I may be biased, but Drake is a rap legend who has maintained a strong grip on the rap industry for generations. Drake has released nine studio albums and has collaborated with major artists such as SZA, PARTYNEXTDOOR (PND), Lil Wayne, and 21 Savage. Drake released his first major album in 2010 and appeared on Degrassi from 2001 to 2008, so how exactly has he stayed so relevant and adapted to different generations?

Drake's most recent album was a collaboration with PND, released on Valentine's Day of 2025. Some Exotic Songs for You debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it Drake's 14th album to debut at the top spot. Somebody Loves Me, a record off the album, was a hit across the board and was also nominated for the Best Melodic Rap Performance Grammy, a surprise to many fans after his public feud with the artist Kendrick Lamar.

Lamar absolutely drove Drake to the ground in their feud, and many thought that his career would be close to over. The two collectively dropped eight direct diss tracks towards each other. Lamar’s “Not Like Us” was a hit. The song is extremely danceable and one of the first distracks we had heard from a major artist in a long time. Drake denied the accusations and sued Universal Music Group (UMG) for defamation, but the lawsuit was dismissed.

Drake’s music is a staple in Gen Z and millennials' playlists, including record-breaking hits such as “Hotline Bling” to “Nokia”. Drake stays consistent because his music is relatable while also being out of reach. Drake sings about intimate relationship details and also sings about living such a lavish lifestyle. Kids look up to the lifestyle he lives, they want what he has, and relate to his emotions, making him easy to connect to.

Drake has his own clothing brand named October’s Very Own and a collection with Nike called “NOCTA.” Not only are fans listening to his music they’re buying his clothes, too. Not often do we see artists with clothing brands that do very well, like his.  

Many believe that Drake is overrated and not a true artist, but I am a genuine Drake fan and here to tell you these are lies. You're not listening to the good Drake music. The con of Drake being so popular is that his hits are played over and over again, which can get aggravating, but Drake's best songs are songs you may have never heard of, such as “Come Thru,” “jaded,” “Uuugly,” and “Girls Love Beyonce.”

As basketball season heats up, La Porte continues its tradition of the Holiday Tournament. This year, the Holiday Tournament takes place on December 29. What makes this tournament special is its unique bracket. La Porte High School will host the Michigan City Wolves, meaning if the tournament goes in LaPorte and City's favor, we might see a Johnson Road rivalry.

La Porte has started the season 4-1, with one loss to South Bend Riley. The boys have started their season off strong, with key players such as juniors Griffin Ott-Large and Reed Raymond, who lead the team with points, blocks, and steals per game.

This past season, LaPorte lost its in-season game to the Wolves, but beat the Wolves in the postseason tournament, proving to be a huge win for LaPorte. The Johnson Road Rivalry is a long-lasting rivalry involving all LaPorte and City sports. Slicers of all ages look forward to this game. Current LaPorte fans and athletes are excited to see the Wolves and Slicers match up for a competitive game. As of now, LaPorte is ranked 11th in Indiana's Division 4A basketball, while City is ranked 18th according to MaxPreps poll.

Be sure to come and support the LaPorte Boys Basketball team on the 29th of December for the Holiday Tournament! All Slicers are excited to cheer on your team to another victorious season.

This year, Mrs. Harper and Mr. Martin have taken over the Junior Class Committee (JCC) after Mrs. Lebo retired and Mrs. Mendez took a new position at a different school. Harper and Martin have approached the duties, which include Prom, of the junior class a little differently than in prior years. The junior class committee this year is more student-driven than in past years, allowing all students to have a voice in the student activities.

This year, I took on the responsibility of junior class president. As president, I've made it a priority to make all the students, even the ones who are not involved in activities, feel as if they have the opportunity to voice their opinions and for their opinions to be heard. This year, we took a different approach to picking the prom theme.

