Apex Science Olympiad team places first at regionals

Natalia Ghan
Staff Writer

Captains Meera Nagaraj, Tanya Qureshi, and Adam Zeid led the Apex High School varsity and junior varsity Science Olympiad teams to place at the top of the regional competition at Campbell University on Saturday February 7. With their regional win the varsity members will advance to the state competition at N.C. State on April 25. This is the third year in a row that Apex has placed first at regionals. The team met twice a month to work on the computer and collaborate with partners. Carol Bost, the team sponsor, describes the dynamics as “a highly supportive team with very independent captains.” Captain Nagaraj affirms that, “These last two years I have learned how to be a leader. We all worked together to make sure everyone was on top of things.”

Poll: What color is the dress?

Kenison Garratt & Jo Gatlin
Staff Writers

The results are in for a recently conducted optical illusion poll on Apex High School students and staff.

What color is this dress?

Some argue the dress is black and blue, others white and gold, and some see an entirely different combination of colors. The dress has been popping up on different sorts of social media, and this controversial image has people taking sides. While some pick a color team, others argue that there are two images, and some find themselves constantly switching between the two combinations.

NFL free agency update

Cameron Goz
Staff Writer

Free agency began just a few days ago and it took no time for the circus that free agency is to commence. There was no shortage of blockbuster trades, as well as dozens of the NFL’s premium talent changing colors. Here is a rundown of some of the biggest names on the move in these few days:

Uber to introduce driverless cabs

Adam Mancini
Staff Writer

Revolutionary taxi-hailing app Uber has announced that it will begin to develop driverless cabs to pick up customers. The majority of Uber’s costs of operation comes from driver salary, so eliminating this end of the industry would provide a major boost to the company’s profits and reduce the cost to consumers. Uber will partner with Carnegie Mellon University on a research lab in Pittsburgh to research the development of its new cars.

The announcement means Uber will now be a part of the driverless car development race led by major automakers, and comes on the heels of Google’s report that it will begin working on a cab hailing app of its own that could also feature driverless cars. However, experts still say that the futuristic cars are a long way off because of the high costs of production and lack of regulation.

Laptop options for college

Dylan Tastet
Staff Writer

The laptop is the modern college student’s most important tool, and for this reason it has become a large part of every student’s college expense. A college-suitable laptop can cost upwards of $1,000, so it is important to buy a laptop that is dependable, long-lasting, and powerful enough to perform any necessary task.

Nobody knows your college computing needs better than the college you will be attending. Many colleges such as Appalachian State University, UNCC, UNCW, and North Carolina State University have online stores where students can buy laptops, speakers, tablets and more at a discounted price. The stores also offer a range of protection plans to safeguard your investments. UNC Chapel Hill even offers on campus repairs and loaner laptops for students purchasing a computer through the university.

Lip dub to meet after school

Sarah Kebea
Editor-in-Chief

There will be a meeting today for Lip Dub in room 515 after school.  This year's theme will be Ghostbusters.  In order to pull Lip Dub off, they need as many people to participate as possible, so come with friends!

Health specialists and FDA speculate on cause of superbug

Kenison Garratt
Staff Writer

Two superbug related deaths were reported last month in North Carolina and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now believe that an unapproved scope model released on the market in 2010 may have been involved. The superbug is contracted upon coming in contact with carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE). Symptoms of CRE include severe pneumonia, high fever and sepsis (Blood poisoning). In North Carolina, 18 people have become infected with the superbug this year, 15 had it upon admission to the hospital in Charlotte and three contracted it in the hospital. It is unclear how they became infected because it is difficult to track the spread of the bacteria. In Los Angeles, seven patients contracted CRE after routine endoscopic procedures, and hospital officials say the outbreak was caused by two medical scopes still carrying the bacteria even after disinfection guidelines were followed.