thursday, jan. 16, 2025
celebrating 121 years
free
N • Ethics of AI
C • Big Fellas
S • Dropping dimes
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SU alum Ghael Fobes was honored as a Marshall Scholar as he dedicates himself to exploring AI ethics in journalism.
Antoine Smith and SU basketball center Eddie Lampkin Jr.’s Syracuse restaurant features a mystery beverage known as “Booty Sweat.”
Freshman point guard Olivia Schmitt thrived as a pass-first point guard at Do More Academy, leading to her SU commitment.
national
Los Angeles-based SU students reflect on wildfires
IsraelHamas war reaches ceasefire By Henry Daley
asst. news editor
By Duncan Green news editor
A
ndrea Magdaleno was at a friend’s house in the Altadena neighborhood of Los Angeles when the power went out. She had heard reports that day of 100 mile per hour winds in the mountains, but wasn’t particularly concerned. After losing power, Magdaleno received a phone call from her mother, who told her
that a wildfire was approaching their family’s apartment building, and many of their neighbors were beginning to evacuate. Magdaleno rushed to her car and found a tree had fallen on it amid the raging winds. She managed to free the vehicle from the wreckage and began the precarious journey home as power lines broke free and crashed to the pavement around her. That night, the family decided to remain in their apartment. Around midnight,
sparks began to land around the building, and Magdaleno and her sister knew they needed to leave. After waking up their parents and convincing their cat to get into its carrier, her family evacuated their home and fled to her aunt’s house. By early morning, the Magdaleno’s apartment building was reduced to ashes. But the SU senior didn’t know that her home was gone until it appeared on the news the next morning.
LA has seen as many as seven simultaneous wildfires, with some covering thousands of acres.
see wildfires page 4
courtesy of andrea magdaleno
Negotiators from five different nations reached a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday. The agreement is set to last six weeks, starting with the release of hostages beginning Sunday, and would end the 15-month conflict. The framework of the deal is similar to one President Joe Biden revealed in late May, which proposed that Hamas release women, older men and ill hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinians being held in Israel. Under the agreement, 600 trucks carrying humanitarian relief resources will enter Gaza every day, The New York Times reported. The war sparked national outrage across college campuses last year, leading to encampments and protests at over 500 academic institutions across the United States, including Syracuse University. On SU’s campus, protesters occupied Shaw Quadrangle in tents for over two weeks, calling for the university to publicly support a ceasefire in Gaza and divest from companies with ties to the Israeli government. Before the encampment, many campus and student groups held vigils for the war last fall. The recent deal aims to end a war that has resulted in the death of more than 46,000 Palestinians and wounded over 109,000 since Hamas’ initial attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. On the day of the attacks, Hamas launched an assault on an Israeli music festival, killing around 1,200 civilians. Since then, about 1.9 million Palestinians and over 75,000 Israelis have been displaced. More than 92% of the roads and 69% of the structures in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, with an estimated $18.5 billion in damages in the first three months of the war. The U.S., Qatar and Egypt facilitated the deal between delegations from Hamas and Israel in Doha, Qatar’s capital city. While various world leaders have publicly commented on the agreement, neither Israel’s nor Hamas’ governing bodies have acknowledged it, NPR reported. Senator Chuck Schumer welcomed the news of the ceasefire in a Wednesday afternoon post on X. “A ceasefire is very good news for Israel, for America, for the Palestinian people, and particularly for the hostage families who have waited so long in agony,” Schumer wrote. “A ceasefire will reduce violence in Gaza and harm to innocent civilians. It couldn’t have happened without steadfast diplomacy and until the potency of Hamas was radically reduced.” The deal came hours before President Biden’s farewell address and see ceasefire page 4