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Your Summit Weekly Briefing

By Ashwath Vimal, Lia Bhas and Angela Hwang 

Staff Writers

 

 Disclaimer: Though the Weekly Briefings are no longer tagged in the Opinions section of Summit News and we try to remain as unbiased as possible, our opinions may show through in this article, especially in the “Actions” section.  

 

Trigger Warning: Mentions of sexual exploitation of children and sexual abuse

Summit: 

A recent Summit study called “Pathways to Success: Exploring the Long-term Outcomes of Alumni from Summit Public Schools”, explores how well Summit graduates have done after high school in five categories: purpose, financial independence, community, strong relationships and health. Some statistics include:

• 77.2 % are doing well in at least four of five categories
• 54.8% have graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree (two times the national average)
• 92.2% are working or in school

However, graduates have indicated that many of their problems have come from financial and mental health issues. Despite this, it has been concluded Summit’s mentorship aspect and overall sense of togetherness and community have been some of the most impactful aspects of attending a Summit school. 

General News:

R&B singer R. Kelly was recently found guilty of racketeering, bribery, sexual exploitation of a child and sex trafficking. The trial began on Aug. 18, with over 40 prosecution witnesses. The defense claimed there were many inconsistencies in the evidence, but he will still most likely be facing decades in prison for his crimes. However, these are not the only charges he is facing. Kelly is also being charged with child pornography, sexual abuse and obstruction of justice in Illonois, and prostitution with a minor in Minnesota. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. 

 

While helping with an Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, over 80 aid workers, many whom work for the World Health Organization (WHO), have been connected to occurrences of sexual abuse and exploitation. The allegations come from over 50 women accusing workers of “demanding sex in exchange for jobs (or keeping their jobs) between 2018-2020.”  It has been reported that many of the men involved did not want to wear condoms, forcing the women they had relations with to get an abortion.  Representatives from the WHO have said they are “heartbroken” by what happened and will make sure the offenders are held accountable.

Covid-19: 

Recent studies have shown that people who are dying from Covid-19 in California are younger and/or are people of color. The highest death rates have been consistently among Native Americans and African Americans. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the average age of death from Covid-19 was 73, but in September it was reported to have gone down to 62. Fresno County Interim Health Officer Dr. Rais Vohra said, “It’s now skewing younger and younger in terms of who gets hospitalized and — unfortunately — who goes on to have a very tragic outcome of a fatality.” The main cause for this is because older people are being vaccinated at much higher rates than younger people. 67% of Californians aged 18-49 are fully vaccinated, compared to 73% of those 65 and older. 

 

Many places of work including jails, hospitals, restaurants etc, are now requiring proof of vaccination to continue working. This “mandate” has made many upset and some are resigning their jobs because the vaccine goes against their beliefs. In New York especially, proof of vaccination is needed to get into venues and even small restaurants. New York took it a step further to ensure that all staff MUST be vaccinated or show proof of a negative Covid test so they can do their job. In California, prison guards are now made to show proof of Covid vaccines by Sept. 29. 

 

Covid is NOT over, please do your part by maintaining a 6 feet distance, wearing a mask, and getting your vaccine!! Together we can end this, and slowly get back to normal!

Politics: 

Ambassador Daniel Foote resigned his position as Special Envoy for Haiti citing the “United States’ inhumane, counterproductive decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees”. He claims his suggestions have been ignored, while Press Secretary Jen Psaki claims Mr. Foote had “ample opportunity” to make suggestions, yet “never once did so”. There have been nearly 14,000 Haitian migrants congregating outside Del Rio, Texas following social media reports that claimed easy entry to the U.S. The U.S. has been deporting thousands back to Haiti, but there are also reports of thousands being released into the U.S. 

 

Police reform talks have concluded, The Hill reports, without a “deal to reform police tactics and put new accountability measures in place”. Both the Republicans and the Democrats blame the other for being unable to “let go of their push to defund our law enforcement”, as South Carolina Senator Tim Scott (R) said, and “moving the goalposts”, as California Representative Karen Bass (D) said. 

 

There are three main things pressing Congress this week: the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, the $3.5 trillion spending bill for education, social safety and climate change and avoid a partial government shutdown. The infrastructure bill has passed in the Senate, but some Democrats want to prioritize the spending bill. The spending bill is facing opposition from the high cost – from both Republicans and centrist Democrats. As for avoiding government shutdown, Senate Republicans blocked the Democrats’ plans to fund the government by raising the debt ceiling on Monday evening. In response, Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) suggested Democrats may propose another funding patch that does not reference the debt ceiling. 

 

Snippet: The Social Democrats won Germany’s election; however they will need to join with another party in order to lead the country. 

Sports: 

 

NFL: The San Francisco 49ers lost to the Green Bay Packers in an exciting game, with a score of 30-28. The Packers were down 28-27 with only 37 seconds left to go in the game. Aaron Rodgers completed two deep passes to Davante Adams, allowing Mason Crosby to hit a 51-yard field goal in the final play of the game. San Francisco had to come back from a 17 point deficit before eventually losing to the Packers. Rodgers threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns to give them two back to back wins. 

