User:Blood Red Sandman/2015 OR
Thursday, December 31, 2015 As another year draws to a close, Wikinews looks back at highlights from the year's exclusives.
January
editU.S. Air Force veteran and airline pilot Christopher V. Hill of New Hampshire took some time to talk with Wikinews about his campaign for the U.S. Republican Party's 2016 presidential nomination.
With Wikinews reporter William S. Saturn, Hill discusses his 2016 campaign, his political background, and his policy proposals.
March
editMid-March saw the opening of two new exhibitions at Edinburgh's National Gallery of Modern Art. Wikinews attended the press preview for the event where a full contingent of the capital's press turned out to see the striking collection of paintings, photographs, and other works.
REFLECTIONS: A Series of Changing Displays of Contemporary Art, billed as a showcase of a "diverse range of internationally-renowned contemporary and modern artists" displayed major works from the Gallery's permanent collection, alongside important loans. Alongside this broad range of works, a three-room display of pieces on-loan from the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation — with a dramatic painted steel relief, 'borrowed' from the Tate in London — runs from March 14 through to January 10 next year.
May
editIndiana Governor Mike Pence dropped his former opposition to needle exchange programs and signed legislation passed by lawmakers on April 29 — the last day of the state's legislative session — that allows local health departments, municipalities, counties, or nonprofit organizations to implement needle exchange programs. The debate about the controversial programs came on the heels of an HIV outbreak in Southern Indiana.
Wikinews interviewed legislator Thomas Washburne, Republican, Evansville, who told us he supported the principal but not the particulars of this bill. "I am inclined to follow the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control in implementing needle exchanges," he said. "My vote against Senate Bill 461 was not due to the needle exchanges, but other issues involved in the bill."
A tornado tore through much of the town of Van, Texas late Sunday evening. Officials said over 40 people were transported to local hospitals for treatment and reportedly two people died during the storm — David Tapley, a retired Garland, Texas police officer, and his wife.
Wikinews was on the scene to assess the damage, including heavy damage to a historic building which served as the town's first school. Our reporter also photographed the scene.
June
editLive music venues in Edinburgh, Scotland spent the summer awaiting a review on the 2005 licensing policy, which places limitations on the volume of amplified music in the city. Investigating into how the policy is affecting the Edinburgh music scene, a group of Wikinews writers interviewed venue owners, academics, the City of Edinburgh Council, and local band The Mean Reds to get different perspectives on the issue.
The resulting special report offers a wealth of opinions and information on the controversy.
August
editNot sure. The OR notes make it hard to tell how much is, and is not, OR
Former U.S. Commissioner of Internal Revenue Mark Everson took some time to talk with Wikinews about his campaign for the U.S. Republican Party's 2016 presidential nomination.
With Wikinews reporter William S. Saturn, Everson discusses his 2016 campaign, the media blackout of his campaign, and his views on the presidency and the possible Everson administration.
Mr Justice Green, sitting in the High Court in London, spoke of his "very considerable unease" as he rejected an application by two defendants in a Thai death penalty case. The pair sought a Metropolitan Police report they hoped could assist their defence.
The case pits the two accused trying to defend a death penalty case against the possibility of jeopardising international relations; Thai police co-operated with the Metropolitan Police's review of their investigation, but only in light of an agreement the report would be confidential. Wikinews covered the decision in detail, drawing extensively from the full-length judgement of the court.
Austrian police found an estimated 20–50 decomposing corpses in an apparently abandoned lorry.
The truck, which has pictures of meat on the side, shows branding for Slovakian food firm Hyza. Wikinews investigated, finding what appeared to be an anti-immigration graphic on the company's homepage which was quickly removed. Hyza told Wikinews the lorry has changed hands several times in roughly the last year. After they sold it they say it was exported to Hungary; it now bears Hungarian plates.
The death toll was later finalised at 71. The graphic featured cartoon chicken stowaways in a car being inspected at a customs post and the website imigranti.sk. Wikinews discovered this website had also been removed.
September
editNick Bos, of the University of Helsinki, studies "the amazing adaptations social insects have evolved in order to fight the extreme parasite pressure they experience". In a recently-accepted Evolution paper Bos and colleagues describe ants appearing to self-medicate.
Bos obtained his doctorate from the University of Copenhagen. He began postdoctoral research at Helsinki in 2012. He also runs the AntyScience blog. The blog aims to help address "a gap between scientists and 'the general public'." The name is a pun referencing ants, its primary topic, science, and "non-scientific" jargon-free communication. He discussed his work with Wikinews.
The 100th annual East Texas State Fair opened in the city of Tyler, Texas in September. The event is a highly publicised mainstay for the city. Wikinews reported from Tyler as the Fair started up. Scheduled attractions included sand sculpture, an escape artist, themed rides, and hot food.
October
editWikinews visited 'Doc Wilkes House of Horrors' located in Longview, Texas recently for a private tour. Co-owner Laura Wilkes led the tour and introduced a select number of actors featured in the haunt.
Wikinews interviewed Australian painter Pricasso on his unique artwork created using his penis, and how his art relates to freedom of expression and issues of censorship. Tim 'Pricasso' Patch, the name a nod to the artist Picasso while using the word prick, has been painting portraits using his penis for more than ten years.