The James Logan Courier

By Oline H. Cogdill
Sun Sentinel (MCT)

The effect of violence on small communities continues to be one of the most provocative themes for mystery fiction. Joseph Olshan expands that plot device for an in-depth character study of a woman who is emotionally stagnant because of her inability to forgive those she loves.
Olshan, best known for his non-genre fiction such as "The Conversation" and "Clara's Heart," makes a bold and quite effective foray into crime fiction in "Cloudland." Using the hunt for a serial killer as his foundation, Olshan's sturdy plot builds on his believable characters. Olshan's greatest risk — and his most persuasive — is creating a lead character who is unlikable yet also intriguing enough to make readers want to delve into "Cloudland."

MISCELLANEOUS

Students are required to display their ID badge to gain entry onto the school campus each day. If you have lost your ID, you can get a replacement in Room 65.

STAR testing will be from April 23rd - 25th and 30th and May 1st, 3rd, and 4th. Please arrive to school on time for testing. Testing will occur in 3rd period classes, with some students testing in alternate locations. Check with your third period teacher if there are any questions.

By Yari Nieves-Rivera, Courier Book Editor

The Giver by Lois Lowry is a novel set in the near future, where the world is split up into different communities. In this society, not only are people not allowed to have children, they aren’t allowed to choose who they marry or the way they live their own lives. At the age of twelve, they are assigned a job that they will have for the rest of their lives. At a certain age, when the adults in the family unit have served their purpose, and they are sent to housing for childless adults. There, they wait out their days until they are ‘released’ outside of the community.

The story is told in third person point-of-view, and follows a boy named Jonas. Jonas lives in a standard family unit, consisting of a mother, a father, and a sister. None of them are biologically related, but they hold a strong bond like any other family. Since they live in this community, they are told to show no emotion and to be the same as others. While the children grow up, they are watched carefully by the Council of Elders. They choose the jobs based on the child’s special abilities. Jonas fears the day this comes, more and more every day.

Courier Staff Report

James Logan's Lady Colts softball team beat MVAL rivals Newark Memorial 5-1 Tuesday afternoon at the Peter Mendoza sports complex.

The Newark Memorial Cougars struck first with a lead-off double that a subsequent single turned into a run, making the score 1-0 after the first half inning.

The Lady Colts got even in the second after they loaded the bases with no outs. The Cougars made a play at home plate to get the first out, but, with the bases still loaded, gave up a walk to junior Clarissa Blaquera to even the score at 1-1. Sophomore outfielder Alexis Mattos flied out to center field for the second out of the inning, but junior Kimberly Goulart hit a pitch into right field that fell a few feet in front of the Cougar fielder, allowing two Lady Colts to score. Goulart was caught in a run-down on her way to second base, ending the inning with the score 3-1.

From Wikipedia:
James McCune Smith (April 18, 1813 – November 17, 1865) was an American physician, apothecary, abolitionist, and author. He is the first African-American to earn a medical degree, and the first to run a pharmacy in the United States. Smith wrote forcefully in refutation of the common misconceptions about race, intelligence, medicine, and society in general. His friends and colleagues in this movement were often famous and consisted of many noted abolitionists, including Frederick Douglass.

Read James McCune Smith's essay on chess, free from thechessdrum.net.