Pesto Pazzaz
By Hailey Kearns
     Waddling into the spotlight of fame, Pesto the Penguin, a baby king penguin from Melbournes Sea Life Aquarim, recently went extremely viral on TikTok. Known for being adorably oversized, Pesto was born on January 20, 2024, and became famous as the largest ever recorded at the aquarium, weighing nearly 50 pounds at his peak. For comparison, most king penguins weigh around 21-38 pounds (ASOC). Thus, his fame rapidly grew as more and more fans from across the web learned about his infamous appearance. 

Philippine Storms 
By Weston Kelly
     As of November 12, 2024, four tropical storms inhabits the Pacific Ocean from Guam to Vietnam, posing a major threat to the Phillippines. The rare occurrence of four simultaneous named storms has only happened a handful of times—most recently seven years ago. Most likely increasing in frequency due to climate change, the weather events in the Asian seas have ravaged the Philippine coasts this year.
     Already in place, recovery efforts have accelerated the spending of the Philippine government. 

Chonkus: The Climate Change Fighting Cyanobacteria
By Lily Bourne
     Researchers have long attempted to utilize living organisms in hopes of sequestering carbon dioxide, a harmful greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere. Front-runners in this scientific race, cyanobacteria are aquatic organisms that gain energy via oxygenic photosynthesis, meaning they suck up carbon dioxide to produce food. 
     However, unlike previous candidates, a new discovery seems to be outperforming all expectations. 

The Bus Ride of Hope  
By Sophia Doan 
Recently, a beloved Kentucky bus driver helped financially aid a first grader to be able to dress up for pajama day. Larry Farish Jr., a driver usually affectionately referred to by the kids as “Mr. Larry” said that when he picked up Levi, a usually cheerful student, he was crying. Farish Jr., asked him what was wrong as Levi sat away from all of his usual friends. Levi told him that he didn’t own any pajamas for the school dress up day, and that his family could not afford them.