Instead of JCC picking the theme of the prom dance on our own, we are sending out a poll on are top three dances, and from there, we are letting the junior and senior class pick their favorite theme. This allows all students to have a say. After the voting is closed, the JCC will announce the theme for all students to start buying dresses and suits.

In 1999, what we thought would be a once-in-a-lifetime tragedy occurred: the first major school shooting at Columbine High School. Since then, according to The Washington Post, 435 shootings have occurred in America. It is to the point now that when I read about a school shooting, I say a quick prayer and forget that it ever happened. It's a nasty reality for most Americans. It is an issue that should have been addressed years ago and still hasn't been. The 2nd Amendment protects the right to bear arms. When does the Constitution stop us from keeping our citizens safe?

In a recent school shooting at Annunciation Church and school, the shooter, Robin Westman, shot from outside the school. While a common focus has been on Robin being a transgender female, not much of the focus has been on the fact that Westman acquired the guns legally while posting about the deep desire she had to shoot and hurt children.

This leads to a deeper issue: Why is it so easy to access guns? Not only is it an issue for public safety but for personal safety as well. The steps for obtaining a gun license vary depending on the state. In Indiana, you don't need a license to carry. Of course, you need a background check to be legally allowed to purchase a gun.

At the time the Constitution was written, the American government was new and had just emerged from British rule, where it was completely under the rule of its government. So these laws at the time seemed as if they were needed, but in reality, now they need a little update. Under federal laws, we need a way to control the public's access to guns. Making the way we access guns a federal law would stop all states from having different laws on accessing guns. Currently, each state does something different, which makes our country's job to get control of gun violence a lot harder.

In the week I was writing this, an act of violence shocked this nation. Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist, was killed in a political assassination in Utah. At the same time, a high school in Evergreen, Colorado, was a victim of a school shooting attack. This act of violence has caused an absolute war between the right and left over the past week. In a situation where we should all be surrounding each other with love and support, even I'm guilty of it.

As a society, how do we come together to solve this for the best of our nation? The first step is being completely educated and knowing what we're voting for. As a country, many of our younger generation are not educated on what they are voting for; instead, they follow trends. The second step is having an honest conversation with each other from both sides. How do we stop these shootings from happening? We talk to each other, both sides can learn from each other, but none of us can learn about each other when we're not mean. The third step is being empathetic toward each other. This isn't a maybe solution; it has to happen. Our future relies on how we respond. We have to band together, or we risk our country falling apart.

If you're on TikTok, you've probably heard Miranda Lambert's song “Only Prettier.” It's most likely a girl in regular clothes, and she transitions to wearing a huge pastel ballgown dress. Have you ever wondered who these girls are? Because I sure have. These girls are the Azelea Trailmaids.

Mobile's Azalea Trail is a huge part of Mobile, Alabama's history. In 1929, the trail was initiated by the Mobile Junior Chamber of Commerce as an initiative to get residents to plant Azaleas along the city streets. The streets eventually became known as the Mobile Azalea Trail. From 1924 to 1948, local businesses were invited to cut the ribbon during the spring to open up. At first, local debutantes were asked to serve as hostesses, and by 1949, four Mobile high schools were invited to appoint two high school senior girls to serve on the Azelia Trail court.

Now, 75 years later, Azalea Trailmaids are still going strong. Currently, 50 senior girls are picked from the high schools around the area. In 1951, the Azalea Trail Festival was born, and for the following seven years, the reigning Miss America served as the Queen of Azalea Trail. In 1955, the neighboring Jaycee chapters in Alabama were invited to send representatives to serve on the court. Eventually, the Jaycee chapters got out of hand, and gathering all of them together was a hard task. The program was revised to include the Mobile local public schools, sending 50 senior girls.

The trailmaids are known for the fluffy, large gowns that are in colors of blue, green, peach, yellow, lilac, and pink. The queen wears pink while the others wear the other colors that are decided by out-of-towners who have no relation to anyone involved in the process.

