Fire in the fire lane

The smoking ruins of the fire line - photo provided by Mark Feickert, exclusive to the Examiner

Today at 12:42 PM a fire broke out in the gutter in front of the Student Services building. Mark Feickert, a sheriff at AVC said that “it was caused by a lit cigarette butt falling in the gutter.” The combination of high winds and debris from plants likely contributed to the flames, the fire ran for about 20 feet of the gutter. Ironically it was all within the bounds of the fire line. The person who threw the cigarette butt was not identified.

-by Joshua Sanchez

Antelope Valley College celebrates tolerance

Holocaust Remembrance Day was held in the student lounge this afternoon. The event focused on moments of racial intolerance in history. The Holocaust was the main focus of the event; most of the information boards that lined the lounge were of the numerous and varied crimes that the Nazi regime committed in World War Two.

This is not to say that the Holocaust was the only example of hate crime given; there was information on the life and death of note worthy individuals such as Doctor Martin Luther King Jr., Mohandas Gandhi, and Malcolm X.
Several boards also shed light on lesser-known Genocides: the genocide of Armenians by the Turks was a good example of this.

The movie, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” was screened, as was “Secret Lives” and “Into the Arms of Strangers”, both documentaries about the Holocaust.

-by Josh Sanchez

FEATURES: Hairspray to open tonight at Arbor Court Community Theater

Starting tonight, It’s Only Tuesday Productions will stage the musical “Hairspray” at the Arbor Court Community Theater in Lancaster.

The hit Broadway show about social differences and tolerance in the 1960s has never been produced in the Antelope Valley before. Hairspray is the first musical that director Elijah Hargreaves has directed.

“The biggest challenges have been making sure that what the playwright wanted is what is being portrayed on the stage,” Hargreaves said.

The musical, set in 1962 Baltimore, follows the adventures of Tracy Turnblad, a plump, good-natured teenager who dreams of dancing on the hip, teen-oriented Corny Collins Show.
When Tracy’s dream becomes a reality and she skyrockets to fame, she must also learn how to fight back against the social injustices of the 1960s.

“Hairspray is all about segregation,” said Erin Berry, who plays Tracy in some performances. “It’s all about social status, too.”

“It’s about a girl who happens to be fat,” said Michelle Piccirillo Hargreaves, who also plays Tracy. “She has really big dreams and everyone around her tries to push her down because of the way she looks.”

Tracy is helped by her also-plump mother, Edna (typically played by a man in drag), Wilbur, her kooky, joke store owning father, teen heartthrob Link, sensational African-American singer and dancer Seaweed, Seaweed’s mother Motormouth Maybelle and dim but trusty best friend Penny.

Standing in Tracy’s way is the mother-daughter duo of Velma and Amber Von Tussle. Velma is the producer of The Corny Collins Show, where daughter Amber is the lead female dancer. Amber also vies for Link’s attention with Tracy.

It’s Only Tuesday Productions is presenting “Hairspray” with two different casts on different nights.

The blue cast, which opens the run of the show tonight, features Michelle Piccirillo-Hargreaves, who also serves as the show’s choreographer, and Jacob Robison as characters Tracy and Link. Rebecca Fassbender and Amy Bullock play Penny and Amber.

“(The show) is full of energy,” said Amy Bullock. “It just makes you smile.”

In the red cast, Erin Berry and Mathew Clark play Tracy and Link, while Sarah Bayard and Shaynna Carr play Penny and Amber.

Appearing in both casts are Kiante Nitaljones as Seaweed, Ivy-Marie Simpson as Inez, Seaweed’s sister, Ayeasha Anglin as Motormouth Maybelle, mother of Seaweed and Inez, Elana Monaco as Velma Von Tussle, Shea Dittman as Corny Collins, David Negaard as Wilbur Turnblad and Wayne Berry as Edna Turnblad.

The blue cast of Hairspray performs April 21-23, May 5 and 13-14. The red cast performance dates are April 28-30, May 6-7 and 12. The show starts at 7 p.m.

The Arbor Court Community Theater is located at 858 W. Jackman St. in Lancaster. Tickets for Hairspray are $15, and can be purchased at the box office one hour prior to show time, by
telephone at 661-726-9355 and by email at iot.tickets@yahoo.com.

“The music is incredible, it’s touching, it’s explosive, it’s colorful, it’s like an extravaganza,” Jacob Robison said. “It’s definitely worth seeing.”

- Photo and story by Kevin Michael Kramer

FEATURES: Talent show success

The Marauder Music club held a talent contest Saturday evening in building FA3.

Hosted by music club member Isaac Grejeda, the talent contest featured ten performers from classical guitarists and pianists to rock duos. The contest even featured a belly dancing performance artist.

During the contest, music majors were thrilled to hear an announcement about the return of the Applied Music class which, according to club president Sara Rothenberg, hadn’t been offered since 2009 and is a requirement for an Associate in Arts Degree in Music.

