True crime is everywhere, from documentaries to podcasts. People enjoy it not just for. shock, but for curiosity and suspense. Following a case from beginning to end can make. viewers feel like detectives.

Research’s shows that curiosity activates the. brain’s reward system. Each clue or twist releases dopamine, the chemical linked to motivation and satisfaction.

It creates a “safe fear,” similar to riding a rollercoaster. Viewers experience suspense and adrenaline without real danger.

This mix of excitement and safety keeps. people returning to new documentaries, pod-casts, and cases.

True crime helps people explore motives and empathize with victims. Unsolved cases. encourage critical thinking, helping viewers. make sense of confusing or frightening events.

Fans share theories online, discuss cases. with friends, and bond over their interest in mysteries. Even when watching alone, viewers. feel part of a larger community.

It remains popular because it combines curiosity, suspense, empathy, and. connection. It allows people to explore. fear safely while learning more about human behavior and the world around them.

By: Mateo Landayan

AI recycles what information’s already been given to it. Ask an AI to write an essay, and it will. Ask it to make an article for your journalism class, and it probably could do it in a few minutes. Ask it to take a stance, defend it under pressure, respond in real time, and persuade a skeptical audience? That’s where things start to fall apart.

 In a world filled with artificial intelligence, students are competing with machines that can produce faster, summarize better, and generate forever. So, the question isn’t how students can keep up. It’s how they can stand out. The answer might be simpler than you’d think, by trying speech and debate. 

Debate teaches something AI fundamentally doesn’t have. It forces students to think on their feet, adapt when their arguments are challenged, and study ideas they don’t agree with. There’s no “regenerate response” button in a live round. You either understand your argument, or you don’t. 

At West Fargo Sheyenne High School’s Debate Team, that idea is proven with their success. Over the past several years, the team has steadily climbed the state rankings: 8th in 2018, 5th in 2019 and 2020, 4th in 2021, and a major leap to 2nd place and state runner-up in 2022, followed by 3rd in 2023. That kind of consistency doesn’t come from copy pasting speeches generated by AI. It comes from students learning how to think, adapt, and perform under pressure. 

The same pattern shows up in speech. Sheyenne has repeatedly earned national recognition through the National Speech & Debate Association’s merit system, joining the prestigious 100 Club in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2023, and reaching the even rarer 200 Club in 2019 and 2022. Those milestones show the teams discipline, communication, and a commitment to mastering skills that no chatbot could ever replicate. 

There’s a human element that even I overlooked at one point. Debate isn’t just about being right and talking over whoever disagrees with you. It’s about being convincing. Tone, delivery, and presence all matter. A well-crafted argument means nothing if it can’t connect with an audience. Students in debate learn to weigh evidence, recognize bias, and make decisions in real time. Ironically, the rise of AI makes debate more relevant. The easier it becomes to generate answers, the more valuable it is to question them. Students don’t need to out compute machines. They need to do what machines can’t. They need to think, adapt, and argue. And that starts with debate. 

The death penalty is one of the most controversial sentences in U.S history. This sentence is usually reserved for capital crimes, such as murder, federal crimes including large-scale drug trafficking, treason, and other specific aggravating factors.

Many groups are divided on whether the death penalty is a fair punishment. On one side of the debate, they believe the death penalty is flawed, defined by bias and error, and violates human rights.

While others believe the death penalty is the best possible punishment for a severe crime. They believe that this capital punishment is essential to punish those who commit severe and heinous crimes.

Even law enforcement is divided on this matter. Most believe that the death penalty is a waste of resources and that it does not make communities any safer.

Since these are the people that oversee death penalties and work with them up close, hearing that it has many flaws and is dysfunctional makes people even more opposed to the death penalty.

In the past, many judges have mistakenly sentenced innocent individuals to the death penalty, ending in countless losses and suffering.

For example, the case of Tommy Lee Walker was exonerated seventy years after he was executed by the electric chair at 21 years old.

This leaves people questioning whether the death penalty is really accurate or effective.

With plenty of evidence that the death penalty is flawed, the U.S government still authorizes it.

So, many individuals take matters into their own hands, resulting in many protests and movements.

Some of these death penalty movements date back to colonial times, which shows that the death penalty has been a reoccurring and ongoing conflict in society.

Despite many people arguing against the death penalty and what it has done, the government will continue to allow it, believing it makes them seem stern and rigorous.

By: Christina Miller

Dogs are a part of many people’s lives and families. For example, I have 4 dogs, and I feel as though they have improved my mental health. But how? What are the reasons?

According to the Mayo Clinic Health System, “Owning a dog has been linked to better mental health and a lower perception of social isolation [in addition to making people] less likely to experience depression.” Dogs will always be beside you. These animals show you a bunch of love and kindness. Having someone who’s always with you can help you feel more relaxed and safe.

