DTH at a Glance: Nuts and bolts

I'm not trying to brag here, but I was pretty smart as a kid. To make sure the rest of this intro doesn't come off too douchey, don't worry — I peaked early. At the tender age of 8 I had just reached the right mix of "behavioral problem" and "gifted student" to convince my teachers to let me skip the fourth grade. All I had to do was go into my elementary school counselor's office and take some tests to make sure the whole thing wasn't a fluke.

So I walked down there pretty confident in myself — but I did have one major concern. As Mrs. Riddick sat me down and gave me a Hershey's Kiss (she kept a huge jar in her office and I love her for that to this day), I very solemnly told her that I was a good speller, but I always messed up one word. Bless her heart, Mrs. Riddick decided we would both learn to spell it right then and there so I wasn't nervous going into the test. And that's the story of how I learned to spell the word "squirrel." 

I was thankful for that lesson going into this newsletter, but I don't think learning the spelling of squirrel would have been my main concern if the premise of "Chester," a short film premiering at the Carrboro Film Festival this Saturday, were real life. I would possibly be more concerned that a squirrel with human mannerisms and social anxiety was a thing that existed.

— Rachel

QUICK HITS

• The Be A Maker Makerspace is officially open for business in Murray Hall. The eventual goal for the space is "to have half of all undergraduate students and research groups at the University use BeAM."
• In case you, like me, forgot that environmental policy was a thing in the hellfire that is post-election America, don't worry — professor Pete Andrews has us covered. 
• In other environmental news, the wildfires in Western North Carolina are still burning. The fires have cost an estimated $15 million so far. 
• The Loyal White Knights of the KKK will hold a rally celebrating President-elect Donald Trump's victory on Dec. 3. The time and location is still unknown.

IN THE MARCH ON FRANKLIN

Students gathered and marched in the Pit on Wednesday for "Change the Night," an event designed to raise awareness of sexual assault and violence. The march, which was organized by a first-year and featured performances from several a cappella groups, intentionally passed by Fraternity Court on its way to Franklin Street.

IN TEN YEARS AND COUNTING

Trauma has persisted for over 10 years for Lisa Kukla and Chelsea Slegal. In the first installment of our audio series on the 2006 East Chapel Hill High School hostage situation, we examine the experiences of the two women held hostage by a student at the school and the environment that contributed to tension before the situation began.

IN EMPOWERED ENTREPRENEURS

Mildred "Mama Dip" Council has achieved a lot in her life, besides having a delightful nickname. Council was honored with the inaugural POWER award at the 20th anniversary of nonprofit EmPOWERment Inc for her community dinners. The dinners are Council's way of repaying the help her family received when she was young and are sponsored by her business, Mama Dip's Restaurant.

IN PUNTING POTENTIAL

If there's anything I've learned from sad-watching MTV at 3 p.m. over the summer, it's that catfishing can happen to anyone — even Larry Fedora. The 27-year-old punter he had recruited from Australia sounded too bizarre to be true. Fortunately, his profile wasn't lying and Fedora lived to ironically wear visors another day while current first-year Tom Sheldon got the chance to show off his golden leg stateside.