Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.
But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)
North Korean Soldier Abandons Country & Crosses Border to South Korea
CNN reports that a “low-ranking” North Korean soldier defected (or abandoned his original country for another) to South Korea early Thursday morning. The soldier crossed the demilitarized zone separating the two countries, marking the second defection in less than two months. Unlike the first scenario, in which the escaping North Korean solider was shot multiple times, the solider wasn’t shot, but South Korea soldiers sent warning shots when enemy soldiers searched for the escaped man. Four North Korean military members have defected to South Korea this year.
A North Korean soldier defected at the DMZ, South Korea’s military says. It’s the second defection across the border in two months. https://t.co/yMpWeTgrEX pic.twitter.com/GbLrD1mrLH
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) December 21, 2017
School District Superintendent Resigns After a Teen Football Player Is Allegedly Sexually Assaulted in His Home
The superintendent of an Oklahoma school district resigned after receiving allegations that a high school football player was sexually assaulted by his teammates at the superintendent’s home, The New York Times reports. Robert Kyle Wood, superintendent of Bixby Public Schools, hosted a football team event at his home in September, when three teammates held down a 16-year-old player and another sexually assaulted him with a pool stick. While the contact led to the student bleeding, another teammate recorded the encounter on his phone while other boys watched and laughed.
The injured teen claims that a similar incident occurred at Wood’s home in 2016. After the school board asked Wood to resign, he announced his retirement in a statement provided by his lawyer Paul DeMuro. “In light of recent events, Dr. Wood decided it was in the best interests of the Bixby School District, the Bixby community and his family to step away at this time,” the statement said. “Although this has been a challenging time for Dr. Wood…recent events cannot erase Dr. Wood’s many accomplishments as a lifelong Oklahoma educator, including his successful 11-year tenure as Bixby’s superintendent.”
In addition to Wood stepping down, several football players were either benched or kicked off the team for the rest of the season.
Bixby Superintendent Out Amid Sexual Assault Investigation https://t.co/DH4UQcDe9f pic.twitter.com/qjVADCtUpr
— Tulsa Life Today (@TulsaLifeToday) December 20, 2017
Cracker Jack Has a Popcorn That Tastes Just Like Sugar Cookies
I have to admit that I’m pretty sure I’ve never had Cracker Jack popcorn. However, now I have a season to hunt it down. PopSugar reports that Cracker Jack has actually produced a Holiday Sugar Cookie Popcorn for the past few years, and I’m experiencing delayed FOMO. Consisting of vanilla candy-coated popcorn with red and green sprinkles, the special product appears to only be available during the holiday season. Time to hit the grocery store!
What to look out for…
Today is the Winter Solstice, meaning that we’ll experience the shortest day and longest night of the year. This kicks off the official start of the winter season, so try to get some sunlight exposure if you can!