FEATURE STORY: Local Food Banks Struggle to Keep Up

Rachel and Eric examine how food banks in Hebron and Marlborough provide assistance to families in today's difficult economy.

FEATURE STORY: Local Businesses Ride Out the Economy

Ben, Evan, and Adam from the Introduction to Video Production class talk to Hebron business owners about the impact of today's economy.

Deadline for GM and Chrysler

The White House, reacting to poor plans for bailout funds and insufficient progress, has rejected GM's and Chrysler's requests for more money. It has also pressured GM CEO Rick Wagoner into stepping down from his post. The administration has given Chrysler 30 days to complete a potential partnership with Fiat, and GM 60 days to restructure. Should either fail to show significant improvement, the administration will withdraw funding.

Source: MSNBC

Box Office Kings

Here is this week's update on the American box office for the weekend. Opening this past weekend, Dreamwork's Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) drew in a monster weekend and took the number one slot. Based on a true story, The Haunting in Connecticut (2009) drew in second place for its opening weekend. Also opening this weekend, World Wrestling Entertainment's 12 Rounds (2009) drew in a dissapointing seventh place. Last week's number one hit Knowing (2009) held its own at third place for its second week in theatres. Comedy I Love You, Man (2009), last week's number two, drops to fourth place this week. Julia Robert's spy comedy dropped two spots this weekend from third to fifth.





1. Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)- $58.2 Million


2. The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)- $23 Million


3. Knowing (2009)- $14.7 Million


4. I Love You, Man (2009)- $12.6 Million


5. Duplicity (2009)- $7.56 Million


6. Race to Witch Mountain (2009)- $5.64 Million


7. 12 Rounds (2009)- $5.3 Million


8. Watchmen (2009)- $2.75 Million


9. Taken (2008/I)- $2.7 Million


10. The Last House on the Left (2009)- $2.61 Million



For more information, please visit http://www.imdb.com/

Earth Hour 2009

At 8:30 this evening, individuals, towns, and cities across the globe turned off their power for one hour as a way to draw attention to climate change. According to CNN, 83 countries in 24 different time zones participated in the event. Perhaps one of the most visible signs of this event was the dimming of the lights surrounding Big Ben in London (see left). About 20 cities in China participated in the event, as well as the area around the Great Pyramids in Egypt, Niagra Falls, and the Eiffel Tower, among others.

This is the third year that Earth Hour has taken place. It started in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million people turned off their lights to call attention to climate change. It has since spread into a worldwide movement. This year's event was officially sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund. WWF CEO Carter Roberts reported to CNN that, "We think we are going to have 100 million people around the world sending a message that climate change is real, and we need to take action now."

For more information, please visit CNN or the Earth Hour website.

Image courtesy of www.cnn.com

Mock Trial Team Advances to Quarter Finals

On Saturday, March 28th, the RHAM Mock Trial team journeyed to the Superior Court of New London to compete in their annual state-wide competition. Other competing schools included Mercy, St. Bernard's, and East Lyme. The RHAM squad won its trials from both the defendant's and plaintiff's sides, qualifying them to compete in the state quarter-finals. This is the first time in the program's three year history that it has advanced to the second round of competition.

RHAM's plaintiff trial was against the team from St. Bernard's. Kelly Moquin, acting as the plaintiff, provided realistic and convincing testimony that aided RHAM on its way to victory. In the post-trial analysis, the professional attorneys who acted as judges for the competition commented that both teams performed exceptionally well and had a commendable knowledge of the facts of the case.

After a brief recess, the RHAM defense team faced the plaintiff's team from East Lyme. After an extremely well-fought case, the court ruled in favor of the defense. The closing statement made by Nicholas Aubin, acting as an attorney for the defense, was a deciding factor in this trial.

The next round of competition will take place during the weekend of April 27th at a location to be named later. Stay tuned for further updates.

The Wizard of Oz

Next weekend the RHAM Trigon Player are performing the Wizard of Oz in the RHAM High School Auditorium. There will be two showings, one on Friday April 3 and the second on Saturday April 4. The show will start at 7pm on both days.

Tickets are now on sale at all three lunch waves. The tickets are $5 for students, $7 for adults, and children 4 and under are free. Tickets will also be sold at the door.

