Spooky stories for Halloween week
November 3, 2018
October came to a spooky end this week, as Halloween came to the halls of the Mill. Scary costumes, chilly weather, and students wearing Christmas attire the day after Oct. 31, all made up the end of the tenth month of the year and brought in November. But before the month of turkeys can go any farther, news needs reporting. With a newly freed terrorist, Georgia welcoming a former president, and a fight on a bus, The Prowler has the stories.
“John Doe” once a terrorist suspect, now a free man (10/29)
As Halloween creeps closer and closer to each and every doorstep in America, so does the news of the release of an accused ISIS suspect in today’s paper. Both an American and a Saudi citizen “John Doe,” as originally called by authorities to protect his identity, was detained by the Kurdish militia and delivered back to the states facing charges of terrorism.
Abdulrahman Ahmad Alsheikh, known as “John Doe,” faces 13 months of detainment without any indication of a trial. Because of the circumstances, “the case was pending for a long time before the government tried to transfer him, and the court seemed in no rush to rule on it even though it was an American citizen,” University of Texas Professor Robert Chesney said. “This gave the government a de facto authority to hold for many months, at least.”
Abdulrahman, both a father and a husband, has now been released back to his family. The capture and holding of Abdulrahman has sparked much controversy in the area of terrorist processing in America. However, the evidence that brought him into suspicion still remains. It is unsure whether or not Abdulrahman has or is currently working alongside the terrorist organization.
Fayette County allows Peachtree City annexation (10/30)
Fayette County voted not to object to the annexation request in Peachtree City. The annexation request for the property along Highway 54 was requested months ago, and after the 5-0 vote on Oct. 25, the roughly 30 acres will be annexed into the city. The tract of land is to be rezoned and converted from agricultural and residential land to limited-use commercial land.
There are plans for the construction of 27 family homes on the land that may be accessed through Sumner Road, as well as 4.2 acres of land allocated for commercial use. There will also be 3.5 acres for office space and 9.5 acres for open space.
The annexation request has been in the works for a while, and now has passed through yet another barrier. After months of waiting for Fayette County to approve the request, the plans for construction on the land will be carried out in the following months.
In fit of pique, Trump attacks Ryan just days before election (10/31)
After Republican speaker Paul Ryan criticized his position on birthright citizenship, Trump fired an attack, stating, ¨Paul Ryan should be focusing on holding the Majority rather than giving his opinions on Birthright Citizenship, something he knows nothing about!” In classic Trump fashion, this statement was delivered via Twitter. This was after Ryan dismissed Trump’s plan to take executive action to nullify the constitutional guarantee to birthright citizenship as found in 14th amendment, calling it obviously impossible.
This situation displays the current overarching problem that though Trump claims that the midterm elections are all about him, he is inadvertently having the Republican candidates be the ones who provide statements on subjects that many, including Trump, would rather not respond to. This also suggests that though Trump is attempting to salvage Republican control of the Senate, he is already looking to cast blame elsewhere in the case of the loss of Republican control in the House of Representatives.
That was what was in play when Trump was shunned by Democratic as well as Republican leaders, as well as elected officials when Trump had rushed to the site of the synagogue massacre despite pleas that it was too soon for him to make a public appearance, with none of the leaders or officials consenting to appear alongside him. Instead, he was greeted by the singular Keith Rothfus of Pennsylvania of the House, who he proceeded to herald in a favorable tweet.
This week's headlines from around the Mill
Barack Obama visits Georgia to campaign (11/1)
Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp are brawling for the governor spot in Georgia and endorsement season is in full swing. Former President Barack Obama will be heading to Georgia on Friday to support Stacey Abrams on her campaign for governor. He will be campaigning with her at Morehouse College.
Brian Kemp and Abrams are in a very close race right now and Obama is hoping that his visit will help push her ahead. If Abrams wins she will be the first black governor in the United States.
She is running as a liberal. Kemp will be running from the Republican conservative wing. Elections close Nov. 6.
Bus drives off of bridge after fight (11/2)
A bus drove off a bridge and crashed into a river in China after the driver had been in a fight with a passenger. At least 13 people are reported dead and two more are still missing.
Footage shows the bus driver being struck by a female passenger and then striking her back. The footage then shows him steering the wheel toward the side of the bridge. Another piece of footage shows the bus crossing over the wrong lane and crashing through the safety barrier.
Police have said the fight was the cause of the crash. Liu, the 48-year-old female passenger, was angry at the bus driver, Ran, for missing her stop, so she hit him with her phone. The passenger is being blamed for the incident.
