is no surprise that she was given this award. “My favorite part about teaching is when  you see a student, who probably hated math, not hate math anymore and they realize they can do the work…” 

When asked how she felt receiving this award Mrs. Bast commented, “ I was thrilled and honored… made me feel appreciated for what I do and for all the extra hours that I spend after school working with kids” It is no question that her dedication to her students shines through the dark times of the school year. Even with the obstacles that the pandemic has given us, she continues to educate students and help them reach their goals. “It’s the worst when you see a student sitting between friends and they’re not able to do the work but by the end they can…”  

Her reasoning to return to teach at PHS was because, “I graduated in 1982… it feels like coming home from a long trip… it’s like if you cut me, I bleed green” 

Mrs. Bast’s love for teaching has grown over the years and with this growth came advice for the new teachers of the world, “You chose this profession because you love teaching. It’s not the money or the fame, you do it because you feel called to do it. Even when you have those rough days or years, weather the storms and remember why you came in the first place. You’re going to be glad you followed the passion instead of the dollar bill… might drive an old Chevy like I do but that’s okay” 

Congratulations Mrs. Bast and thank you for all of your hard work!

By: Victoria Chavez 

17-year-old Nicholas Brady Schaeffel and 18-year-old Haile Kifer.

On October 3, 1789, George Washington issued his Thanksgiving proclamation, designating for “the People of the United States a day of public thanks-giving” to be held on “Thursday the 26th day of November,” Since then, Americans have celebrated every Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November. Most citizens spend the day eating and enjoying the company of their loved ones, but for the families of two Little Fall teens, their day was spent in disbelief and sadness. 

The Byron David Smith killings occurred on Thanksgiving Day of 2012, when Haile Kifer, 18,  and Nick Brady, 17, broke into the home of Bryon Smith, 64, in Little Falls, Minnesota. Smith was retired from the U.S. State Department, was never married, and had always lived alone. Prior to the murders of the teens, Smith’s home had been burglarized at least half a dozen times over the last few months. He had only reported one previous burglary to the police, and investigators only found evidence of two previous burglaries. These burglaries sparked anxiety in Smith and led him to begin wearing a holster with a loaded gun in his home, as well as stashing water bottles and granola bars in the basement. 

On November 22, 2012, Smith drove his vehicle down the road, parking it in front of a neighbor’s home. Later that day, Kifer and Brady broke into Smith’s home. Video surveillance captured the teens looking around the property prior to the break-in. From Smith’s own account he told police when he saw Kifer, who he suspected was responsible for the burglaries, driving towards his home, Smith turned on a recording device he owned. When he returned to his home, Smith removed the lightbulbs from the ceiling lights and positioned himself in a chair that was obscured from view. He then waited 12 minutes until he heard Nick Brady break into his basement. Smith shot Brady twice on the stairs, and once in the head after he fell to the bottom of the stairs. Smith then made taunting remarks to Brady’s body, wrapped it in a tarp and dragged him into another room. 

Smith then went upstairs, and 10–15 minutes later, he ran back down into the basement, reloaded his weapon and took up his previous position in the obscured chair. Minutes later, Kifer entered the home and could be heard calling her cousin’s name. As she made her way down the stairs, Smith shot her. She fell down the stairs and Smith can be heard on the recording saying “Oh, sorry about that” after his gun jams, followed by Kifer saying “Oh, my God” very quickly; Smith shoots her again, multiple times in the torso, in the midst of which she screams “Oh, my god!” He repeatedly called her derogatory names and then dragged her into the other room, tossing her body on top of her cousin’s, and shot her one final time under the chin, killing her. Audio and video of the events were recorded by Smith’s security system.  The deaths were not immediately reported to police. Smith waited until the next day to notify police of the shootings, claiming he “didn’t want to bother the police on Thanksgiving.”

 This case sparked the debate about the Castle Doctrine. Legal analysts have stated that the initial shootings most likely would have been justified under Minnesota’s laws, but that the extra shots were not justified once any threat had been removed. A number of aspects of the case were noted by police as being inconsistent with self-defense. Smith had moved his truck earlier in the day, claiming he had done so in order to clean his garage. Prosecutors argued at his trial that it was an attempt to make the house look abandoned in order to lure the burglars into his home. In addition to his home surveillance system, Smith also recorded at least 6 hours of audio on a digital recorder in the basement of the residence.  Prior to the break-in, he is heard saying “In your left eye.” and “I realize I don’t have an appointment but I would like to see one of the lawyers here.” These comments raised suspicion due to the fact that Kifer was shot in the left eye and he later did request a lawyer. On April 29, 2014, Smith was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder with premeditation and on two counts of second-degree murder after three hours of jury deliberations.

Many still defend Byron Smith and believe it was his right to shoot the trespassers. Others think justice was served to a cold hearted man that did not see past his evil. One thing is for sure though, two young souls were lost that day, and with them went the love and joy of those who got the chance to know them. 

By: Victoria Chavez

Students and family supporting the cause

  This month the JROTC program will participate in a 5K run to help fight against Alzheimers. Alzheimers is a brain disease that slowly shows its symptoms around age 60. The disease progressively gets worse and worse as the years go by, first affecting your memory, thinking skills, and then ultimately your abilities to lead a simple life. Sadly this disease is very common among elders and affects over three million people. The Eagle Battalion thought this was the perfect opportunity to raise awareness for this medical condition. They have donated five hundred dollars to the cause and the battalion is running a 5K (3.1 miles). Due to COVID-19 and the need for social distancing, the run is a virtual one,  meaning they can submit videos or pictures of their participation. Each cadet will be allowed to run alone or with a group of 8 people. “It was a really good experience for us to be active while helping the community…” said by Christan Gutierrez. “My family has been affected by this disease… I’m glad that I can help make a difference…” said by an anonymous source. The run was a great turn out and the battalion was eager to see so many cadets participate in the event to help find a cure for Alzheimers.

