Author: Michelle Mirelez

Community

County offers tips for Halloween safety

Michelle Mirelez

With upcoming festivities for Halloween, the Nueces County Public Health District wants the community to continue to practice social distancing precautions. While the district recommends decreasing the risk of exposure by staying at home and enjoying activities with family and friends it also shared the following tips for those who are planning a night out. The district suggests wearing a mask, and not just a Halloween mask, to help protect those who are not able to receive the vaccine. Remember to continue social distancing as well as avoid crowded gatherings. Continue sanitizing your hands, especially between trick or treating. If…

Campus

Enrollment down 2.3% from last fall; credit hours up

Michelle Mirelez

Board of Regents also hears about plans for new police department building  The Board of Regents learned of the latest enrollments numbers at its Oct. 5 meeting. There are 10,401 students registered this fall, down 2.3 percent from fall 2020, which had 10,678 students. One likely cause of the drop, officials said, is that the fall 2021 semester began at the height of the COVID-19 delta variant.  Even though the number of students was down the college credit hours were up 4.6% from last fall, enrollment figured showed. “It’s significant to point out that contact hours are up from fall…

Entertainment

‘Venom’ sequel heavy on dialogue but good

Michelle Mirelez

Eddie Brock and his symbiote make a comeback in their comedic sequel “Venom: Let there be Carnage.”  Brock (played by Tom Hardy) is still being investigated for the duo’s suspected crimes from the last film. Brock tries to keep Venom on a low profile, meaning no more decapitations till the heat is off, but he can’t seem to get through to him, causing a rift between the two just before we get to the main plot when Carnage wreaks havoc in San Francisco. I enjoyed most aspects of this film, except for the constant relationship banter between many of the…

Campus

White Library undergoes renovations

Michelle Mirelez

Resources still available to students, faculty, just in different locations The William F. White Library, located at Heritage Campus, has closed its doors for renovations. The “down-to-the-bones” renovations could take as long as two years, according to librarian Alan Berecka.  Students will still be able to use library resources but in different locations while the work is completed.  The library was originally built as a two-story building in 1976, with its structure built to support three to five floors in all. The third through fifth floors were completed in 1979, although the fifth floor wasn’t used until 1998. “With the…

Campus

License still required to carry gun on campus

Michelle Mirelez

House Bill 1927, which allows for the permitless carry of a handgun for people 21 and older, went into effect on Sept. 1, meaning people without a License to Carry may now carry in Texas if they meet certain requirements. However, the new law does not apply to college campuses. In 2015, Senate Bill 11 set a requirement for all public colleges to allow licensed individuals to carry on campus property concealed, with the exception of some locations on campus where weapons are still prohibited. HB 1927 allows Texans to carry openly or concealed unless they have been convicted of…