Dogs are able to keep you moving. You can take them on walks or runs, which can help with exercise and being healthier. Dog owners have 54% more of the daily exercise requirements. Mayo Clinic Health System says, “Dogs give you a reason to go outside, breathe in fresh air, and get some physical activity.” This can also help reduce stress because exercise helps you release stress.

If you ever feel lonely, they can even be your companion. Dogs can make you feel like you have someone with you and support you. These animals give you love and care. Dog owners say that animals give them a sense of purpose during hard times.

They can help you be more productive. The American Heart Association shows a study that says pets in the workplace help reduce stress. The reduction of stress that the feeling of being ready makes it so that you can focus.

Creating a route can help many people. Dogs can help create a routine and make it so you have something to do every day, and keep yourself organized.

Overall, dogs are very helpful to have. They can reduce negative feelings.

By: Christina Miller

Many of us use AI in our daily lives without even noticing. Whenever you use your GPS, you are using AI to show you directions. Using that type of AI can be helpful and isn’t the worst thing about AI. But AI can result in harmful things.  

People are using generative AI in harmful and potentially dangerous ways. You can make many images and texts that seem very real. It can cause bad situations. 

AI can make images. Others can use it to make deep fake videos of real people. For example, what if someone sends you a message saying that they will leak a video of you that isn’t even real but looks very believable? It can cause scenarios like this to happen, which isn’t safe for people online.

Many predators online can also use this feature to make inappropriate deepfakes of minors and adults. It can destroy privacy and could lead to consequences. This can make others feel sad and violated. 

There is a thing called AI “art” which isn’t really art. All you have to do is ask the AI to generate an image that looks presentable. AI has been causing artists to run short on money because people are starting to use AI, as on some sites, it’s free to make an image. Real art has emotion that an AI can not replace. I recommend people commission artists instead of having AI make it for you. 

On the topic of artists losing their jobs, you could lose yours, too. Many fast food restaurants are using AI to take your orders. This can take many jobs. Some people may not be able to get jobs because of AI replacing employees. For instance, what if you worked as a cashier and were getting paid enough to make ends meet until an AI came in and took your job away? AI taking jobs could have negative effects on the economy. 

Generating content with AI can also lead to plagiarism. AI takes from the internet, like the way someone writes. So you could be copying someone without even knowing it by using generative AI.

When you use AI to generate text, it can also lead to misinformation. As said earlier, it takes from all around the internet, and even things that might be rumors and not confirmed. AI can spread this misinformation, making others think it’s real. 

Using AI doesn’t really allow us to think. All you have to do is put in a prompt and generate it with no brain power. Many in the younger generation have become less intelligent because of this. It takes away our creativity and thoughts. AI doesn’t have the raw emotion we humans have. 

Generating prompts for AI uses up water. This causes more pollution than we already have (which is a lot). Houses by AI servers are losing clean water due to the terrible pollution. Each time you enter a prompt, it wastes about one bottle. Per day, AI uses gallons of water. The water is used for cooling the AI systems.

Overall, we shouldn’t be using AI anymore to protect ourselves and the environment around us. Without AI, we can have more creativity and rely less on technology. AI will destroy humanity if we don’t get rid of it from our lives soon. 

By: Allison Ambuehl

Imagine waking up in the middle of the night and realizing you cannot move at all. You try to speak or lift your arm, but your body will not respond. Some people even feel like someone is watching them or sitting on their chest. This experience is called sleep paralysis, and while it sounds like something out of a horror movie, it is a real sleep condition that many people experience.

Sleep paralysis happens when a person wakes up while their body is still in the stage of sleep called REM. During REM sleep, the brain keeps the body from moving so that you won’t act out your dreams. However, if someone wakes up before the stage fully ends, their mind can be awake while their body is still temporarily paralyzed. This can last anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes. One of the scariest parts of sleep paralysis is that some people hallucinate during it. They might see dark figures in their room, hear footsteps or feel pressure on their chest that make it harder for them to breathe. Because of these experiences, sleep paralysis has been connected to ghost stories and supernatural beliefs in different cultures throughout history in the past. Some people believed they were being visited by spirits or demons during these episodes.

Even though it feels terrifying, sleep paralysis is usually not dangerous. According to sleep experts it can happen to anyone, however it is more common in teenagers and young adults. It can be triggered by things like stress, lack of sleep, anxiety, or irregular sleep schedules. Students who stay up extremely late, pull all nighters, or constantly change their sleep schedule are like more likely to experience it. Sleep experts say there are ways to reduce the chance of having sleep paralysis, such as keeping a healthy and regular sleep schedule, getting enough sleep every night, and trying to manage stress. Avoiding screens right before bed and creating a relaxing bedtime routine can also help improve sleep quality.

Although sleep paralysis can feel extremely real and frightening, understanding what it is can make it less scary. Knowing that the experience is temporary and harmless can help people stay calm if it happens to them. Sleep paralysis shows how powerful the brain can be during sleep, even though it may only last a brief time, it can leave a strong lasting impression on anyone who experiences it. For many people, it is one of the strangest and most unforgettable sleep experiences they will ever have.