All of the RHAM staff and faculty are entitled to one free ticket for either Friday or Saturdays show. You must pick the ticket up in advance during lunch.

Play Costume Missing, Reward

The lion costume from the RHAM production of the Wizard of Oz has been missing since yesterday. It is in a red and black plastic bag and was last known to be under a table in the atrium during third lunch. Anyone who knows where it might be, or has found the costume, is urged to see Mr. Paluso in room 133 as soon as possible. There is a $50 reward for the costume's return.

UPDATE: The item has been found.

Another D-day?

On April 1st 2009, A deadly computer virus is set to strike again, except this time, it may be unstoppable. This virus usually hits once every few years, and each time growing in size, ands affecting more and more computers. This virus has been called, "Conficker C". This is the third version of "Confickers", and is said to be more powerful, incredibly complicated to fix, and could be unchangeable. In late 2008, the first version of Conficker hit 250 addresses a day, but Conficker C is expected hit anywhere from 50,000 to 60,000 addresses a day. What this virus does is it gives one master computer, or the control center, total control of all the computers it affects, in which case, may be over 30 million computers. It is not sure what will happen yet. The computers hard drive may be wiped out, personal information stolen ,or a computer zombie walking through your house. Although all the other viruses have been fixed, this one looks challenging. If engineers cannot find a cure by April 1st, we may be in for more than we think. But until then, make sure your computer is safe, run many virus checks, and beware of the Conficker virus.

Source- http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/128643/beware-conficker-worm-come-april-1/;_ylt=AjH.yHj4DvZCd7_eruyXC50azJV4

Picture- http://www.ci.haverhill.ma.us/departments/EMA/pics/computerVirus.jpg

F-22 Crashes in California

Early this morning, a $150 million F-22A Raptor crashed near Edwards Air Force Base. Only one pilot was aboard, but their condition is not known. The Air Force does not yet know what caused the crash, and is investigating. More details as they become available.

Source: CNN

Victory For Colbert

Comedian Stephen Colbert, who attempted to get on the Presidential ballot of South Carolina during last year's election, has achieved a major victory. Over the last several weeks, the comedian has campaigned on his Comedy Central show "The Colbert Report" to urge his fans to vote in NASA's contest to name a new wing of the International Space Station. As of today, Stephen Colbert has achieved victory. The name "Colbert" pulled in 230,539 of the more than 1.1 million submissions in the contest, taking the victory over NASA's suggested name "Serenity" which took in 190,000 votes. However, NASA claims that they still hold the right to name the wing of the Space Station whatever they choose, and claim to be making their final decision next month. Colbert also tried to get himself on the Democratic and Republican primary ballots in his home state of South Carolina. The Democratic Party's executive council voted against him, and he did not qualify for the Republican primary because he missed the deadline.

For more information, please visit http://www.cnn.com/

Florida Trip

This past week, March 18-22, RHAM's Video Production Club attended the 2009 STN (Student Television Network) Film Convention in Orlando, Florida. The 9 students and 2 teachers flew down to Orlando on Wednesday the 18th and checked into the Rosen Plaza Hotel where the convention was being held.

During the day Thursday and Friday the students and teachers attended sessions that covered everything in the film industry from creating a news package, to anchoring tips, to why making a storyboard is crucial to success. Everyone attending had the opportunity to meet professionals such as John Roberts from CNN and Chet Thomas, a co-founder for Independent Student Media (ISM). These different sessions gave insight to the students about what it is like to produce a daily news show and the ins and outs of making a captivating film.

Overall the convention was a hit. The students and teachers got to meet new people from all over the United States that share the love of journalism and film. Junior Brian Steiner said, "It was a great learning experience and I'd love to go again."

The last two days the group was in Florida was a relaxing period spent in Disney World.

Box Office Kings

Here is an update on this weekend at the box office. Nicolas Cage's new film Knowing took a suprising lead against all other competitors. Last week's box office majors each fell three spots.



