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Opelika Gets Ready for Christmas

By Theadoris Morris/ Staff Writer | November 13

Welcoming the Christmas season early, Opelika Main Street and Downtown Merchants held its annual Christmas Open House, Sunday.The event has been celebrated for about 10 years as a way to bring people downtown and support the small business, said Velinda Wheels, director of the event.The open house was from 1 p.m.

Knology Cable Company Commits to Auburn

By Max Newfield / Staff Writer | November 12

Auburn residents will have more choices than just what to watch when it comes to their cable.The Auburn City Council passed an ordinance granting Knology of Alabama, Inc. a non-exclusive cable franchise Nov.

REMEMBERING THE BERLIN WALL: Former East Berliners Have Fond Memories of Growing Up Behind the Wall

By Samuel Solomon/ Associate News Editor | November 12

"The wall was there and we lived with it," said Anja Werth, an Auburn professor in German. "We didn't know anything else."Werth grew up in East Germany, also known as the German Democratic Republic."I knew there was another Germany somewhere, but you never really thought about it," Werth said.Werth said she remembers enjoying school, playing games after school and having a happy childhood.Her family lived in a private apartment in a hotel, because her father worked for the government in the hotel business.People were not starving, but there were fewer brands of food.

Internet Instigates, Energizes Brain

By Brian Desarro/ Staff Writer | November 12

Turns out spending all day searching Facebook and YouTube may not be such a waste of time, according to a UCLA study.The study, which worked with 24 neurologically normal volunteers between the ages of 55 and 78, found Internet use stimulates neural activity and may enhance brain function in older adults."Basically, we wanted to see what the brain looked like the first time it searched online," said Gary Small, professor of clinical psychiatry at UCLA.

Ceremony Celebrates Veterans

By Rod Guajardo / PHOTO EDITOR | November 12

Auburn held its 10th annual Veteran's Day Ceremony yesterday at the Auburn Veteran's Memorial Monument on the corner of Ross Street and Glenn Avenue.The ceremony included music from the Drake Middle School Mixed Choir and bagpiper Dan Drummond, a memorial wreath laying, remarks from Mayor Bill Hamm Jr.

Budget Cuts Will Not Affect Classes at Auburn

By Lindsey Grubbs/ Staff Writer | November 12

An article by the Associated Press claims universities are facing budget reductions that ultimately cause courses to be cut and teachers to be laid off, making it harder for students to graduate.However, University officials assert this is not a problem at Auburn."I would like to give credit to our budgeting office to make sure that we are physically sound," said Mike Reynolds, director of student financial services.

Study Predicts PACT May Run Out in 10 Years

By Adam Smith / STAFF WRITER | November 12

An August 2009 study by the Retirement Systems of Alabama concluded if people with Prepaid Affordable College Tuition accounts were paid full benefits, the funds would be depleted by 2016 if the economy continues as predicted.However, the study said the funds could be depleted as early as 2014.Established in 1990, the PACT program promised benefits to all account holders through 2032.There are currently more than 45,000 account holders, and almost 20,000 are eligible to use the benefits.The most recent actuarial study showed the liabilities for the program are $917 million, and the assets are only $571 million, which leaves a $345 million deficit.Liabilities refer to how much money PACT needs to operate."An actuarial report is a snapshot of a situation where you are measuring assets and liabilities on a given day," said Alabama State Treasurer Kay Ivey.Ivey said on any given day the fund could pay for only 62 percent of students with its current assets."There will never be enough money in this moment to provide for tuition for all of those students without some kind of funding mechanism to pay the tuition over the short time until the corpus of $571 million can grow when the market grows," Ivey said.PACT was pioneered in 1990 by Lt.

REMEMBERING THE BERLIN WALL: Relations Between the U.S., and U.S.S.R., Almost Escalated to a Nuclear Exchange

By Samuel Solomon/ Associate News Editor | November 12

"People don't really understand, but we came within hours, we came within hours of a full nuclear exchange with the Russians," said Paul Harris, who was in the 3rd U.S.

Plainsman Names Jack Smith New General Manager

By Ellison Langford / News Editor | November 12

After three separate searches and a number of applicants, The Auburn Plainsman has a new general manager.Jack Smith started work Monday, Nov.

