The Smoke Signal

By Staff Writers Evangeline Chang & Helen Wang

Local News — FUSD Partners with Peachjar to Distribute Flyers Electronically
In an effort to be more eco-friendly, FUSD has partnered with Peachjar to create digital flyers, as opposed to printed ones. Peachjar is an e-flyer system that sends out digital flyers, updates, and other important shared information to parents. Starting on October 3, FUSD will use Peachjar to create digital flyers that will be emailed to parents. Parents can also register their students for sports teams, programs, and other events with one convenient click. Although it costs a fee for community partners to distribute these digital flyers to the FUSD community, this method is still much cheaper than printed flyers.

National — Seven Species of Bees Labeled as Endangered
Seven species of yellow-faced bees found in Hawaii were added to the endangered species list and are the first bees to be classified as an endangered species. Due to urbanization, nonnative species, and natural events, species that were once thriving in various locations in Hawaii have slowly become restricted to 15 areas, with two species only found in one specific location. The endangered species status allows the government to provide funding to aid the recovery of these bees.

International News — Colombian Peace Deal Rejected
A Colombian peace deal between Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia signed on September 26 was recently overturned in a referendum. More than 50 percent Colombians rejected it, leaving the country in turmoil over the 52-year war that killed more than 25,000 people and led to countless acts of violence.  After the referendum was overturned, Santos has been pushing to reform the peace deal to satisfy the people going against it and working to bring the citizens of Colombia together for unity and peace.

Quirky — Edie Simms Arrested to Fulfill a Bucket Wish
Edie Simms, a 102-year-old Missouri woman, was arrested to fulfill one of her bucket list wishes. Years prior to the fulfillment of her request, Simms had been donating handmade clothes and other items to St. Louis’ Five Star Senior Center. The center’s residents were very grateful for her gifts, and wanted to do something for Simms in return. They worked together with the police to make her bucket list wish a reality. Despite the odd request, police officers were glad to help and arrested her for no reason other than that she wanted to be. Simms even said she was very happy with her ride in a real police car in handcuffs. St. Louis Police Sergeant, John McLaughlin, said, “We [loved] it and we [got] more out of it than the seniors [did].”

Photos Courtesy Launch Theory, Waking Times, World Bulletin News, & ABC News