1. Knowing (2009)- $24.8M



2.I Love You, Man (2009)- $18M



3.Duplicity (2009)- $14.4M



4.Race to Witch Mountain (2009)- $13M



5.Watchmen (2009)- $6.72M



6.The Last House on the Left (2009)- $5.92M



7.Taken (2008/I)- $4.1M



8.Slumdog Millionaire (2008)- $2.7M



9.Madea Goes to Jail (2009)- $2.51M



10.Coraline (2009)- $2.14M



For more information, please visit http://www.imdb.com/

Hollywood Pays Tribute to Fallen Star

On Monday March 16th, stage and screen star actress Natasha Richardson fell on the slopes of Mont Tremblant in Montreal, Canada on Monday during a skiing lesson. At first, she claimed to have felt fine and shrugged off the accident. She was taken later that day to a hospital after feeling unwell. On Tuesday March 17th, Richardson's condition worsened and she was flown to a hospital in New York for further treatment. She was later reported as braindead. On Wednesday, family members of Richardson, including her husband Liam Neeson, agreed to turn off the life support machine that Natasha was on. Richardson died several hours later.

The official autospy concluded that Richardson had died of "blunt impact to the head." In the wake of this tragic loss, the celebrities of Hollywood and Broadway alike have banded together in this time of sorrow. The Broadway theatres dimmed their lights before their performances last night in tribute to the fallen star. Hollywood stars like Helen Mirren, Sarah Jessica Parker, Meryl Streep, Judi Dench, Mathew Broderick, among others have given their condolences to Richardson's husband Liam Neeson and their two children.

Producers of Liam Neeson's current film "Chloe" have agreed to postpone shooting until Neeson is ready to return. Natasha Richardson appeared most notably in "Maid in Manhattan", "Asylum", "The Parent Trap," and other notable films. Our condolences go out to all those affected by this tragedy.



For more information, please visit http://www.imdb.com/

RHAM Video Students at National Convention

Nine RHAM High School students are currently attending the Student Television Network convention in Orlando, Florida. These students (6 of them part of the RHAM News team) are attending workshops on topics related to television and film production. Many of them are also participating in on-site video production contests which require them to shoot and edit complete videos in 12 hours.

The RHAM Video Production Club raised money to attend this event primarily through sales of RHAM concert DVDs. Some money was also raised through bake sales. Advertising on this site also supports the club.

This year's conference is attended by 1,250 students from 33 states and will continue until Saturday, 3/21.

More information on the Student Television Network is available at www.studenttelevision.com .

-Editor

Bat Stowaway

Last Sunday, the NASA space shuttle Discovery launched from the Kennedy Space Station with a crew of 7 people. It was sent on a 14 day mission to deliver fuel and supplies to the International Space Station. What the crew did not count on was a bat landing foam on one of the fuel tanks of the shuttle just before take-off. The rodent was last officially spotted several seconds before the launch. NASA officials admitted that the bat was probably incinerated upon take-off.


Because the Kennedy Space Station is within close proximity to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, it does not have high powered horns to scare wildlife away. As a result, this is not the first time that an animal has landed on a space shuttle. In 1998, a bat was noticed on top of a fuel tank just before take-off. However, this rodent was able to fly away as the engines ignited, saving itself from harm.

Obama Aims to Stop AIG Bonuses

After AIG announced that it would spend over $100 million on bonuses for staff this year, despite receiving billions in taxpayer dollars, President Obama has ordered Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner to stop the bonuses through any legal means, calling them an "outrage". AIG insists that it is contractually bound to pay the bonuses, which were promised before the financial disaster.



Source: New York Times

RHAM Ski Club Takes a Trip to Smugglers' Notch

The RHAM ski club took a trip to Smugglers' Notch in Vermont on the weekend of March 13th. The mountain has 3 peaks; Moris, Madona and Sterling. The ski club joined other schools for 2 days of snowboarding and skiing. The ski club members left on Friday at 2:30 pm and did not return until 10:00 pm on Sunday evening. The students and teachers stayed in nearby condos. The chaperons for the trip were Mrs, Erlandsen, Mr. Linden, and Mrs. Bjorbekk, all RHAM teachers. The weather was sunny and the temperature was in the mid 50's. The conditions were icy on almost all the trails however all members of the ski club enjoyed their stay.

