 Meenakshi Sathish Staff Writer Hamilton, the smash hit Broadway show, has done what every composer, actor, director, costume designer, and intern dreams of accomplishing: winning a Pulitzer Award. It is a big deal since only nine musicals have won the award over the last hundred years. It is no surprise to critics and the audience that the most iconic musical of this generation won one of the most prestigious awards. The play has pioneered a kind of musical and has shaped the future of Broadway musicals. Suffice to say, our generation has witnessed history. Sophia Shaikh Staff Writer Dimmed lights, palm trees, the scent of Mediterranean food, blasting music, a lone stuffed tiger on a couch: these are what made up the beautiful scene of Apex High School’s Prom 2016. Located at Embassy Suites in Cary on Apr. 16, this year’s prom was a success. The theme of Arabian Nights was wonderfully brought to life by the prom committee, who spent long hours getting everything pretty and prepared for the hordes of students who attended.  Naima Muminiy Staff Writer The Coachella Valley and Arts Music Festival, founded by Paul Tollett in 1999, is a music festival that takes place every year at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. This year, it took place from April 15-April 24. Coachella features many genres of music such as rock, indie, hip-hop, and electronic dance music. Coachella is one of the largest and most famous music festivals in the United States, featuring popular established artists such as Sia, Calvin Harris, and Ellie Goulding to emerging artists such as Zella Day, Parov Stelar, and Halsey. Other than the live music, Coachella is a showcase for visual arts such as instillation arts and sculptures.  Ashton Baysden Staff Writer On Wednesday, April 20, a textbook-worthy announcement was made: Harriet Tubman will now be on the front of the $20 bill, making her not only the first African American on a dollar bill but also the first woman on the front of a note in over a century with the last occurrence being Martha Washington’s appearance on the $1 silver certificate. Treasury Secretary Jacob L. Lew announced that Tubman, an African American abolitionist and Union spy during the Civil War, would be the face of the new $20 bill that will be in circulation within the next decade. The achievement is a milestone for women and African Americans, and most Americans support the change.  Hailey Loftin Features Editor For the last twenty years, the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls have been widely regarded as the greatest team in NBA history. Their incredible 72-10 record that year was the best that’s ever been achieved. Led by Michael Jordan, the Bulls sailed through the regular season and won the NBA championship in six games. A season couldn’t be better, or so everyone thought. Flash forward twenty years. The Golden State Warriors started the season 24-0, the best start in NBA history. Steph Curry had already hit 125 three-pointers by the team’s first loss, on pace to make 427 total threes for the season. That first loss came against the Milwaukee Bucks in December. Their next loss did not occur until Curry was forced to sit out against the Mavericks, a game that the Warriors lost by twenty-three points.  Meenakshi Sathish Staff Writer There are some trends that should have never been started. Drinking everything out of mason jars, paying more to look poor (also known as dressing hipster), the “starter pack” meme that got way out of hand, and the list continues. However, the trend of making old Disney movies into live-action spin-offs turned out to be well appreciated as they deserve to be. They take beloved classics that have had an imprint in our lives but use it to address current themes and issues through a modern twist. Disney’s new experiment has been lucrative for them, and The Jungle Book is another successful cinema to be added on to the list. Within five days, The Jungle Book seems to be on the road to making film history. It has gotten a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, with fans and critics alike saying it is one of the year’s best blockbuster. If this film review website gave the movie a 94%, then is has to be good. Nevertheless, statistics and critical reviews never give a clear picture. So, I decided to watch the movie to see if it lives up to its hype.  Drew Chegash Staff Writer In the wake of the mistrust in the police the public has developed, it is not uncommon for police officials to step down from their jobs, but over the weekend, a Colorado police department took it a bit further, when their entire department suddenly resigned. Green Mountain Falls, Colorado is a very small town with a population of only around seven hundred full time residents. Although the department itself was very small with only four employees, a marshal, and three deputies, they still made a statement. It is still a mystery as to why these employees left as they have not yet spoken out publicly as to what exactly caused them to leave. KOAA-TV, the local news station, reported that “The town’s talking, but the few who know why the marshal suddenly left, so far, are not speaking up.”  Hailey Loftin Features Editor National championship games are not always close, fun-to-watch games between the two best teams in the country. Sometimes they just seem like a regular season game, but there have been many finales that have outshone the others. Here are the highlights and stories behind some of the most exciting final games in the history of the tournament:  Cameron Goz Sports Editor The NBA regular season has wrapped up and, if you have not heard, Golden State broke the all-time record of seventy-two wins with a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on April 13. Yet that somehow was not even the biggest basketball story in the Warriors’ home state. Five hours south of the Oracle Arena, Kobe Bryant was putting on a show, his final one, for the Staples Center crowd of 18,997. The audience featured famous rappers Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, and Jay Z as well as Lakers court-side mainstay Jack Nicholson. 5.4 million others nationwide tuned in to watch Mamba’s final game.  Nick Stines News Editor On April 21, former pop icon Prince Nelson was found dead in an elevator at his studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Citizens and fans have mourned his loss by paying large tributes due to the fact he was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Local parks and dance clubs have been playing his hits such as “Nothing Compares 2 u.” Dozens flocked to his house immediately after his death was reported despite rain downpour. Since 1985, he was an artistic icon to many due to his ability to blend genres such as pop, R&B, and funk. People often compare him to the former king of pop, Michael Jackson, due to their artistic similarities, stage presences, attire of choice, and era they reached their career peaks in. What Prince had that Jackson did not was his ability to make funk music with the electric guitar. |
