Editorial: Again We Wrestle with America’s “Mindless Menace of Violence”

By Gavin S. Griffin, Co-Editor and WSJ Politics & Government Correspondent Flowers are placed for the victims of the Uvalde school shooting. (Jae C. Hong, AP) “This mindless menace of violence in America… again stains our land and every one of our lives. The victims of the violence are black and white, rich and poor, …

Midterms Heat Up As Primary Day Looms

By Gavin S. Griffin, Co-Editor and WSJ Politics & Government Correspondent PA Senate Candidates (billypenn.com) As Pennsylvania's 2022 primary elections on May 17 draw nearer, the races for U.S. Senate and PA Governor seem to be heating up quickly. For Senate, the Democratic candidates are Congressman Conor Lamb, State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, and Lt. Governor …

Opinion: Why Did Democrats lose the Working Class Vote?

By Gavin S. Griffin, Co-Editor and WSJ Politics & Government Correspondent Presidential candidate George McGovern mingles with rural working-class voters in New Hampshire, 1972. (Constantine Manos/Magn Photos) For years, the democratic party in the United States has faced an increasingly difficult task: winning elections. Voter turnout is down, public interest is waning, and the democratic …

Officer-Involved Shooting in Michigan Stirs Controversy

By Gavin S. Griffin, Co-Editor and WSJ Politics & Government Correspondent Patrick Lyoya, an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was pulled over by police in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 4, 2022, for driving a car with a license plate that did not match the vehicle. He was asked to show the …

Planning The Perfect Vacation

by Mason Welker, WSJ Travel & Lifestyle Reporter The sun sets over a sandy beach. (Tripsavvy.com) As summer approaches, many people will be looking to get away and enjoy the wonderful weather in some far-flung “vacation destination.” However, failing to plan out your vacation properly can lead to more stress than fun. There are many …

Recent Legislation Targets Controversial Topics in Schools

By Gavin S. Griffin, Co-Editor and WSJ Politics & Government correspondent Grade School classroom, United States.(2021) In recent years, many laws have been passed across the country to regulate what is taught  in public schools and what sort of actions and discussions by students and staff are acceptable in a school environment. According to the …

OPINION: Why I Oppose The Death Penalty

By Gavin S. Griffin, Co-Editor and WSJ Politics & Government Correspondent 1,543 people have been executed in the United States since 1973.  All of these executions were carried out following the 1972 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Furman v. Georgia, which held that the death penalty as it had been implemented up until …

The Global War On Terror: 20 Years of Conflict

By Gavin S. Griffin, WSJ Co-Editor and Politics & Government Correspondent Front Page of The New York Times, September 12, 2001. (NYT) On September 11, 2001, members of Al Qaeda, a radical Islamic terrorist group, hijacked four U.S. airliner jets, crashing two into the World Trade Center in New York City, one into the Pentagon …

What Stress Can Cause: Preventing Self-Harm & Suicide

By Dalton Adams, WSJ Contributing Reporter Artwork by Dalton Adams, 2022. Issues with self harm and suicide are relentless. Over 25% of students in the United States admit to using self harm practices. Out of these, only 1 in 5 seek help from a mental health professional. The cause of most self harm is that …

A Life Well Lived: Remembering Mr. Richard Lane

By Gavin S. Griffin, on behalf of the entire WSJ Staff Mr. Richard Lane. April 13, 1964 - April 10, 2022. Mr. Richard Lane was many things. A father, a husband, a grandpa, a friend, and arguably most impactful of all: A teacher. He worked each and every day to educate, instilling in his students …