Box Office Kings

Here is an update on the current earning of the US box office for this past weekend at the movies:



1. Race to Witch Mountain (2009)- $25M

2. Watchmen (2009)-$18.1M

3. The Last House on the Left (2009)- $14.7M

4. Taken (2008/I)- $6.65M

5. Madea Goes to Jail (2009)- $5.13M

6. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)- $5.03M

7. Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)- $3.1M

8. He's Just Not That Into You (2009)- $2.9M

9. Coraline (2009)- $2.65M

10. Miss March (2009)- $2.35M



For more information, please visit http://www.imdb.com/

Hydrogen Gas Leak in space shuttle, launching again today

While trying to launch a space shuttle named "Discovery," NASA discovered that there was some type of a hydrogen gas leak. They are not quite sure what may have caused the gas leak, but are going to try and launch the space shuttle again this Sunday, March 16, 2008. The shuttle managers are hopeful that the repairs that were needed at the launch pad were taken care of. Mike Moses, the chairman of the mission management team, said that "there's a potential risk that the leak will recur." If that happened, then there would be yet another delay for the international space station construction mission, which is already more than a month late. "We did everything we could, which is to replace all teh hardware," Moses told reporters saturday. They are feeling good about the launch, and are prepared to go trough with it this sunday.



Source:

Hartford Courant Sunday March 16, 2008.

Rase in Cell-Phone only homes can distort health tracking

According to a report released just this week by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in certain areas such as Oklahoma and Utah, as many as one-quarter of homes don't use landlines at all and are very reliant on their cell phones. Although it does reduce the cost for phone bills, it does not help the CDC as far as doing State based Health Surveys (that are conducted every year to find out sexual habits, childhood immunizations rates, and more), because when doing these surveys they rely mostly on landlines. It does not necessarily affect the health of a person, but the implications of how well the CDC can track the health of the nation. The information from the surveys that the CDC collects is often used by the government to set health policies aimed at reducing the number of people who lack health insurance, decreasing high risk behavior, and determining immunization rates for children and teens.



Source:

<http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/13/healthmag.cell.phone/index.html>

RHAM Visits UCONN

On Friday the 13th, RHAM Senior classes, Mr. Prairie's Advanced Placement English, Mrs. Lawson's UCONN English, and Senora Nocton's Advanced Placement Spanish took a field trip to the University of Connecticut in Storrs. The group of about fifty students left RHAM around 7:30 AM and returned around 2:00 PM. While at UCONN, the group of students spent their time doing research for their own personall projects at the University of Connecticut's prestigious Homer Babbidge Library. Upon their arrival, RHAM students were given a presentation by the library staff on the advanced systems that the library had to offer. All in all, RHAM students enjoyed their trip and look forward to returning in the future.

For more information on UCONN's Homer Babbidge Library, please visit their official site at http://www.lib.uconn.edu/

Chemistry Olympiad

On Thursday, March 12th, RHAM High school sent a delegation of Juniors and Seniors to the local chapter of the International Chemistry Olympiad Competition for High School Students at UConn. RHAM representatives included Juniors Sam Young, Nick Aubin, Kelsey Welling, and Kyle Hebert, as well as several Seniors, including Dan Nissely, Michael Shaffer, Ben Reiner, Derrick Hendrickson, and Kirsten Saleem.

Each participant took a 60 question multiple choice test and then each school joined forces to compete in a quiz round. The RHAM team took second place in this contest.

On the whole, RHAM students thought that the experience was beneficial. Junior Nick Aubin said, "It was a good experience because we got to learn things that we would learn in AP [Chemistry], should we choose to take that route."

For more information about the Chemistry Olympiad, please visit this site.

Board of Education Meeting

A board of education meeting was held on Monday, March 9th. The meeting commenced at 6:32 pm. There were 10 board members present. The members of the administration present were Dr. Siminski, both the middle school and high school principals, William Mazzera, financial manager, and special education director Carl Gross. Carl Gross gave a presentation on special education. Michael Ceresa gave a presentation on the maitenence department. Sarah Smith gave a presentation on information technology. All presentations regarded the 2009-10 school year. There was some discussion about the proposed budget for the 2009-10 school year. The meeting ended at 8:29 pm.

Video of the meeting will be aired on Comcast channel 95. Visit http://www.cvcct.org/ for schedules.

