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By: Faith Pawley

With students on the go and people rushing onto buses, they need a portable and light lunch. The choices given today were roast beef sandwiches in boxes and turkey pita wraps in brown bags. They seem pretty standard, but how healthy are they?

First, the turkey pita wraps contained thin turkey slices, romaine lettuce leaves, cheddar cheese and a light mayonnaise. The sides included plain Lays chips and a Granny Smith apple. This light, yet compact, lunch provides a very balanced diet.

“Eating foods like turkey that are high in protein help to increase the feeling of satiety and make you feel fuller longer.” – MedicialNewsToday.com says. “Getting enough protein ensures maintenance of lean muscle mass and can keep insulin levels stable after meals.”

Turkey pita wraps can vary in calorie count, but a normal wrap will consist of about 345 calories. The whole meal was packaged in a brown bag and the wrap was individually wrapped in a clear slip. This meal was sponsored by Jason’s Deli and was served to the County Court, Media and other delegates that remained at the hotel for the day. However, the delegates headed to the Capital received an alternative boxed lunch. The wrap for the YAG delegates had approximately 50 calories, the apple contained 80 calories and the chips had 240 calories. Therefore, the total calorie count was 470 calories in the bagged lunch.

The boxed lunch, also from Jason’s Deli, had a roast beef sandwich, a white chocolate chip and raisin cookie, a pickle and Lays chips. Their lunch was a little more complex and heavier in protein.

“Roast beef from lean cuts of beef is low in fat, rich in protein and loaded with beneficial minerals.” Healthyeating.sfgate.com says.  “Roast beef from a lean cut, such as a round or chuck, is naturally low in calories.”

Roast beef by itself is usually 50 calories, but in a sandwich the count goes up to 150 to 200. The pickle contained 7 calories, the chips 240 and the cookie had 87 calories. The total count was 484 calories.

Both lunches were quick, easy, portable and light. They were high in protein, but also in calories. When comparing the two total calorie count of both lunches, the turkey pita wraps were the healthier option over the roast beef sandwich.

By Sidarth Joshi

Governor Kennedy made the decision to eject the reporter covering his cabinet meeting. Kennedy was within his power to take this step, however his decision to do so was questionable. According to New York Times reporter Carol Giacomo, the media has the duty of holding politicians responsible for their actions. If the media is neutralized, the political elite have free reign over the process of government. Giacomo noted this in a recent article stating that, “….given that the Founders enshrined a free press and free speech in the First Amendment…the United States has long served as the premier international advocate of those sacred principles.”

This situation is being mirrored in the outside world as politicians are attempting to dictate the role of the press. Several governor candidates stated that they were opposed to the practice of excluding the media in cabinet meetings. Candidate Jordan Clements stated, “it is a misrepresentation because when a real governor signs a bill the media are always there, but it is also discriminating against the media.” Candidate Sharif Long also stated that he thought it was “wrong.”

The governor’s cabinet began its meeting in the regular fashion with a breakfast in the Treehouse Kitchen. Lobbyists were also included. After the meal, the candidates for governor were given a chance to address the cabinet about their campaigns. Several candidates reiterated their speeches at the campaign rally and added remarks about how their platforms would affect the cabinet.

The governor’s cabinet then began to debate the merits of different Senate bills which had been passed in committee. About five minutes into this process, Kennedy asked the media to leave the area; we have no further information about this part of the cabinet meeting at present. Kennedy and his cabinet moved to the senate press office in the capitol where he began to gather information from the different chambers. The media was once again excluded from this meeting. The question we must ask ourselves is whether the deliberate exclusion of the press is in following with the first amendment right to freedom of the press. At present, it does not seem likely.

Delegate looks to arm police with rubber bullets 

By: Kyle Gehman

Dilan Patel from the Robert E Lee High School delegation had his bill, about requiring police officers to carry a gun containing rubber bullets on themselves in addition to the typical lead bullets, put down in the Senate Chamber today.

“If this bill pases it has two objectives, to protect and to serve,” Patel said. “It is absolutely vital that you pass this bill in support of our officers. They need tools in their belt so they can effectively accomplish their business. I implore all of you to vote for solving our officers biggest problems and to ensure that the State of Texas supports them.”

This bill was created so to protect citizens from being dispersed or capacitated less lethally than the normal handgun held lead bullets do. According to the Washington Post, in 2016 there were 963 deaths at the hands of police officers. 82 of which were in Texas which is the second highest rate in the entire country. If officers refuse to carry the required two extra cartridges of rubber bullets, they could be temporarily suspended. Patel hoped that these measures would bring the death rate down.

