Week 7 Newswriting

Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions 

The Minnesota Vikings narrowly defeated the Lions today with the final score being 17-19 at home. To Vikings fans, however, this game could almost be considered a loss. As the Vikings improve their overall season record to 2-3, they leave a lot to be desired. With blunders such as 7 penalties for 74 yards, 2 turnovers, poor first-down efficiency, and a late fumble that allowed the Lions to take the lead, the win was sloppy. This raises the question of competence among the Vikings coaching staff. With three losses of less than one score this season, the Vikings appear to be a team that could easily make a playoff run this season. That being said, poor coaching decisions in the late game seem to be holding them back. On the other side of the ball, the Lions have fallen to 0-5, and remain as one of the two winless teams left this season. In the box score, the Lions have not played that bad this season, and to their credit, a few of their losses can be chalked up to bad luck. An example of this was their loss in week 3 to the Baltimore Ravens where the game ended with a record 66-yard field goal made by kicker Justin Tucker. The Lions look to next week to try and break their losing streak against the Cincinnati Bengals. 

CDC guidelines involving Halloween activities in Minnesota

As Halloween nears, activities revolving around the spooky holiday have started to pop up around the metro, as well as in other cities across the country. Last year Halloween, like many other things, was canceled due to the widespread pandemic caused by Covid-19. 

This year, as things start to ease back into normality, the CDC has introduced new guidelines. If you plan on participating in trick-or-treating, or another activity this fall the CDC suggests that you wear a face mask, carry hand sanitizer with you at all times, individual bad treats if you are handing out candy, set up an outdoor station, and keep a distance of six feet from people who are not direct family members or people you live with. The CDC also advises against wearing a costume mask over a face covering to ensure there is no risk of suffocation. Some events that are going on around the twin cities include Valleyfairs annual “Valleyscare” festival where they convert the amusement park into a haunted themed extravaganza, the “Trick or trail” walk hosted by the New Hope civic center, and the “Pumpkin Patch Party” hosted by Edina Reality’s Maple Grove office. 

Earthquakes in Japan

A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck Tokyo, Japan Thursday resulting in 32 injuries (2 serious) subway closures, waterpipe damage, and swaying buildings. Delays continued into Friday morning at train stations, and more than 250 buildings were temporary without power. Japan is no stranger to earthquakes, and as a result, has become a world leader in natural disaster preparation and damage control. 

According to https://theculturetrip.com, Japan has taken many measures to ensure the safety of its citizens, and its visitors. The first is earthquake-resistant buildings. 87 percent of the buildings in Tokyo have been built to withstand earthquakes. Engineers have done this by either creating joints in a building's structure to improve flexibility with tremors or by building on Teflon. Other measures that have been taken include sensors in public transportation that stop movement when an earthquake is detected and smartphone alerts when an earthquake is about to hit. 

Twin Cities crime rate 

A Shooting occurred at a St. Paul bar Sunday morning resulting in the death of a young woman, and at least 14 injuries. The three men involved in the incident named Terry Lorenzo Brown Jr., 33, Devondre Trevon Phillips, 29, and Jeffrey Orlando Hoffman, 32 were brought to a nearby hospital to treat their wounds, and will later be transferred to Ramsey City Jail according to the Saint Paul Police Department. This shooting marks another smudge on the already damaged reputation of the twin cities following the tragic death of George Floyd. Since his death in May of 2020, the Twin Cities have seen a surge in the crime rate becoming one of the most dangerous cities to live in the United States. With a 1/18 chance of falling victim to a crime, and a 1/105 chance of experiencing a violent crime, The area is almost double the national average for major cities in the U.S. Minneapolis also experienced a record 185 murders last year which was a 57 percent increase from the year before. 

On the Political side of things, Republican politicians are blaming Democrats citing that they are weak on crime, and aim to defund the police. Democrats on the other hand argue that the only reason that this increase in crime happened in the first place was due to police brutality, and therefore law enforcement needs to be reformed.