Pollution

The pollution major cities such as Los Angeles produce increases the amount of deaths from respiratory diseases. Scientists can prove that the pollution causes "short-term effects such as asthma attacks, more hospitalization and deaths from heart attacks". Scientists and health experts say the ideas by the Environmental Protection Agency "failed to reflect research indicating that smog poses far greater health risks than previously thought". Tougher restrictions could make more urban areas take steps that were generally used only for places near St. Louis and Chicago. Effects from the government are in place to help clean the air. "Other federal rules requiring cleaner vehicle fuels, diesel engines, power plants, and factories are expected to steadily reduce smog levels nationwide". Hopefully our effects will help to significantly reduce the pollution created in the United States.

Source:

http://www.courant.com/news/nationworld/chi-ozonemar12,0,188815.story

Picture Courtesy Of:

http://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/51200D74-A40B-4104-AE7E-BD2FED5F6A0E/0/pollution.jpeg

"It's Like Cancer"

Though Manny Ramirez had many supporters during his stint with the Boston Red Sox, some were glad that he was traded. A former teammate of Ramirez, Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, had things to say about Ramirez's departure from the team.

According to Courant.com, Papelbon had a lot to say. "He was on a different train! And you saw what happened with that. We got rid of him, and we moved on without him," Papelbon was quoted in the April issue of Esquire. The story was posted on the magazine's Web site Thursday.


"So Manny was tough for us," Papelbon added. "You have somebody like him, you know at any point in the ball game, he can dictate the outcome of the game. And for him not to be on the same page as the rest of the team was a killer, man! It just takes one guy to bring an entire team down, and that's exactly what was happening."


Papelbon was happy with the three team trade that the Red Sox participated in, because the outfielder they received in return has a great job fitting into the role he has been put in. Jason Bay, former Pirates outfielder, has done quite a great job replacing the hard hitting Ramirez in the Red Sox lineup.


Ramirez became a free agent after the past season, but just last week signed a 2 year, $45 million deal with the L.A Dodgers.

DECA Winners

On March 10th, the members of DECA competed in a conference against other schools. The following students were recognized at the conference:

Rob Diloreto - Automotive Services Series - 1st

Anthony Ditomasso - Marketing Management Series - 1st

Peter Goode & Brett St. John - Business Law & Ethics Team Management Event - 1st

Devin McMahon - Accounting Applications - 1st

John Rivosa - Buisiness One-on-One Series - 1st

Nick Snietka & Ryan Popper - Financial Services Team Management Event - 1st

Ted Alexander & Anders Blomquist - Travel & Tourism Team Management Event - 2nd

Joanna Michalski - Business Services Series - 2nd

Sean Hughes - Quick Serve Restaurant Series - 3rd

Sean Burns & Cameron Ware - Internet Marketing Team Management Event - 3rd

Kevin Trippel & Casey Zammetti - Buying & Merchandising Team Management - 3rd

Laura Reynolds - Business Services Series - Finalist

Andrew O'Loughlin - Automotive Services Series - Finalist

Mike Kearns - Automotive Services Series - Finalist

Matt Jonas - Marketing Management Series - Finalist

Eric Bourassa - Sports & Entertainment Series - Finalist

Krystine Carey - Restaurant & Food Service Management Series - Finalist

Ashley Desjardins - Apparel & Accessories Series - Finalist

Sean Goodwin - Accounting Applications Series - Finalist

Mike Trapp - Accounting Applications Series - Finalist

Kathryn Turlo - Accounting Applications Series - Finalist

Brittany Yeager - Hotel & Lodging Series - Finalist

China-U.S. Naval Incident in South China Sea

After Monday's confrontation in the South China Sea (see the BBC's map of the incident here), in which a number of Chinese ships sailed dangerously close to a U.S. Navy ship making submarine charts, both the Department of Defense and the Chinese government have traded accusations of misconduct. China claims that the USNS Impeccable, the ship in question, was operating illegally in China's Exclusive Economic Zone guaranteed by international law. The U.S. has countered that the Impeccable's operations were routine and legal.

Regardless of the truth of either side's statements, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minster Yang Jiechi have met in Washington to avoid any escalation. Mrs. Clinton went on record to say that the U.S. and China must work together to prevent such encounters in the future.