 

The Las Vegas Raiders beat the Miami Dolphins 31-28, allowing them to have a 3-0 start, which has not been done by the Raiders since 2002. Derek Carr completed 26-43 pass attempts for 286 yards and two touchdowns. Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller both had five receptions. Since Josh Jacobs is out, Peyton Barber was allowed to have 111 yards and a touchdown along with  23 carries. The Seattle Seahawks lost to the Minnesota Vikings, 30-17. Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes before halftime leading them to their first win against the Seahawks in 12 years! The Washington football team also lost to the Buffalo Bills, 43-21. Josh Allen finished with 32-48 for 358 yards. 

 

Other scores: 

 

Chargers beat the Chiefs: 30-24

Saints beat the Patriots: 28-13

Ravens beat the Lions: 19-17

Bengals beat the Steelers: 24-10

Rams beat the Buccaneers: 34-24

 

NBA: New Orleans, Zion Williamson suffered from a broken right foot during the summer but is expected to play during the regular season. He had to go through surgery to repair a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot. Because of this injury, he was not with the team in Nashville during the past two weeks while other players did workouts.  Brooklyn Nets star, Kyrie Irving, misses team media day due to the city’s policy of Covid-19 proof of vaccination requirement. Kyrie declines to discuss his vaccination status, staying that it is his privacy. Other players like Andrew Wiggins and Bradley Beal have come out and pleaded for relief of vaccination requirements because of “religious reasons” or “personal reasons”, though the NBA has denied Wiggins’ exemption request.  

 

NCAA: On Saturday, Sept. 25, Georgia beat Vanderbilt, 62-0! JT Daniels threw for 121 yards and two touchdowns. This is Georgia’s biggest win in a series since 1893. Bulldog fans turned the Vanderbilt stadium into their new home, as there was more red in seats behind the Vanderbilt bench. Stetson Bennett threw for 151 yards and a touchdown as a backup quarterback. UCLA beat Stanford, 35-24. Dorian Thompson Robinson threw a 75-yard touchdown pass early in the 4th quarter. UCLA began with a 14-0 lead, and Stanford eventually tied it. However, UCLA came through in the fourth quarter especially. 

 

Other scores: 

 

Fresno State beat UNLV: 38-20

Penn State beat Villanova: 38-17

Iowa beat Colorado State: 24-14

Arkansas beat Texas A&M: 20-10 

Auburn beat GA State: 34-24

Alabama beat Southern Miss: 63-14

Georgia Tech beat North Carolina: 45-22

Entertainment:

A new teaser trailer for the highly anticipated fourth season of the show “Cobra Kai” dropped this past Saturday during Netflix’s “TUDUM” event. Along with some quick teasers, we also got a release date for the next season: Dec. 31, exactly one day under a year after the third season. Some of the clips in the trailer include Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence training their dojos together to defeat Cobra Kai, now under the control of John Kreese, in the next All-Valley Karate Tournament. Other teased content includes a quick snippet of Terry Silver, hints of a relationship between Robby Lawrence and Tory Nichols, and more!

 

After five movies and 15 years of service, Daniel Craig has finally ended his tenure as James bond with his latest film, “No Time To Die”  (directed by Cary Joji Fukunga). The movie has a run-time of two hours and 43 minutes, with it connecting back to past James Bond movies by expanding on already established plot lines and ideas. Additionally, the seemingly main theme of the movie is that the world is always changing, and that as time goes on it gets harder to tell what is bad and what is good. While the movie has been criticized as being “bloated” and “working too hard”, it is still considered a good end to another era of James Bond. 

Weather:

Atlas (West Seattle): Highs this week range from the mid 50’s to the 60’s. 57℉ on Wednesday, 60℉ on Thursday, 61℉ on Friday, 65℉ on Saturday and 69℉ on Sunday. Lows will drop overall. 56℉ on Wednesday, 52℉ on Thursday, 47℉ on Friday, 48℉ on Saturday and 51℉ on Sunday. Expect rain on Wednesday and Thursday, but the rest of the week will be mostly sunny. 

Summary: Highs in the mid 50’s to upper 60’s, lows in the lower 50’s, rain on Wednesday and Thursday, sunny.

 

Olympus (Tacoma): Highs this week range from low to upper 60’s. 59℉ on Wednesday, 61℉ on Thursday, 62℉ on Friday, 66℉ on Saturday and 71℉ on Sunday. Lows this week from the mid 40’s to the mid 50’s. 55℉ on Wednesday, 50℉ on Thursday, 45℉ on Friday, 47℉ on Saturday and 50℉ on Sunday. Expect rain on Wednesday and Thursday, but the rest of the week will be mostly sunny. 

Summary: Highs in the low-to-upper 60’s, lows in the lower 50’s, rain on Wednesday and Thursday, sunny.

