MARCH 28, 1999

Full News Archive

• Headline: Princeton's Controversial Superintendent Selection. Impact: The selection of Richard P Marasco as interim superintendent sparked a series of public outcries that led to a nationwide trend of people actually caring about who runs their schools. Who knew education could be so controversial?. Fact: Did you know that the most common response to any school board meeting is still 'Can we just get back to discussing pizza day?'.
• Headline: Cost Variability in New Jersey Education. Impact: The revelation of spending disparities among school districts led to an existential crisis in educational funding, causing future policymakers to think twice before allocating resources based on arbitrary lines on a map. Spoiler: they still haven’t figured it out.. Fact: Fun fact: The average cost of educating a pupil is like a mystery box; you never know what you're going to get. Sometimes it's textbooks, sometimes it's just a very large bill..
• Headline: How Mega Can a Mall Be?; Roosevelt Field, 3.3 Million Square Feet, Wants to Expand. Some Think It's Too Big Already.. Impact: The debate over the expansion of Roosevelt Field shopping center set off a domino effect where every mall in America suddenly thought they could also just keep getting bigger. Because who needs green space when you can have another shoe store?. Fact: Did you know that the average American now spends more time in malls than in nature? Who needs fresh air when you have a 24-hour food court?.
• Headline: Lucienne Bloch, Muralist, Is Dead at 90. Impact: Lucienne Bloch's passing marked the end of an era for public art, leading to a sudden and dramatic increase in the number of Instagram accounts dedicated to murals. Legacy lives on, but now with hashtags.. Fact: Lucienne's photographs of Diego Rivera's work are considered some of the most important art history documents, primarily because they survived the 'Instagram filter' era..
• Headline: Tuberculosis Cases Drop To a Low in the 90's. Impact: The drop in tuberculosis cases served as a wake-up call for public health, igniting a frenzy of health campaigns that, ironically, led to an uptick in people Googling their symptoms and convincing themselves they had every disease imaginable.. Fact: Did you know that TB was once so common it had its own romanticized image? You know, the frail beauty with a cough who just needed a nice rest in the Alps..
• Headline: Orioles Will Be Taking a Look At the Best Cuba Has to Offer. Impact: The Orioles' interest in Cuban players opened the floodgates for MLB teams to scout internationally, resulting in a future where players are now more likely to be from the Caribbean than from a small American town. Who knew geography could be so beneficial?. Fact: Did you know that before this, most teams thought scouting was just looking for ‘the tallest guy on the field’?.
• Headline: A Career Explaining Dead to the Living. Impact: Dr. Leslie Lukash's legacy as a medical examiner sparked a newfound respect for the profession, bringing about a wave of true crime enthusiasts who now think they could do his job with just a few episodes of ‘CSI’ under their belts.. Fact: Did you know that being a medical examiner involves a lot more paperwork than solving crimes? Not quite the glamorous life portrayed on TV!.
• Headline: A Bit of Nerve, and Plenty of Pleases. Impact: Joan Chatfield-Taylor’s attempts to learn Russian during her Moscow trip resulted in a long-standing stereotype that all Americans are terrible at foreign languages—much to the delight of international audiences.. Fact: Fun fact: The only thing harder than learning Russian is trying to pronounce 'Vodka' after a few shots of it..