From The Torch Podcasting Network, this is The Chimes Weekly. I’m Izah DeFigh, reporting from Biola University. It’s Monday, March 17th.
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Abraham Chu: So we wanted to make sure that we included everything in those four sessions so it kind of has a completeness to it and people can really have that call and that surrender and that obedience. And then after it's the follow up of how we're going to obey that more.
Isaac Owen: That said, don't leave. Stay for the later sessions because they're going to be really really good.
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It’s officially Missions Conference week here at Biola! Later this episode, my colleague Thomas Rahkola speaks with the conference director Isaac Owen about what students can expect this week, and how it’s all come together over the last several months. But first, let me catch you up on this week’s headlines.
In an effort to enhance collaboration and multimedia reporting, Biola’s student media outlets will be merging next year under a single organization! Read more about the merger between The Chimes, The Point Magazine and The Torch in the show notes.
At a recent conference for the Associated Collegiate Press, Patrica Yang, our Editor-in-Chief and Hope Li, our Executive Producer, shared about the process of combining media outlets.
From the ACP awards, The Point Magazine won 10th place in Best of Show for overall design … for its fall magazine publication and second place in the Best of Show category for news magazines. The Chimes team also came away from the conference with a few first place awards from the California College Media Association, including best website design, best newspaper column, and best online advertisement!
Last Tuesday, the Department of Education announced it was firing over 1,300 (13-hundred) of its workers, nearly a 50% reduction in its total workforce. The department’s current responsibilities include ensuring equal access to education (especially to those with disabilities), distributing congressionally approved financial aid like Pell grants and student loans, and collecting and maintaining data on colleges and universities. The department, which makes up 3% of the U.S. government's total spending, does not control the curriculum taught in K-12 schools or state colleges. Since the Department of Education was signed into law by Congress in 1980, the cuts cannot directly affect any congressionally determined initiatives or flow of federal funds to student aid programs.
A NASA and SpaceX mission to the International Space Station docked successfully Friday night after a delay due to issues with the launchpad’s ground system. The mission brought four new astronauts to replace Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams after their unexpectedly long stay at the ISS. Originally scheduled for a week, the current astronauts have been stranded in the station since last June, after issues including helium leaks and propulsion malfunctions led NASA to deem the Starliner craft too risky to return with astronauts on board.
After a meeting last week with U.S. officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine has agreed to the terms of a 30-day ceasefire agreement. The negotiations were followed by an announcement that Washington will resume the intelligence sharing and security assistance operations to Ukraine that were suspended after a dramatic quarrel between President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump is expected to speak with President Vladimir Putin later this week to discuss the details of the ceasefire
President Trump’s trade war continues to heat up, with an expanded 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports going into effect last Wednesday. The EU responded with retaliatory tariffs on metals, textiles, and agricultural goods, to which Trump threatened a 200% tariff on European wine and Champagne.
Economic uncertainties caused by the flurry of tariffs placed by and on the United States have sent ripples through the stock market. Last week the S&P 500 hit the market correction 10% drop from its record in February. Daily adjustments continue to be erratic as new trade threats continue to surface.
A full worm moon marked a new sign of spring on Thursday night. The lunar eclipse was visible from Wednesday evening through Saturday morning, according to NASA. Totality occurred late Thursday night into Friday morning. This full moon is referred to as a blood moon because it reflects wavelengths of sunlight, giving it a reddish-brown hue. It is also known as a “Worm Moon” dating back to the 1930s, as it was named by the Old Farmer’s Almanac because earthworms began to appear as the ground thaws nearing the end of winter.
That’s all for this week’s headlines. Next up is Thomas’s conversation with this year’s Missions Conference directors Isaac Owen and Abraham Chu.
[INTERVIEW]
Thanks for listening! And as always, if you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review and share it with a friend or roommate.
For more stories from The Chimes, head over to our website at chimesnewspaper.com.
This episode was produced and hosted by Izah DeFigh and co-produced by Thomas Rahkola. It was engineered by Jason Lee; with music from Warner Chappell Productions. Hope Li is our executive producer.
I’m Izah DeFigh, happy Saint Patrick’s Day and we’ll see you next week.
