March 17, 2025 by Olivia Clemmensen (‘26)
Local:
-SSHS Student Body Volleyball Tournament: This past Friday, students at Saratoga Springs High School created teams of 6-10 people to face off in a highly spirited and intense volleyball tournament. Over 20 teams of students showed up in the Blue and White Gyms and brought the classic Friday-night energy back to Saratoga. If you want to participate in the next student body tournament or just want to watch and have fun cheering your peers on, go to A212 or B214 for more details on Saratoga Springs High School’s upcoming spike ball and dodgeball tournaments!
National:
-United States Deports Hundreds Under the Alien Enemies Act: The Alien Enemies Act was one of the four laws passed under the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, when President John Adams was in war with France. This act was created to give the federal government more power in times of war, to help the government deal with and deport non-citizens. Throughout his campaign and into his presidency so far, Trump and his Administration have established goals of controlling and decreasing the surge of immigration across US borders. To follow up on these plans, the US government invoked the Alien Enemies Act for the fourth time in American history, giving the president the authority to “target and remove undocumented immigrants, to speed up the deportations of migrants” stated CNN. This is the first time this act has been put in place since World War II, now with the purpose of deporting members of a Venezuelan gang and many other immigrants from Latin-American countries coming into the United States illegally. Many questions have been raised as to how this act will affect immigration and if the enactment of the Aliena Enemies Act was the correct approach to this issue.
– Fatal Tornados Outbreak in the South: An extensive storm has recently swept the US, bringing aggressive tornadoes to many Southern states. CNN recorded Sunday that “tornado watches are in effect […] in parts of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia”. These violent storms have already left 35 people dead in its path and caused destruction and disaster to many homes and towns. Civilians across the south have been without power and some without homes, and “communities across the affected states continue to take stock of the devastation left in the wake of the storm system” states CNN. States like Kansas, Texas and Arkansas have also been hit hard by these strong winds and dust storms, and the east coast is expected to get heavy rain and intense wind from these storms in the next few days as it moves northward.
Live updates: At least 30 dead as tornadoes and extreme weather push across US
photo source: accuweather.com
-Mach Madness is Back Again: With the month of march, comes basketball, and with basketball, comes March Madness. The 2025 March Madness tournament started with Selection Sunday this past weekend on March 16th, as many avid basketball fans made their predictions on the outcome of the upcoming tournaments. The first four teams (Alabama State vs. Saint Francis, and San Diego State vs. North Carolina) are scheduled to play tomorrow night, March 18th in Dayton Ohio, marking the beginning of what is a long slew of NCAA games in Men’s Basketball. The Final Four is set to be April 5th at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, and the final NCAA championship game is to be held at the Alamodome two days later. Get your brackets ready and let March Madness begin!
2025 March Madness: Men’s NCAA tournament schedule, dates | NCAA.com
Global:
-Areial Attacks Continue in Russia and Ukraine: Over 100 enemy drones in both Russia and Ukraine were reported to AP News on Saturday. These attacks happened less than a day after Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, met with a U.S. envoy to discuss details regarding the American proposal of a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine. While Ukraine’s president Zelenskyy wants to solidify a long-term peace plan with Russia, Putin has yet to address these suggestions. While ideas of a ceasefire have been mentioned between these leaders, violence is still being shown in this war. On Saturday, Ukraine’s air force reported to AP News that “Russia had launched a barrage of 178 drones and two ballistic missiles over the country overnights, […] attacking energy facilities, causing significant damage”. With the Russia-Ukraine war beginning over three years ago now, the world can only hope peace for both countries will soon be around the corner.
photo source: ap news