The News Desk Feb. 18
Welcome to the News Desk! This week, we're back to talking about the weather as I searched for safety tips for dealing with ice. I'll also include a quick section on Eastern's COVID-19 policies throughout the pandemic, since that was the focus of the Daily Eastern News this week. I'm taking a week off from the podcast as weather conditions have made finding a guest challenging.
Ice Advice
Defrosting your car
I already had to do this partway through Thursday's storm, so I'm sure campus parking lots will be full of people with ice scrapers Friday morning. Most people know not to use hot water, but what should you do?
If the lock itself is frozen, lukewarm water can be safe to loosen it, or a heat source like a hair dryer. If other parts of the door are frozen shut, slamming the door harder closed will usually break the ice; it does feel pretty silly to bodyslam your door, but it works.
Once you're in there, turning on the heat and defrost can start to help as you scrape the layer of ice from your windshield. Some people also recommend combining two parts water with one part isopropyl alcohol and spraying the mixture over the ice to help melt it due to alcohol's lower freezing temperature.
Driving safely
The best option may be to stay at home, but that isn't always possible. If you have to go out, drive slowly, especially when braking or accelerating! Give other drivers way more space than usual, just in case something happens.
Being prepared while you're out
When I was driving 10 minutes through the country to get to school in high school, I kept a huge blanket in my back seat. I could toss it, folded, over my lap to keep warm while I drove, and it was always available if I got stuck somewhere and needed to turn off my car. Other helpful things might include some snacks, bottled water (though preventing it from freezing may be difficult), a portable phone charger and even some spare cash.
Walking on campus
Wear boots and take small steps! Many sidewalks on campus are notorious for getting icy and nobody wants to deal with a sprained ankle. This seems obvious, but sometimes it is impossible to see the ice until you've already slipped in it. The front desks in a lot of the residence halls can provide umbrellas if you need to go out during any precipitation.
Again, stay inside
It's easy to feel cooped up after so much cold weather recently, but it just won't be worth it to leave the house during this. Please prioritize safety and find something to do indoors... you can reference my newsletter from a few weeks ago for ideas. ;)
Eastern's COVID-19 Policies
Mask policies in Illinois have been a hot topic recently, especially in K-12 education. New rulings likely won't have any affect here at Eastern. Here's what we know at this point. While working on story ideas surrounding changing policies, my editor-in-chief asked me to make a graphic showing what we've seen here at Eastern over the last two years. The DEN's coverage of the pandemic has been thorough enough that I was able to trace every policy change down to the date when it was announced.
Catch up with the news!
More on masks from the political science perspective. News editor Madelyn Kidd was curious what could've caused Governor Pritzker to lift the statewide mask mandate, so she sought insight from some professors.
Listen to Coles County Sheriff James Rankin's final sign off, which comes months earlier than expected.
Students learned about and sampled "soul food" during an event for African American Heritage Month. It looked delicious.
Editor-in-chief Corryn Brock explained the DEN's annual coverage of "Unofficial" in light of last year's controversies.
While you're in the opinions section, check out this column on IUDs and discrepancies in health care for different genders.
Since I'm taking a week off from the News Desk podcast, I'll use this space to promote the Movie DEN, which sports editor Adam Tumino and I have been recording weekly this school year. In our most recent episode, we reviewed "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "The Hundred Foot Journey," but previous installments feature everything from "Macbeth" to "Paddington."