For the girls to qualify, they must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and also must be in good academic standing with their schools, and most likely will be asked to provide transcripts to prove it. The prospective maids must have no suspensions or serious disciplinary actions during their high school years. The girls are required to know extensive information on the history of Mobile and to have good character.

The Mobile Azelea Trailmaids are pristine young ladies who work extremely hard to represent Mobile. From the moment they apply to when their reign is over. Being a trailmaid is huge to these girls. A majority of them throw dress reveal parties to reveal their dresses. Being one of these girls is a privilege and something they should all be proud of.

The Trailmaids have a website that can be used to follow them and their public appearances. Multiple of the girls have social media accounts to watch and follow for insight into their lives as trailmaids.

April 14th marked the 29th WNBA draft. The draft has three rounds with 12 picks each. All but the first four picks are based on regular-season standings. The first four picks are a lottery-based draft with teams that missed the previous year's playoffs. The remaining picks are determined by the inverse order of the last year. Like the majority of other sports, draft picks can be traded among other teams.

Most start mock drafts at the beginning of the women's college basketball season, but many change as the season progresses, determining which players excel and which don't. Coaches visit their athletes during the season, just as college recruiters visit.

To be able to declare, players must be 22 years of age and have no remaining college eligibility left, or they must renounce it. These rules do get a little tricky when I see draftees such as Dominique Malonga, who was 19 at the time of the draft. This is only because the rules for international players are different from those for American players. For international players, the only rule is that players must be at least 20 years of age during the draft year.

This last draft included star athletes such as Paige Bueckers (UConn), Hailey Van Lith (TCU), KiKi Ifran (USC), and Te-hina PaoPao (South Carolina). All of these players and their teams made it to the Elite Eight this March Madness, including UConn and South Carolina, which faced each other in the finals with a dominating win from UConn.

Fresh off a National Championship, Bueckers went to Dallas with the number one draft pick. With the second pick, Seattle picked Dominique Malonga, a 19-year-old from France who averaged 15.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks. Washington had the third and fourth picks of the draft, and they chose Citron and Iriafen. The Golden State Valkyries next have their first pick: Juste Jocyte from Lithuania. Washington then took the next pick, picking Georgia Amoore, a 5’5” point guard who averaged 15.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists.

The majority of draft picks were expected, except for  PaoPao, who ended up going 18th overall. Paopao has one national championship and averaged 11.4 points per game this past season.

National Championship winners UConn had three seniors declare for the draft--those being Bueckers, Kaitlin Chen, and Aubrey Griffin. As mentioned earlier, Bueckers went number one, but the biggest surprise of the night was Chen and Griffin's draft, with Chen going to the Golden State Valkeries and Griffin going to the Minnesota Lynx. Neither was expected to be picked in the draft, and similar to Kate Martin last year, they only came to support. Earlier in the night, Bueckers advocated for them to be drafted, and just that happened to be a storybook ending to the UConn team.

The preseason starts on May 2nd with the Aces and Wings playing each other at Notre Dame, starting at 6:00 pm central time. Star players Caitlin Clark and Ifran play each other at The Fever vs Mystics game on May 3rd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. These games feature so many stars and are a great way to start the season. The WNBA regular season opener is May 16, with three games slated

Over the summer, my friends and I walked into the Yellow Deli, which looked almost like a tavern out of a video game. It was nearly all wood and yellow. College students were studying, and the vibe was immaculate. We didn't find out until much later that we drank the juice, literally. The Yellow Deli is ran by a cult known as the 12 tribes.

The 12 Tribes, a Christian fundamentalism cult that has been accused of child abuse, child labor, and racism, was founded in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1972. To understand the full extent of this cult, one has to go back to its origins. Originally, a ministry named the Light Brigade opened a coffee shop, The Lighthouse, which eventually became the Yellow Deli. The coffee shop was in the home of Gene Spriggs and Marsha, his wife.