“I think it depends from case to case,” Brianna Branscomb said. “Using rubber bullets would be a great thing as we have seen in this previous year that there are often needless deaths at the hands of officers. If the suspect isn’t an immediate threat to anyone’s life, then use rubber bullets for sure. There is no reason to kill someone for resisting arrest. But if the situation requires the use of actual bullets as the suspect is an immediate threat to someone’s life, then it is appropriate in that case. Yes, I would wholeheartedly support this bill.”

Opponents brought to attention the fact that rubber bullets still have the potential to cause death and serious injuries as well as not always being an effective way in apprehending the subject being pursued. Sharjeel Mohammad also brought up the point that this bill could aid in the targeting of law enforcement officers.”

“The bill has good intentions, however, people have to notice and understand that there’s a large war on cops and if you go to some areas such as south Dallas, if people know the cops are carrying rubber bullets they are more susceptible to violence,” Mohammad said. “This war on cops is something that I don’t think should be tolerable and it makes cops more vulnerable.”

In the end the bill was not passed in the Senate Chamber and will not be adopted.

 By: Sophia North

Jenny Smith Miranda Rights were potentially violated by the police, who commenced an interrogation on her without the presence of a legal guardian. Her court case was appealed.

The appellee believes that the officers’ mistake were harmless; however, the appellant views this as a crucial aspect of the case. On Friday, January 27 the appellate court began reviewing the case and by the end a majority of the rounds ruled in favor of the appellant.

Police officers’ duties include protecting people, property, enforcing laws and bringing justice. In this case, the appellee is unsure if the police officers balanced both people’s rights and bringing justice.

“It is the responsibility of police officers to find the truth, but not at the cost of procedural safeguards,” Simon Penn said.

Officer Court was accused of violating these rights by telling Smith she would go to “at bat” for her, meaning she promised to help her if she confessed to her crime.

“I think she overstepped her boundaries of the position by trying to coheres the child who had a right to remain silent,” Judge William Cerny said.

On a separate record, though, Officer Court said that she did not make any promises to Jenny.

Smith is a minor, and the appellants’ worry that Jenny was unaware of her Miranda rights upon entering the interrogation and therefore, she was violated of those rights by the police officers. They propose that she did not know that she could remain silent and so she confessed.

“People need to know their Miranda rights,” Cerny said. “If the police officer is trying to get them to confess when they have the right to remain silent there is a problem.”

However, the potential violation of Smith’s rights is also seen as the fault of others present during the process of her conviction.

“It is more the fault of the court system, because if they are not applying those procedural safeguards correctly then society can be impacted because people are convicted unfairly and unreasonably,” Penn said.

In recent years’ society’s perspectives of police officers have altered due to police brutality, such as the shooting of Michael Brown, which caused protests in Missouri. As well as social media bringing to light numerous videos of police being violent, causing some to question the intentions of the police force.

“The first purpose of police officers was to make sure that the people are protected and I think that we need to go back to that,” Penn said.  “It seems that in society today police officers are now being viewed as people that are just trying to get a confession.”

Despite the concerns, Alain Cisneros reflects on the fact that police officers are not perfect.

“Humans are humans,” Cisneros said. “They make mistakes and this court case can be used to learn from so in the future we can handle this in a different way.”

By: Chloe Opelt

A court trial has taken place in Room E2.016 in the State of Texas Capitol building on January 27, 2017. The question being, did Jenny Smith commit this murder out of her own will, or was she influenced by the prescription drug, Prozac, that she has been taking for her diagnosed depression and bipolar disorder? After the trial had taken place, Megan Antone ruled Jenny Smith guilty of first-degree murder after determining she was cognitively aware, leaving her accountable for her actions. Smith will be sent to prison, and sentencing will commence at a later date.

The prosecution attorney, Toiya Smith, battled against the defense witnesses by undermining their statements or finding holes in the case. Attorney Smith brought up hard evidence such as journal entries by Jenny only a few days before the murder, and even a murder weapon, found under jenny’s mattress. The journal entries previously stated, “it was easy,” referring to murdering Netlo.

There were two holes that were dug in the park that victim, Benjamin Netlo, was found in. These two holes suggested premeditation of the murder of Netlo, thus proving that Jenny Smith was not being fully influenced by the drug Prozac. A witness even gave a physical description of a girl they saw at the pond near the park the same day of the murder of Netlo. The description stated that a “goth looking girl, with long, red hair and blue eyes” was hanging around the pond that day. The prosecution had constant rebuttals and tried to poke holes in the defense witnesses by making them nervous or presenting hard-to-answer questions. Tactics like these, may have helped the prosecution acquire the desired result of the trial. The prosecution claimed that Prozac is proven to not have a high amount of negative side affects on people, and that the drug could not have driven Jenny Smith to perform the actions she did.