Some highlights of the evening included a particularly soulful rendition of Florence and the Machine’s “Kiss With a Fist” by Melissa de Leon, original songs performed by the rock duo Why Portland? consisting of Kara McDonald and Frank Benitez.

More highlights included an impassioned performance of a Chopin piano piece by Juston Freeman and an energy packed performance of Billy Joel’s “Big Shot” and Elton John’s “Rocket Man” by Luis Echeverria that brought down the house before intermission.

The contest was judged by History of Rock instructor Nate Dillon, Stage Voice instructor Tina Herbeck, and Commercial Music Department advisor Michael McCully.

In a close battle for second place, Luis Echeverria edged out Alvan Robinson. Robinson, performing as AceTheeGreat, livened up the crowd with original rap songs as the final act of the evening.

The contest was won by Marlon Barnes and Brendan Johns. Johns sang and Barnes accompanied on guitar during the duo’s take on John Legend’s “Save Room” and Ginuwine’s “In These Jeans.”

The only drawback of the evening was the stuffy heat in the room, but an almost packed house would not be distracted from the great performances on the stage last Saturday night.

-photo and story by Kevin Michael Kramer

Did you attend the Poppy Festival?

Photo Courtesy: Abbey Fitting

-Check out our article on the Poppy Festival in next week's paper. Meanwhile, vote with our poll on the right column and have your opinion included in our Graduation Issue.

Are you all Poppy'd out?

Check out the Hi Desert Iris and Daylily Club's annual iris flower show and plant sale. The hours on Sunday are 11 am to 3 pm.

Step Up to Dance Dimensions

Backstage Amanda Berman (Left) and Dominic Bady (Right) prepare to give Dance Dimensions 2011 a makeover. The annual performance held at Lancaster Performing Arts Center, included dance from the jazz, modern, contemporary, ballet, hip-hop, and tap genres. Saturday, April 16 marked a new beginning for the Antelope Valley College students who participate in the performance as new members replace experienced members who have moved on.

NEWS: Alleged kidnapper arrested near Palmdale site

A Littlerock man was arrested Wednesday morning near the Antelope Valley College’s Palmdale site on suspicion of domestic violence, violation of an emergency protective order, assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, and false imprisonment.

The man, Shiloh Brummitt, 41, had allegedly kidnapped his wife at knifepoint Tuesday night and forced her to drive around with him as the two used their ATM cards to withdrawal money, according to an article in the Antelope Valley Press.

The arrest happened early Wednesday morning in the parking lot of the building that houses AVC’s Palmdale site. The ground floor of the building houses the Palmdale Mental Health Center, and is where the wife of Brummitt worked.

Also according to the Antelope Valley Press, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies, made the arrest after conducting a traffic stop on Brummitt’s vehicle. The deputies were alerted to the vehicle’s presence when a receptionist at the mental health center took a call from Brummitt’s wife, who said she was coming to the center to collect her personal belongings.

During the call, the receptionist overheard Brummitt threatening to crash the car into the health center. The receptionist then notified an Office of Public Safety officer, who then notified the sheriff’s station in Palmdale. Brummitt was taken into custody following the traffic stop without further incident.

-By Kevin Michael Kramer

Hands Across California

Join Antelope Valley College at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon, April 17, when Hands Across California will create a unified statewide spectacle illustrating the impact of community colleges. The event will join nearly all of the 112 community colleges in California in a vast statewide human line stretching from San Diego to Sacramento.

Register first here www.handsacrosscalifornia.org

WEATHER: Why the AV doesn't usually have to deal with fog

The Antelope Valley experiences different weather through the year but one particular aspect of weather that we don't usually see is fog.

Steven Adams, AVC professor explains that because the air in our valley tends to be warmer than the other side of the hills and the fog rolling over which in turn makes the air coming over the hills become absorbed into the air immediately. Adams shot the time lapse video above in order to demonstrate this concept to his weather and climate students.


-Video by Steven Adams
-Story by Russell S.

Town Hall Meeting 4/12/2011

Vice-president Deb Wallace was a key speaker at the all-campus budget meeting today in the Cafeteria. President J. Fisher also spoke (center, above); neither seems pleased with the choices available, though some in the audience wanted different outcomes..

-Check out Issue 3 coming out soon for more on the Layoffs

FEATURES: Nursing our wounds

Students interested in becoming a nurse or who want a career in the nursing field can benefit from the AVC Nursing Program, which is a combination of a classroom lecture and clinical experience in medical facilities. The lecture is in a classroom setting which involves instruction provided by the experienced nurses on the college’s nursing faculty. The clinical is hands-on experience where students go out into medical facilities and apply what they learned in the classroom.

With the experience gained from all this, nursing provides a variety of career options, including work in hospitals, medical offices, public health, home care and others. Here in the Antelope Valley, area hospitals are the primary employer for nurses.

