By: Rut Labrada, Arts & Entertainment Editor The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners announced at a regular meeting on Oct. 27 that an ordinance draft will be released Nov. 2 following the ending of the 60-day moratorium on applications to build artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. Many Lowndes residents still feel skeptical, however, and the issue has continued to incite ...

By: Faith Forster Managing Editor and Graphics Editor   On Feb. 3, 1870, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. It stated: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”   Though the language ...

By: Rut Labrada, Arts & Entertainment Editor    The mayor of Valdosta shared plans to allocate $24 million to increase foot traffic downtown among other topics at a press conference with journalism students on Oct. 8.  According to Mayor Scott James Matheson, he has big projects in store for the city of Valdosta in the coming years.  The improvements to ...

By: Faith Forster Managing and Graphics Editor Have you ever wondered why our nation’s two largest representatives have the most ridiculous animals as their mascot? To begin, we have to go back to 1828, the year of Andrew Jacksons second run for presidency.   During this run most of his opponents called him a “jackass.”. Typical of Jackson’s wild nature,, he ...

By: Demaya Sawyer, Staff Writer Valdosta State University’s campus bookstore is getting a new look and a new name after the university’s contract with Barnes & Noble ended. The store will reopen as VSU’s “Spirit Shop,” focusing on merchandise and a self-checkout market instead of selling textbooks in person. Alandria Steele, the current Barnes & Noble store manager, said she ...

Taylor LeMay, Staff Writer As the 2026 midterm gets closer, international conflicts, voter turnout, and emerging political issues could influence the outcome, according to Valdosta State University political science professors Dr. Bernard Tamas and Dr. Michael Baun. Both professors discussed the potential impacts and effects on American politics, including how voter attitudes toward the Trump administration and international developments could ...

By Armone’ Gates, Editor-in-Chief   The provost position at VSU is changing hands. President Green is currently identifying who will serve as the new interim provost for the Spring semester of 2027, until a permanent replacement is appointed. Dr. Dana Nichols was announced as the new interim provost at the Faculty Senate in September for the VSU Spring of 2027 semester. ...

By Rut Labrada, Arts and Entertainment Editor A new immigration policy restricting duration of stay for international students has sparked concern among VSU students and community members. The policy, enforced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), went into effect on Sept. 15, affecting all universities in the country. According to the DHS, the new policy seeks to end the ...

 By: Ailyn Quiroz Staff Writer The Student Government Association (SGA) talked about how scooters are affecting VSU campus at its first general meeting of the semester on Sept. 14.  Scooters was a hot topic for the organization, specifically the damage they often cause.   “The University System of Georgia (USG) were getting a lot of reports from universities overall of ...

Megan Callahan, Campus Life and News Editor  On Wednesday, Tropical Storm Isais was in the waters of eastern New Mexico. According to Associated Press, forecasters predicted, “it will strengthen into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season before striking the U.S. Gulf Coast.”  So far, the maximum sustained winds were 65 mph (100 km) and was moving east-northeast at 8 ...