 

Sierra (Seattle): Highs this week range from the mid 50’s to the 60’s. 57℉ on Wednesday, 60℉ on Thursday, 61℉ on Friday, 65℉ on Saturday and 69℉ on Sunday. Lows will drop overall. 56℉ on Wednesday, 52℉ on Thursday, 47℉ on Friday, 48℉ on Saturday and 51℉ on Sunday. Expect rain on Wednesday and Thursday, but the rest of the week will be mostly sunny. 

Summary: Highs in the mid 50’s to upper 60’s, lows in the lower 50’s, rain on Wednesday and Thursday, sunny.

 

Denali (Sunnyvale): Highs this week range from the upper 70’s to the mid 80’s: 77℉ on Wednesday, 83℉ on Thursday, 87℉ on Friday, 86℉ on Saturday and 85℉ on Sunday. Lows in the upper 50’s: 53℉ on Wednesday, 57℉ on Thursday, 58℉ on Friday and Saturday and 57℉ on Sunday. It will be a mostly sunny week.

Summary: Highs in the 80’s, lows in the mid-50’s, sunny.

 

Everest and Prep (Redwood City): Highs in the low 80’s: 74℉ on Wednesday, 81℉ on Thursday, 83℉ on Friday, 82℉ on Saturday and 80℉ on Sunday. Lows in the upper 50’s: 54℉ on Wednesday, 57℉ on Thursday, 58℉ on Friday and Saturday and 57℉ on Sunday. It will be a mostly sunny week. 

Summary: Highs in the low 80’s, lows in the upper 50’s, sunny.

 

K2 (El Cerrito): Highs in the lower 80’s: 71℉ on Wednesday, 79℉ on Thursday, 84℉ on Friday, 82℉ on Saturday and 81℉ on Sunday. Lows in the mid 50’s: 52℉ on Wednesday, 56℉ on Thursday and Friday and 55℉ on Saturday and Sunday. It will be a mostly sunny week. 

Summary: Highs in the lower 80’s, lows in the mid 50’s, sunny.

 

Tam (Richmond): Highs in the lower 80’s: 72℉ on Wednesday, 80℉ on Thursday, 85℉ on Friday, 82o℉ on Saturday and 81℉ on Sunday. Lows in the mid 50’s: 52℉ on Wednesday, 56℉ on Thursday, 55℉ on Friday and Saturday and 81℉ on Sunday. It will be a mostly sunny week. 

Summary: Highs in the lower 80’s, lows in the mid 50’s, sunny.

 

Shasta (Daly City): Highs in the upper 60’s to low 70’s: 61℉ on Wednesday, 68℉ on Thursday, 71℉ on Friday and 70℉ on Saturday and Sunday. Lows follow a similar pattern: 49℉ on Wednesday, 52℉ on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 51℉ on Sunday. It will be a mostly sunny week.

Summary: Highs in the upper 60’s to low 70’s, lows in the lower 50’s, mostly sunny.

 

Tahoma (San Jose): Highs in the low 70’s: 62℉ on Wednesday, 70℉ on Thursday, 71℉ on Friday, 73℉ on Saturday and 74℉ on Sunday. Lows rising from freezing to the 40’s: 32℉ on Wednesday, 36℉ on Thursday, 38℉ on Friday, 39℉ on Saturday and 40℉ on Sunday. It will be a mostly sunny week. 

Summary: Highs in the low 70’s, lows rising to the 40’s, mostly sunny.

Cooking: Cinnamon-Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie

By David Tamarkin on Epicurious

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon espresso powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar

8 ounces high-quality milk chocolate, chopped

 

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Whisk flour, cinnamon, baking powder, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Lightly beat eggs and vanilla in a small bowl.
2. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, 3–4 minutes. Add egg mixture and beat, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, until mixture is pale and fluffy, 3–4 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients, beating until just incorporated. Fold in chocolate with a spatula.
3. Press dough evenly into a 12″ skillet. Bake cookies until golden brown around the edges and center is still soft, 20–25 minutes. Let the cookie cool in the skillet before slicing.

Do Ahead

1. Cookies can be made 3 days ahead; cover and store at room temperature.\

Actions: 

Editor’s note: The “Actions” section includes petitions to sign, prompts and scripts to write officials with as well as other opportunities to engage in your local, national and global communities.

 

This Actions section will be in honor of Latinx Heritage Month

 

• Visit https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/ to learn more about Latinx Heritage Month
• Donate to https://hispanicheritage.org/donate/ to help support the Hispanic community!

 

And, as always:

• Watch or listen or listen to this playlist. All advertisement revenue goes to Black Lives Matter. Do not skip the ads, the donations will not go through otherwise.

 

• Watch or listen to this video. All advertisement revenue goes to various aid organizations easing the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Please note it is blocked on school-issued Chromebooks due to being in the “Entertainment” category
  • Learn more about the crisis at www.monareliefye.org/.