Features

<p>For Kylie Sprott, a first-year St. Thomas University student, the last day of 2020 didn’t feel like New Year’s Eve. “Our family puts on an annual Sequence [board game] tournament and we invite all our friends over to our camp,” said Sprott. “This year we kept it with just the family because of COVID-19. We [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The change came so quietly, that I initially missed the announcement on the City of Fredericton’s website: “Accessible Transit will be available beginning October 1, 2020 on all busses.” I’m just reading it now, and it’s December — my fault for not staying up-to-date on this pivotal issue. I suppose I should be having an equally [&hellip;]</p>

<p>With the anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic growing closer, students at St. Thomas University are excited to see people finally getting the new vaccine.   Hillary Jones, a Bachelor of Social Work student at STU, said she will be getting the vaccine as soon as possible. “I am hyped for this friggin&#8217; vaccine. But I&#8217;m also [&hellip;]</p>

<p>As a professional chef and father of three, Yves Dechaine believes there is “always” time for students to prepare a home-cooked meal.  Dechaine, who works as the executive chef and learning kitchen manager with the Greener Village food bank, said students should try cooking together. He said students can save more money by grocery shopping [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Harry Styles marks the first man to appear alone on the cover of Vogue. The December issue of the magazine showed the English singer-songwriter wearing a light blue lace dress with a black blazer. The cover sparked controversy, with some praising Styles for defying gender norms while others saying his style makes him less masculine. [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Is thrift shopping a fun, cost-effective way to stay stylish and avoid supporting fast fashion, or is it causing gentrification and price increases in stores that low-income and homeless populations rely on for their clothing? The topic has been ravaged with debate since thrifting became a popular pastime, where before it was done by people [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Rising cases coupled with the collapse of the Atlantic bubble has the New Brunswick government encouraging everyone to stay inside. But staying home poses a threat to local businesses relying on Christmas shopping revenue. With Fredericton&#8217;s return to the orange phase on Nov. 27, many local businesses rely on curb-side pick-up and delivery, including Backstreet [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Christmas is approaching and if you’re anything like me, you didn’t save any CERB from over the summer and now you can’t spoil your loved ones with beautiful sculptures handcrafted by an artist in the south of Italy. Don’t fear, I’m here to help you find the best Christmas gift.  “Crafts” My friends and family [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Sawyer Hannay walks onto the set of CBC&#8217;s Dragon&#8217;s Den. He wears a red and black plaid shirt with his company logo of Country Liberty on the bottom left, next to his hip. Standing in front of some of the world&#8217;s richest entrepreneurs, he makes his pitch — $150,000 for 10 per cent of his company. Country [&hellip;]</p>

<p>As I roll over in bed, an eager toddler climbs on top of me and yells  “mommy it’s wake up time!”  I moan as I use all my effort to drag my body out of bed. My eleven-month-old golden retriever whimpers by the back door, begging to go outside. After putting him on his leash, [&hellip;]</p>

<p>I remember as a kid, I&#8217;d watch Rick Steves Europe with my dad and think, “Damn, Cape Breton kinda sucks.” While Steves travelled around Europe, I was in Sydney, Nova Scotia with no idea of what I was going to do with my life. The only thing I knew was I was getting the hell [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Mary Baker, a fourth-year English major at St. Thomas University, said she was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in the summer of 2018. Baker said she isn&#8217;t diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder, but she does agree that her symptoms worsen during the winter. “It snows and then it stays for weeks. It&#8217;s the most annoying [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Human dignity and human rights are essential realities in Pope Francis’ view. In a new encyclical addressed in October, Pope Francis made a heartfelt plea for the notion of universal brotherhood and sisterhood, even of universal friendship. But he said a just society requires a more personal commitment. We must see others, not only as rights-bearing [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Juan Diego Rivas said he remembers landing in Fredericton from Ecuador for the first time three years ago. He was two weeks late, a chain of bureaucracy had delayed his arrival, he missed his welcome week and had to take the shuttle from the airport alone. One week earlier, his father had been diagnosed with [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Andrew Klein, a Catholic studies professor at St. Thomas University, said Pope Francis&#8217; recent comments on homosexuality in the documentary, Francesco, are advocating for social inclusion and a way of creating conversation in the church. In the documentary, Francis said, “Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God.” “Past [&hellip;]</p>

<p>I’m an awkward potato. I try to avoid speaking to my crush in public because my brain shuts down. I start speaking in broken English and I can’t meet his eyes. Any chance at a relationship crash and burns.  With COVID, dating apps became less about meeting up as soon as possible and more about [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Social media has changed the way news travels. Videos of the Black Lives Matter protests flooded TikTok and videos of the fishing protests in Nova Scotia went viral on Facebook, all before mainstream media covered the events. Heather MacLean, a communications and public policy professor at St. Thomas University, said the ability to spread information through [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Shona Newton, the owner of the Purrfect Cup cat café, said their adoption rates for stray cats have increased since the pandemic began. Usually, she has a hard time finding homes for the cats, but this time it&#8217;s different. &#8220;Literally the week that we reopened after COVID, [the cats] got adopted,” said Newton. Adoption experience differs [&hellip;]</p>

<p>When Melissa Peña, a third-year economics and business major at St. Thomas University, came from Guayaquil, Ecuador, she said she didn&#8217;t know how difficult it would be to pay tuition and find affordable housing off-campus.  To help pay the bills, Peña started her own business in the middle of the pandemic, MelQui Desserts, where she [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Saturday morning I woke up with a pain in my jaw that I have been experiencing for a few days. After taking an Advil I got on with my morning and drove to the house of physic medium  Shianne Doucette.  When I arrived at Doucette’s, she welcomed me in and let me get comfortable on [&hellip;]</p>