Upcoming Purse Snatchers Show

The Purse Snatchers, a band made up of RHAM alumni Ian Fischer, Andrew Nuzzolilli, and Tom Mango will be playing at Wrench in the Works on March 27th. Wrench in the Works is located at 861 Main St. in Willimantic, CT. Other bands that will be playing include Bruhder, Saintseneca, Bombs Away, Old Hannah, Letters to the Moon, and Sinforiano Diaz. Tickets to the show are five dollars and a vegan potluck will be served.

RHAM News has reviewed the Purse Snatchers' EP "Liberty and Union". That review can be found here: http://rhamnews.blogspot.com/2009/01/purse-snatchers-liberty-and-union-music.html

Image courtesy of: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/Xionith/tps.jpg

Watchmen: Winning the Battle, losing the War.

As the highest number of screenings of any R-rated film in movie history, Zack Snyder's "Watchmen" is already losing steam. The highly anticipated adaption opened on over three thousand screens across the nation on Friday and was number one in the US and Australian box offices for its opening weekend. The movie took in an impressive $55,214,334 in just three days, but many analysts expected at least $71 million for its opening weekend. Ticket sales took a massive tumble from the initial rush of Friday-Saturday to Saturday-Sunday. The producers of "Watchmen" claimed to have aimed the revolutionary and unique style of the film toward a younger American audience. However, Warner Bros. Executive claim that 65 percent of the audience was male and 54 percent older than 25. For most blockbusters in movie history, the second weekend is always the deciding factor. Many believe that "Watchmen" will take a bigger fall its second time around. This weekend at the box office, "Watchmen" will be going up against much tougher competition against Disney's "Race to Witch Mountain," and the remake of Wes Craven's classic "The Last House on the Left." However, there is hope as movie theatres across the country reported attendance to have been up 14.85 percent this week.

For more information, please visit http://www.imdb.com/

Game Review: HALO War

From developer Ensemble Studios comes a game that brings the Halo universe back to what it was originally intended for. Halo Wars is the first Real Time Strategy Game to appear on a Console like the XBox 360. In Halo Wars instead of controlling just one man the player takes control of entire armies. The events of HALO Wars takes place 20 years before the first HALO and lead right up to the start of the first game.

Halo Wars is a game where if you don't like the genre of Real Time Strategy then its just not for you. As a Halo game though it lives up to the name. Twists and turns in the story line keep players guessing right to the end. I would give this game a 4 out of 5 overall. The replay value is very good.

image from xbox.com

EPOCH Arts Show

This coming Friday, March 20th, there is a show at EPOCH Arts in East Hampton. Playing in this show is Exit Ghost which is a band of RHAM graduates, Sean Baker, Ian Bates, and Nathan Whitehouse. Others that are playing are: Naked Sunday, Sound Relief, and Chris Uscinski. The show starts at 7pm and goes until about 11pm. Ticksts are $4. Come and support the musicians, and just have a good time.

3 illegal immagrants drown in a canal

While trying to flee Pinal County, three illegal immigrants drowned in a canal near Casa Grande, Pinal County. Police rescued 4 other poeple from the canal about 3 miles south of Interstate 8. A deputy, Russell Warren, noticed that there was a vehicle traveling with its headlights off on Interstate 8 at about 6 a.m on Friday, and then a high-speed chase occured. When the vehicle stopped near the canal, Warren said he saw many people start to run. Warren then began to hear yelling and shouting coming from the canal, and he noticed people who couldn't seem to swim. He then removed his gear and jumped into the canal, trying to save the victims. For some of the victims however, the water undercurrent was too strong which made it not safe for rescuers to enter the canal and save the remaining people. Afterword, 5 illegal immigrants and other rescued victims were turned over the the US border patrol.



Source:

<http://www.kpho.com/news/18877395/detail.html>

15 People Hurt when an Elephant causes a Scaffolding to Collapse.

In Indianapolis, Indiana 12 young children got hurt at a circus where an elephant that they were waiting to ride got startled and caused scaffolding to fall down. The scaffolding stairway leading people to ride the elephants collapsed where the circus was being held at about 10 a.m. A worker fell off the stair well - about a 7 ft drop - when the stairway got caught on the tarp and began to jostle. Nobody was very badly hurt, however, 15 children between 8 and 12 years of age were taken to a first aid station on the circus grounds. Nobody is certain what may have caused the elephant to become startled.