The defense attorneys tended to use a large sketch pad, centered at the front of the room to better provide a visual aide to the audience and judge to help prove points in their case. When the topic of journal entries came up, the defense responded with the question of relevance towards the case considering the fact that Jenny Smith has been found guilty of the murder but not of the state of mind she was in when she committed the crime. As for the murder weapon, nothing about the subject proves that she was/wasn’t in her right mind. The defense witnesses consisted of Jenny’s best friend and a counselor. Her best friend claimed that “Jenny wouldn’t do something like this” if she were in her right mind. The counselor also claimed to know that Jenny is “not capable of murder in the first” if she were not under an influence of some sort. Both defense witnesses when questioned by the prosecution admitted they were close to Jenny Smith and didn’t “want to see her get hurt,” which looks bad for them to the judge. The defense reiterated that Prozac is a black box drug, meaning that it has a warning when given to patients, that in can in fact cause negative side effects such as “suicide, self-harm, and anxiety.”

Both the defense and prosecution witnesses struggled with their recollection of certain events throughout the trial. Both sides picked and prodded at each other respectfully, while building their platform and trying to convince the judge of their side of the story. As the closing statements were presented, the last plea for belief was given, and the court took a recess to give the judge time to make a ruling. Upon re-entrance to the court, Judge Antone found Jenny Smith guilty of murder in the first degree, not under the influence of Prozac. This ruling means a sentencing to a penitentiary in the near future for Jenny Smith.

By: Chloe Opelt

The Youth and Government program available to all high school attendees, has seemed to have a long-lasting impact on the lives of the participants. From present day delegates to past Youth and Government members, all have had more than enough to say about the effect of the program on not only their personalities, but their futures as well.

Kennedy Montgomery, YMCA Youth and Government Governor of 2016, made a trip from Fort Worth(Timberview High School) to join the masses at the State Conference this year. Montgomery has participated in two state conferences, as well as legislative actions and the chief of staff for governor in his former Michigan delegation. learned the importance of leadership, unity, service, and just helping others, as well as the idea of democracy and love.” Montgomery strongly believes that the program that he has been a part of for four years has impacted his life positively. “It changed my life, I used to want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, but now I definitely want to be a public servant.”  When asked about the personality changes in the recent past, Montgomery accredited them to the program itself, claiming that it has “enhanced the overall spirit” of his personality. Overall, the influence this single program has had on Montgomery and his future is astounding and inspiring.

“I learned the importance of leadership, unity, service, and just helping others, as well as the idea of democracy and love,” Montgomery said.  Montgomery strongly believes that the program that he has been a part of for four years has impacted his life positively. “It changed my life, I used to want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, but now I definitely want to be a public servant.”  When asked about the personality changes in the recent past, Montgomery accredited them to the program itself, claiming that it has “enhanced the overall spirit” of his personality. Overall, the influence this single program has had on Montgomery and his future is astounding and inspiring.

Montgomery strongly believes that the program that he has been a part of for four years has impacted his life positively. “It changed my life, I used to want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, but now I definitely want to be a public servant.”  When asked about the personality changes in the recent past, Montgomery accredited them to the program itself, claiming that it has “enhanced the overall spirit” of his personality. Overall, the influence this single program has had on Montgomery and his future is astounding and inspiring.

“It changed my life, I used to want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, but now I definitely want to be a public servant,” Montgomery said.  When asked about the personality changes in the recent past, Montgomery accredited them to the program itself, claiming that it has “enhanced the overall spirit” of his personality. Overall, the influence this single program has had on Montgomery and his future is astounding and inspiring.

Montgomery accredited them to the program itself, claiming that it has “enhanced the overall spirit” of his personality. 

Gracie Porter, a fourth-year delegate, is Print Editor at the 70th annual State Youth and Government Conference. Better communication skills, multi-tasking skills, and refinement of writing style are all components of the new pallet Youth and Government has provided to Porter. Porter claims that this program has “helped

By: Willow Dalehite

On the first day of the 2017 Youth & Government State competition, State Affairs delegates convened at the Texas Capitol to outline their proposals and engage in discussion about various governmental reforms. Aly Cerda,16, Ash Pellette, 17 and Emily Gentry, 16 are delegates from the Ann Richards School who created a proposal to address sexual assault on college campuses. In the morning before the competition, the group practiced in the Senate Chamber, where their forum was held. After a long day the proposal was not passed, and this was decided based on the quality of the presentation and the bill itself. 

The proposal focused on providing better enforcement of Title IX, which serves to protect students in federally funded educational institutions from discrimination based on sex, according to the U.S. Department of Education. “Our proposal is based mostly around the implementation of Title IX and making sure that it stays as a big part of the community in college,” Gentry said. “Upon enrollment to a Texas university you would be sent out a survey asking if you would like to be a correspondent with the Texas Board of Education, and every six weeks (or sooner if it’s deemed necessary) you are able to report back to the Texas Board of Education and say, ‘My Title IX offices are upholding this’ or ‘I feel like there’s a really big problem with this’, and punishments will be given out, such as fines, for Title IX not working.”

