By: Holly Hodges
In campus news, Appalachian State University administrators and guests celebrated Founder’s Day Friday at Founders Plaza for the fourth consecutive year. This marks 122 years since App State was founded, as reported by The Appalachian. Chancellor Sheri Everts spoke at the event addressing her hopes for the future of App State. ClimaACT members attended the event and peacefully protested with signs requesting that the university take action for climate change.
In local news, the Watauga Democrat reports peak week for leaves to change colors is fast approaching in the High Country. Appalachian State University professor Howard Neufeld predicts that the best time to view fall foliage will be in mid-October. Professor Neufeld predicts peak week using elevation and temperature as indicators for when leaves change colors. If you happen to miss peak week, you can still spot the beautiful colors during the peak season which lasts about a month. According to Professor Neufeld, the best time to catch the leaves turning colors is in the early hours of the morning.
In national news, former president of Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards, told the Associated Press that Texas’ new restrictive abortion law would “have outlined a roadmap for other Republican governors to follow suit.” The new law restricts abortions once cardiac activity is detected during the sixth week of pregnancy which is before some know they’re pregnant. Opponents of the law have called it the “nation’s biggest curb” to abortion rights since the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade. The 1973 verdict established a nationwide right to have an abortion at any point before the fetus can survive outside the womb. Abortion clinics in surrounding states are being flooded with a demand for their services and are struggling to to meet them. The Justice Department is suing Texas in a federal suit claiming the law was “enacted in open defiance of the constitution.”
This morning’s weather comes from BooneWeather.com. Today, be sure to be careful when driving, as fog and scattered showers are expected to make their way through the High Country this afternoon and overnight. Today’s high will be 68 degrees and the low is 59 degrees.