Soon, the Light Brigade started to live communally with each other. The majority of members attended different churches within the community before they all affiliated with First Presbyterian Church. This was before the fall out around the Super Bowl. Yes, there was a fallout over the Super Bowl. During the 1975 Super Bowl, the group arrived at the church only to be informed that services had been canceled due to the event. This led the group to open their church named ¨Vine Christian Community Church.”

The soon-to-be cult opened many ¨churches¨ and restaurants in states such as Georgia and Alabama. They withdrew from the mainstream religion of the area, appointed elders, started baptisms, and held services without authority. They started to celebrate Saturday as the sabbath and followed many Jewish customs."The Parents Committee to Free Our Children from the Children of God" and "Citizens Freedom Foundation" described the church as a cult and Spriggs as a cult leader.

In 1976, deprogrammer Ted Patrick started a series of deprogrammings to convince members of the 12 Tribes to leave the cult. The bad press and deprogramming of their members led to the decline of their current homes and movement to Vermont. After the movement to Vermont, the cult expanded to many different countries, including Brazil, Spain, and Germany. Eventually, the name changed from the "Vine Church" to "The 12 Tribes.”  It stemmed from the fact that the cult wanted over 12,000 members and 12 international tribes to restore the original 12 Tribes of Israel before they could sacrifice the 144,000 male virgins to bring about the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Having background information on the cult just makes them seem as if they are just a bunch of Christian hippies, but they are far more than that. They confidently teach the "Curse of Ham," which they use to excuse slavery, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Not only are they extremely racist, but also labeled as anti-Semitic, which they claim is not true. They endorse child labor and abuse and have been raided on multiple occasions.

Looking back, those bubbly feelings from the restaurant no longer felt good. The restaurant now seemed eerie, like a fake type of happiness. I now understand how people were drawn in so easily to a place so dangerous. A place full of hatred disguised itself as a sweet tavern with delicious food. As a consumer, how do you know what restaurants are in support of at first glance? You can't, which is why it's important to research what you're putting your money towards.

In predominantly white areas, many do not hear much about many African Americans committing to HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) due to a lack of knowledge about the topic. Specifically in Indiana, the closest colleges are all PWI (Predominately White Institutions). Dating back to 1837 when the first HBCU was created. Cheyney University, originally known as the African Institute; was established by Richard Humphreys. Cheyney was not degree-granting the first degree-granting institution was Lincoln University.

According to pewresearch.org, 53% of African Americans attend PWI, while 7% attend HBCUs. Attending a PWI many of African American students aren't aware of HBCUs before they graduate high school. I wouldn't be aware of HBCUs if my family hadn't attended. The importance of African American teens being aware of having the option to go to an HBCU is overlooked, especially in predominantly white schools like La Porte itself. To be able to go to school with people who look like you and have experiences adjacent to yours offers something going to a PWI could never offer.

Another reason for not being aware of HBCUs is that the majority of them are located in the South, leaving many young black girls and boys to not have an exact resource. Historically, the idea of many of these colleges being in the South makes sense. Racism and Segregation were still prevalent until the ´50s with the Brown v. Board Board of Education case. This case declared segregation and schools unconstitutional.  The people who came before me who integrated into this school did not have it exactly easy.

The importance of attending black colleges doesn't stop on the surface of being around people who look like you or experience your experiences. The reality is that being on PWI grounds is still not always safe. Recently in 2017 at the University of Virginia, there was a Neo-Nazi rally leaving multiple injured and one dead. This is one of the many ways African Americans have been affected on predominately white campuses.

Finding HBCUs that match your interests can be hard especially if you don't have a counselor knowledgeable on HBCUs.  For me, I used what was easiest for me the internet. With a quick internet search, you can find every single HBCU. Finding ones that match your cost, athletic achievements, and major is important, as well as good websites such as HBCUs connect. These websites give you the option to put exactly what you're looking for in a college and shoot one out at you. It also offers a multitude of scholarships and careers.