This issue has gained attention as a result of recent sexual assault cases such as that of Brock Turner, the Stanford swimmer who received three months imprisonment for committing a felony sexual assault even though he faced a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison, according to the New York Times. “Knowing that Brock Turner only went to jail for, what, three months and got out in good behavior is kind of ridiculous to me,” Gentry said. “I want to change that for not even just this competition, but I would like to see these reforms actually happen.”

Cerda cited personal and common fear in the importance of the group’s proposal. “After senior year I will be going into college, and with a new president elect who has normalized sexual assault talk as ‘locker room talk’ and just hearing people in my everyday life normalizing sexual assault, it is my number one fear,” she said. 

The impact of the proposal aims to help destigmatize those who report sexual assault cases and increase communication between college students and Texas agencies that serve them, and does not claim to be able to eradicate sexual assault on college campuses. “I just want people to think about it more,” Cerda said. “We all know that it’s something that’s happening, and a lot of people definitely turn a cheek to it because it’s not something that we can fix in an instant and a lot of people think that things we can’t fix in an instant we might as well not talk about.”

“I want people to feel comfortable talking about

By: Faith Pawley

First-year Delegate Ashish Dave has big plans for Texas. Changing road quality in cities and near airports to improve driving conditions and first impressions. He wanted to invest $10 billion dollars in road improvement through the use of funds and bonds. The bill was passed by a majority vote.

“Every Sunday during football season, my family and I go to the Texans’ games at Reliant Stadium,” Dave said. “We always have so much fun, but the one thing we all complain about are the roads.”

Dave used his own experience in Houston to support his argument of his bill. He brought up the fact of the numerous potholes, bumps and on-going construction in the city. He felt like the poorly-shaped roads of Houston was in great need. Thus, he began his research and presented his idea to the Hyde House.

“For the one time investments, it’s going to need some repairs. This will transform Texas,” Dave said. “We will get new roads again. Our roads will be safe again. This will benefit all involved and the drivers too. “

This bill created a great amount of debate in the Hyde House. He answered their questions clearly, supported by his resources of The National Highway Administration.

Many delegates supported his proposal, but one delegate was adamantly against it. He believed that it was un-economical and not supported well due to the few facts presented. He believed it should be tabled for he felt like it could not work with the current economical structure.

However, many of the delegates believed that many great changes would be in affect if the bill passed. Sebastian Callet supported the bill fully. He thought that the bill would improve street-front businesses and also believed that it would increase tourism in the city of Houston.  

“I really feel like it was a risk worth taking, there was really very little risk involved and we would get three-fold the profit,” Callet said. “Also it’s great for targeting Texas as a whole, it’s not going after one person or one place.”

Passing the Torch

By: Sophia North

Jeanmarie Kmetz has been passed the torch as she now runs for attorney general to try to continue her two older brothers’ legacies. They were both attorney generals for Youth and Government and helped motivate her to follow in their footsteps.

“I really looked up to them as individuals and they helped me become a leader,” Kmetz said.

Not only did they inspire her to run, but they inspired her ideas as well.

Kmetz seeks to continue the platform her brother ran for by “carrying on the idea of making instructional videos.”

She finds the videos to be helpful for others because they prepare them for cross questions as well as expose viewers to the perspective of both the attorney and the witness. This idea was originally presented by her older brother, but she wants to continue on that aspect of Youth and Government.

Additionally, she pushes for originality in court cases.

She has observed that details in the court case “are the same every single year” so she is pushing for using “brand new names and brand new locations,” since Joshua Sapp and Amelie Hodges have been used repeatedly, as well as the street Penny Park Place in Brookbend, Texas.

Her ideas and opinions were encouraged to be heard by her family as well.

“I have an awesome family and I gained a lot of respect for them,” said Kmetz. “They encouraged me to voice my opinion and have my voice be heard, especially since I’m a woman.”

She also received encouragement and guidance from her close friend, and previous attorney general candidate, Cole Lehman.

He helped her with the position of attorney general by teaching her to be more “personable” through his own “kind and friendly personality.”

Also, as she addresses ideas previously presented by her brothers’, Lehman sees her as effectively carrying on her brothers’ legacy.

“I think she’s a very good candidate, and I like her policies because they are still good,” Lehman said.

Cole’s sister, Landis Lehman, feels that Kmetz will be efficient if she wins.

“She’s so nice and friendly, and I feel like she will actually follow through with the things she’s proposing,” Landis said.

Saturday Youth and Government delegates will vote to determine if Kmetz will take on the position that has been passed down from sibling to sibling.