Source:

<http://www.theindychannel.com/news/18877714/detail.html>

Play Review - Little Shop of Horrors

Back in the year 1960, a film by Roger Corman made its way to television and became one of the most popular musicals of the decade. Little Shop of Horrors, originally directed by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken was produced in New York City in 1982. Fortunately enough, the play was reborn by a group of young students who attend the Arts at the Capitol Theatre program located in Willimantic, CT. This time around the play that was put on for audiences to view was Little Shop of Horrors. The story follows luckless hero Seymour Krelborn in his search for fame and love all while battling with the deadly sin of Greed. Seymour is a botanist trying to become recognized for creating a plant called the Audrey II. He works with a crotchety woman named Mrs. Mushnik and begins to fall in love with a girl with a dangerous boyfriend, Audrey. The plant begins to grow and become more dangerous to Seymour and his acquaintances as the story continues and towards the end it shows that the monster has taken over and presented what greed can do to a person. The story includes "The Ronnettes", a group of three girls who lead the audience through Seymour's journey for fame and love and constantly warning people to not feed the plant.

The play was tackled by Director Sandra Evans-Abbott and Music Director Katherine Popovic. The students in the academy were very excited to take on this popular 1960's comedy/drama. Opening night for the show was March 5 and it continues through Sunday, March 8. Taking the lead as Seymour Krelborn was Joey Schweizer and standing next to him as co lead playing Audrey was Aimee-Rose Willett. The two actors sang the popular duet "Suddenly Seymour" which the crowd enjoyed. Both of the teens had good chemistry on stage and put on an excellent performance. Mrs. Mushnik, played by Anna Nassiff was a humorous character to have throughout the play and Orin Scrivello or D.D.S played by Chris Richard who sings a nasty song as he nears his end on Nitrous Oxide made the crowd laugh non stop. Also adding entertainment and emotion to the play was Kelly Kissane as the voice of the plant who also sung during some of the scenes. The Ronnettes, Crystal, Chiffon and Ronnette were played by Laure Gorman, Brianna Bagley and Emili Meikle.

The cast and technical crew at ACT showed the audience a stunning show and were proud that they could reenact the famous musical that had everyone talking.

Fire in Berlin Badly Burns Woman

Lillian Bolin, 84, was severely burned in a house fire on Friday. According to Courant.com, fire officials said that the fire started in the kitchen of her Butternut Lane house.


"She was burned on much of her body and had smoke inhalation," police Lt James Gosselin said at the scene. "She was found in the kitchen area of the home. Right now, we don't know what caused this."


Workmen repairing a roof of a nearby house were among the first to see signs of a fire. They reported seeing smoke coming out of the gable of the house at around 2:30. The men then told their clients to call for help and tried in desperation to make an attempt to get into the house, but the smoke was too much.


Rescue crews arrived and Bolin was airlifted to Bridgeport Hospital's burn center. Her condition was not yet determined.

UPDATE 3/7: Mrs. Bolin died of her injuries at Bridgeport Hospital.

Rec Basketball Tournament

Source: http://www.stevemclaughlinphotography.com/20080127/album/slides/DSC_4678.html

On March 9, 2009, RHAM High School gymnasium will be hosting the Hebron Parks and Recreational Basketball tournament. There are three teams from Marlborough, three teams from Hebron, and one team from Andover. Whether other teams from outside our district will compete in the tournament as of now is unknown, but those teams consist of Columbia, Coventry, East Lyme There is no cost for the games, so come out, and see a great basketball tournament.

Will America be Watching "Watchmen"?

Considered the most celebrated graphic novel of all time, "Watchmen" has been considered impossible to film. Written as a twelve part series throughout 1986 and 1987 by Alan Moore, the graphic novel has always been considered the "Citizen Kane" of comic books. Directed by Zack Snyder, the movie follows a group of semi retired superheroes in an alternate 1985 trying to solve the murder of one of their own. Directed by the same visionary director of "Dawn of the Dead" and "300", the long awaited adaption has already begun to smash box office records. "Watchmen" will be opening 3,611 screens this weekend, the most ever for an R-rated film in history. On the side, 1,600 locations will offer midnight screenings, including all 124 of the theaters showing in IMAX. This will be Director Zack Snyder's second blockbuster opening, with his other graphic novel adaption "300" opening to $71 million in its first weekend, earning a total of $28 million on its first day alone. And that was all accomplished at nearly 1,000 less theatres. Only time will tell if America watches the "Watchmen." Opening everywhere tomorrow.