WWII book author visits Auburn

By Aubrie Davis/ Staff Writer | November 12

Thursday afternoon, Pulitzer Prize nominated author Jack Sacco spoke at the Auburn Public Library. Sacco spoke to promote his book, "Where the Birds Never Sing."Sacco, a native of Birmingham, has traveled around the world to endorse his book. He said he was invited to Vienna to speak in front of the royal family."Where the Birds Never Sing" tells the true story of an American liberator in World War II. The story told through the eyes of his father, Joe Sacco, who spent his time at the Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany. Sacco served his country and is responsible for the freeing of Holocaust prisoners. Sacco said his friends encouraged him to write the book.

University student struck on Magnolia Avenue

By Ellison Langford / News Editor | November 9

Drunken driving was behind the car accident that sent a University student to Columbus Regional Medical Center Friday night, according to police officials.Shouju Chen, 35, one of the University's visiting exchange scholars, received life-threatening injuries after she was struck by Thomas Latham, a pre-business sophomore.

UPDATE: Woman struck by SUV in front of Arby's

By Ellison Langford / News Editor | November 7

A woman was struck by a green Toyota 4runner with an Alabama license plate in front of Arby's on Magnolia Avenue Friday night.

Auburn Fails in Sex Health, Places 119 out of 141 Schools

By Joey Clark / STAFF WRITER | November 5

Auburn University ranked 119 out of 141 colleges and universities across the nation in Trojan's annual Sexual Health Report Card.

Barbie Receives Ethnic Makeover

By Lindsey Rogers / STAFF WRITER | November 5

Mattel has launched a new black Barbie doll line in an attempt to make the doll's appearance a more realistic representation of a black woman.The "So In Style" dolls were made to celebrate the diversity of black girls and send a positive message, according to a Barbie Media press release.Although the new doll's aesthetics have roused some controversy, there are those who agree the new line is a positive change for the Barbie Industry.The dolls feature fuller lips, a wider nose, more distinctive cheek bones and curlier hair than the previous "Christie" doll."The 'So In Style' line features 'Grace,' 'Kara' and 'Trichelle' dolls," according to the Barbie Media press release.

High Schools to Serve Healthier Food

By Aubrie Davis/ Staff Writer | November 5

The results of a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2002 through 2008 said more schools in the U.S.

Alabama MADD Chapter Gets Help

By Samuel Solomon/ Associate News Editor | November 5

Alabama Mothers Against Drunk Driving received a $27,645 grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs to aid victims of drunken drivers in Alabama."We're just excited that we have received funding to keep our services at no charge to victims," said Peggy Batey, executive director for Alabama MADD.An estimated 11,773 people died in vehicle crashes involving intoxicated drivers in 2008, according to MADD's Web site.That represents 31.6 percent of all driving-related fatalities over that period."(The grant) is strictly used to provide services at no cost to victims of drunk driving crashes," Batey said.More specifically, the funds will go to services such as payment for parole hearings, access to important resources, travel for MADD representatives and the organizations 24-hour hotline, 1-877-MADD-HELP."Victims of drunken drivers and the families of victims often face a long and hard recovery," Gov.

Christmas Comes Early to Auburn

By Amber McDonnell / STAFF WRITER | November 5

Auburn Arts Association is planning an exhibition called "ArTrees" in December.The exhibition will feature Christmas trees decorated by Auburn residents and artists.The Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center on Drake Avenue is making artificial trees approximately 2-feet tall available for free now to those who want to decorate the trees."We are hoping to make this an annual event that will become one of our more popular shows," said Sara Hand, cultural arts director for the Auburn Parks and Recreation Department.

Violence Against Women Increases on TV

By Adam Smith / STAFF WRITER | November 5

A study by the Parents Television Council found that TV violence against women has increased by 120 percent since 2004, while TV violence in general has only increased 2 percent during the same time period.PTC analysts reviewed hundreds of hours of videotapes, observing trends in prime-time television from February 2004 to May 2009.Most major networks, such as CBS, NBC and Fox, showed dramatic increase in violence against women, 92 percent of which was graphically depicted instead of described or implied.ABC was the only network that did not show a significant increase in violence against women during the last five years.Although most female victims were adults, the depiction of teen girls as victims increased 400 percent on all networks.Melissa Henson, PTC's senior director of programs, said she thinks these findings were unsurprising."We did a study from 1998 to 2006 that showed there had already been a huge jump in violence on TV," Henson said.Henson said she thinks the sudden increase in violence could be the result of a general migration of TV programs away from the traditional 30-minute shows toward longer-lasting, higher-intensity reality shows and dramas.Advances in technology and special effects make it more appealing to implement violence into TV shows, Henson said."They are including more violence because they're able to take advantage of these technologies," Henson said.