Nursing students have an option to progress further in the Associate Degree Nursing Preceptorship Program offered through Corporate and Community Services. The purpose of this program is to provide opportunities to implement leadership and management skills, assist in developing skills in advance clinical practices and allows them to care for groups and individual patients in the clinical or outpatient community setting.

There are three directors over the AVC Nursing Program. One director Debra Dickinson has been teaching for the nursing program for 15 years and was also once a graduate from the program.

We talked to a few of the currently enrolled students and got their opinions about the program. We asked what they thought about the nursing program here at AVC. “I like the overall curriculum and it's very organized [...] they have all the materials needed,” said student Courtney Glantz. Jeremiah John, another student involved with the program, added that "it does a good job preparing for becoming a nurse, [...] I had to wait a full year to even get into the program."

The students enrolled in the nursing program all appear to find it to their liking and see it as extremely helpful in reaching their career goals. “I like the clinical,” said Esther Lopez, “the job is interesting, patients are funny, and you never know what you going to get.”

To complete the program it takes 2 years, after which you will receive an Associate of Science degree. Afterward, you can then take the state board and will be licensed upon passing.

-By Katrina Green

FEATURES: We only feel patriotic when aliens attack

‘Battle: Los Angeles’ is a film nostalgic of the war and action movies of the 90s. Oh, wait, were you looking for a solid sci-fi plot with great deep thinking and innovative writing? Sorry, this just isn’t the movie for you. Despite the claim that this is a sci-fi, adventure and thriller flick, it’s just not true. This movie belongs to its own sub-class of film, one that I like to call the ‘Patriotic Action movie’ (‘PatAct’ for short).

So is this ‘PatAct’ any good? To put it simply: yes it’s good, but only if you like explosions, yelling, shooting, and your country. Basically, that is just about every male between the ages of 16 and 40, and do they ever cater to that audience. Personally, I like it, but mostly that’s because I’m a gun nut and a big fan of the military. If you follow the tactical crowd, you’ll really like this movie.

Here come the spoilers. My recommendation is to go see this movie with the guys and go have fun at the local watering hole you prefer. Don’t worry, you wont forget much. Whatever you do, however, don’t make it a date movie with your girlfriend unless you have an awesome girlfriend with a shrapnel fetish.

I really hate how this movie opens up. The audience is abruptly tossed into a maelstrom of action and shaky camera work. It almost killed my hopes for this flick. Shaky cameras are the bane of my existence; though if used tactfully, I don’t have a problem with it. This movie uses the trick a bit too much, but not to where it’s intolerable. Anyway, the action of the first few scenes is suddenly slammed to a halt, probably because Jonathan Liebesman remembered that he needs to put a story in here to make the special effects matter. The major gripe is that you’re getting pumped up for the action just in time for it to jump back to 24 hours prior.

The characters are simple. The main character is the classic sergeant played by Aaron Eckhart, who is getting old and wants to retire. Of course, being the good protagonist that he is, he sticks around to keep the aliens from killing everyone.

How nice of him.

The story here is vapid at best: we’re given back story on a few other characters, but they don’t really serve a purpose other than cannon fodder. Fortunately it’s not such a bad thing because it is done really well, and you do feel for each marine that gets taken down. Any recent movie that can generate an emotional response from me gets a really good bump in my book. Particularly when measured in terms of patriotism and sadness without using bad or overused plot devices (I hate little kids in my war movie).

So what about our enemy? What about the aliens? What are their motives? Well, they like to shoot people. Oh, and apparently they like our water.

Go figure.

The movie's story is simple. The marines are sent into Santa Barbara to go to a police station and rescue civilians that are pinned down, for once by something besides dreadlocked street musicians. Another thing that really bugged me at this point was that they were walking down the street in such a tight friggin’ formation. I know I'm nitpicking here, but Jesus. No Marine would be caught dead in a formation that might resemble bowling pins.

Actually, they probably would die because of it.

After a nice fire-fight and losing a few good men, they get to their destination and rescue the remaining handful of survivors. It then becomes a race to get the ‘civies’ out of Santa Barbra before bombers flatten the area (see ‘The Rock’ or any other friggin’ Nicolas Cage movie). This is the end of the spoilers. I feel like if I tell you, I will ruin some of its awesomeness. So please, pretty please, go see the movie.

In summary, if ‘Aliens’ hooked up with ‘Black Hawk Down,’ ‘Battle: Los Angeles’ would be their kid.

Does this movie hold up to snuff? Yeah, I think it’s a good popcorn flick. If you want a deep complex ‘Star Trek’ style story, then this isn’t for you. Just wait for the next sci-fi movie to come around. As I said before, however, action, explosions, and patriotism are what you crave, then go and see ‘Battle Los Angeles.’

-by Josh Sanchez