For more information on this story, please visit http://www.imdb.com/

Sudan Ejects Humanitarian NGOs

CNN reports that the Sudanese government has ordered ten aid organizations to leave the region, including the International Rescue Committee, Oxfam, and others. The U.N. protested the move, a spokesman said, declaring that these organizations are "the main providers of life-saving humanitarian services, such, as water, food, health, and sanitation. Their departure will have an immediate and serious impact on the humanitarian and security situation in North Sudan, (and) especially in Darfur."

The move may be in response to the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, who is charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Dump Truck Crash on I-84

(image courtesy Perry Smith via Courant.com)

Yesterday morning, a truck driver entered I-84 near Manchester without lowering his truck's bed. The bed caught on the bottom of an overhanging sign, yanking the truck into the air. The trucker, who was uninjured, was rescued about an hour later. No one else was hurt.

Help Wanted

The RHAM News team is looking to fill a few vacancies in next year's classes. Next year will bring several exciting changes to the Broadcast Journalism class. For starters, all shows will be presented live instead of recorded live-to-tape as is the current practice. More video content will be placed on the Internet. And, perhaps most importantly, we plan to offer college credit for juniors and seniors through articulation with Manchester Community College.

If you are a RHAM student interested in television, or if you are considering majoring in communications, stop by Guidance and see if you can get one of the remaining seats in Broadcast Journalism for 2009-10.

Questions? Email rhamtv@yahoo.com .

Early Graduation

Yesterday, RHAM High School hosted a ceremony honoring those students who graduated after the first semester of classes this year. These students included Jennifer Anderson, Bettina Neubauer, T.J. Tetrault, Kyle Mahoney, and Sheila Rujoub. The event took place immediately after school in the High School Library. Mr. Ruddick, an engineering teacher at RHAM gave the keynote address to the graduates, emphasizing the importance of planning for the future and always having a backup plan. About forty people attended the ceremony, most of them teachers and other staff members of the high school.

For more information, watch next week's edition of RHAM News.

Feature Story - Locker Theft

Story by Brian F. and Sean L. Originally aired on RHAM News on 3/3/09.

Search Called Off

The United States Coast Guard has officially called off their three day search for three missing boaters, including two NFL players. The search began early Sunday morning when the missing boaters did not return from their trip in Tampa, Florida. One of the four missing men, Former USF football player Nick Schuyler, was found Monday afternoon adrift on a small overturned fishing boat. He claimed that the four men had been together when their boat had been overturned. They eventually became seperated by the sea. As of sundown Tuesday night, the search for the missing boaters will officially be called off. Still missing is Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, NFL free agent Corey Smith and former University of South Florida football player William Bleakley. As reported by The United States Coast Guard, 200 ships have capsized within the last two months. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of those affected by this tragedy.

For more information, please visit http://www.cnn.com/

Popular Videogame Reaches One Billion Online Matches

Bungie, the designer of the popular Halo videogame series, reported that Halo 3 reached one billion matches online on Saturday night. Since the game's release, players around the world have clocked more than 64,000 years of playtime online, discounting offline play. This number represents a huge increase over the game's predecessor, Halo 2, which has logged about 800 million games.

Bungie points out in their news story that 64 millenia ago, there were no humans in Asia and Neanderthals still lived.

The billionth game, at 6:36 PM PST, was a 3:19 game of Infection on the Foundry map.

First Annual Prom Fashion Show

The junior class at RHAM high school is sponsoring the first annual prom fashion show. The show will be held on March 6th. The show starts at 6pm. The models of this fashion show will be RHAM students that will be wearing dresses supplied by Fairy Tales in Glastonbury. Their hair will be done at Capricorn I in Hebron, and their makeup will be done by Skintology in Hebron. There will also be companies there advertising limo services, hair and makeup, food, photography, and florist services.

Tickets will be sold at all three lunch waves. The tickets are $3 at the lunch waves, and $5 at the door. So if you want to get some ideas for prom dresses, or you want to check out some services to make the night even more special, come to the Prom Fashion Show on March 6th at RHAM high school.