Two first responders comfort each other as they look at the chaos.

By: Victoria Chavez

At 5:45 A.M. Hijackers Mohamed Atta and Abdul Aziz al-Omari pass through security at Portland International jetport in Maine. The pair aboard a commuter flight to Boston Logan International Airport, where they would then connect to American Airlines Flight 11. 

7:35 A.M. Passengers, including five hijackers, board Flight 11 at Gate B32 in Logan International Airport, Boston. 

8:14 and 8:15 A.M. The terrorist attack and kill pilot Captain John Ogonowski and First Officer Thomas McGuinness of Flight 11 and take control of the aircraft. At this time 51 passengers and 5 hijackers (Marwan al-Shehhi, Fayez Banihammad, Mohand al-Shehri, Hamza al-Ghamdi and Ahmed al-Ghamdi) board another flight. 

8:20 A.M. American Airlines Flight 77 takes off from Washington Dulles International Airport for Los Angeles. The aircraft carried 65 people, including six crew members, 53 passengers and five hijackers. 

8:46 A.M. The first plane crashes. American Airlines Flight 11 strikes the North Tower of the World Trade Center, traveling at hundreds of miles per hour and carrying around 10,000 gallons of jet fuel. The flight crashes into floors 93-99 and severs all three emergency stairwells, trapping hundreds of people above the 91st floor. 

9:03 A.M. The second plane crashes. United Flight 175 strikes the South Tower on floors 77-85. Two of the three emergency stairwells are rendered impassable and most elevator cables in the area are severed by the crash, trapping many on floors above the impact and in elevators.

9:37 A.M. American Airlines Flight 77 hits the Pentagon. 

9:59 A.M. The south tower of the World Trade Center collapses from top to bottom. It had been covered with flames for about 56 minutes. Over 800 workers, including first responders, died during this time. 

10:03 A.M. Passengers on Flight 93 take down the four hijackers in the cockpit and crash land it into a field near Shanksville, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, killing all 33 passengers and seven crew members on board. 

10:28 A.M. The North Tower of the World Trade Center collapses. Over 1,600 are killed. 

It has been 19 years since this tragedy has occurred. While it forever left America scarred with a taunting message, we still continue to honor those who died and those who gave their lives. We will never forget 9/11.

By Victoria Chavez

In the wild world of the new Netflix’s new docuseries, The Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, Madness, lies a mystery of a missing man named Jack Donald Lewis. Jack Lewis, otherwise known as “Don” Lewis, was a native of Dade City, Florida. By 1981, he was a self-made millionaire through his real estate and used car businesses. Lewis was married to his first wife, Gladys Lewis Cross, and had three daughters and an adopted son. In January 1981, Lewis met Carole Murdock on Nebraska Avenue in Tampa, on a night when she fled her house after being attacked by her abusive first husband, Michael Murdock. Carole and Don began having an affair while both were still married. She became one of his many girlfriends and substantially grew his wealth by helping him buy and sell real estate in 1984. Lewis and Murdock divorced each of their spouses and married in 1991. The following year, the couple co-founded Wildlife on Easy Street, which is now called Big Cat Rescue, an animal sanctuary for big cats in Tampa. Don and Carole clashed over how to run Wildlife on Easy Street. He wanted to breed the cats and operate it as a business, while she wanted it to be a charity. 

Don became unsatisfied with Carole as the fighting was more frequent during the time he would spend with her. Don would fly to Costa Rica very often to not only escape the bitter relationship at home but to also participate in the many affairs he had with the women in Costa Rica. Carole knew of this affair and wrote about her feelings about them in a journal she kept. She would also write about Don’s deteriorating mental state of mind. She claimed many workers would approach her and tell her that Don would say strange things that indicated he may have had Alzheimer’s disease. However, Don’s former personal attorney and a former business associate have claimed that the accusation was false. Then, in July of 1997, Don filled out a request for a restraining order against Carole, claiming she had threatened to kill him and had hidden his gun to prevent him from protecting himself; this request was rejected. He told Carole multiple times that he wanted a divorce but never went through with the idea. 

On August 18, 1997, Don Lewis disappeared after leaving his home to make an early-morning delivery around 6:00 a.m. Then, on August 20, his white 1989 Dodge Ram Van was found at the Pilot Country Airport in Springhill, Florida, 40 miles away from the sanctuary. At the time of his disappearance, Lewis owned several planes and was known to sometimes fly them even though his private pilot license was suspended. The keys to the van were found on the floorboard and the van had been parked for a couple of days. No evidence was found within the van.

 Although there are many theories surrounding this odd case and most of these cases point to only one person, Carole Baskin. The former owner of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, who goes by the nickname Joe Exotic, has promoted an unsubstantiated theory that Carole was involved in the disappearance of Don. He believes that Carole killed him and fed his remains to their tigers. Exotic created a music video entitled “Here Kitty Kitty” that featured a Carole-lookalike acting out this widely believed theory. Through all of the confusion and suspense, one thing still remains sure: Don has not been seen for 22 years and his family is still hopeful that they can finally put this cold case to rest.