How text-to-video AI is transforming social media

By: Cate Eberly Soar AI, a recently released feature on OpenAI, allows for text-to-video generation. Videos can be inputted and asked to edit various aspects or completely generated from text.  The realism of video AI being is bringing about the risk for more misinformation and deepfakes circulating on social media. According to Merriam-Webster, a deepfake is an image or recording that has been convincingly altered … Continue reading How text-to-video AI is transforming social media

Students experience being the children of local candidates

By Eilley Wannarka Residents of the city of Bellbrook and the township of Sugarcreek will vote for their respective city councils and township trustees in the election, Tuesday, November 4.  Bellbrook junior Becca Cyphers is the child of candidate Katherine R. Cyphers and sophomore Ember Day is the daughter of candidate Douglas Day. Katherine Cyphers is running for city council, and Douglas Day is running … Continue reading Students experience being the children of local candidates

ChatGPT environmental impacts continue to be prevalent 

By: Nora Scarbro  ChatGPT is a resource used by millions of people everyday. It is an AI chatbot with a very diverse array of usages. According to IBM, “It uses natural language processing (NLP) to hold lifelike conversations with users and generate content including articles, text summaries, advice and more.” It can be used to make a difficult decision or help pick a dinner spot … Continue reading ChatGPT environmental impacts continue to be prevalent 

How will the 2025 shut down affect younger people

By Chi Steadman On October 1st the federal government entered a partial shut down. The shut down occurred because Congress failed to pass a full-year budget or continuing resolution. The last shut down to occur was in 2019, lasting 35 days. The shut down in 2018-2019 occurred because of a funding disagreement for building a border wall between the United States and Mexico. The 2025 … Continue reading How will the 2025 shut down affect younger people

Executive Order “Restoring Truth And Sanity To American History” has numerous effects

By: Nora Scarbro Executive Order “Restorying Truth And Sanity To American History” or Executive Order 14253 was signed by Donald Trump on March 27. According to the order, it is a response to current trends in recording, presenting, and teaching history: “This revisionist movement seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative … Continue reading Executive Order “Restoring Truth And Sanity To American History” has numerous effects

The American TikTok Takeover Deal

By: Dominic Hummel President Trump signed an executive order regarding the social media app TikTok. The deal will allow for a U.S company to oversee data information and algorithms on the TikTok app. In 2024 a law required that byteDance, TikTok’s parent company, sell off a piece of their company due to concerns with the data the parent company is accumulating from its users. In … Continue reading The American TikTok Takeover Deal

New drivers encounter House Bill 96

By Chi Steadman House Bill 96 is a new bill introducing new policies that primarily affect state taxes, school district policies, and cybersecurity requirements for the government. One policy introduced affects young drivers. New drivers under 21 need to have 24 hours in a classroom, 8 hours with an instructor, and 50 hours behind the wheel with a licensed driver over 21. “Driving is a … Continue reading New drivers encounter House Bill 96

Ohio bans phones in school

By: Dominic Hummel Starting January 1, 2026, Ohio students will come back from winter break to classrooms with some major changes. Cell phones will be banned during the instructional time of the day. A statewide mandate was signed into effect by Governor DeWine with the goal of reducing distractions and keeping students focused on their learning. According to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce … Continue reading Ohio bans phones in school

House Bill 8 introduces new rules for schools

By: Nora Scarbro  House Bill 8 is a bill that was put into effect April 9. Known as the Parents Bill of Rights, it gives guardians more guaranteed access to their students’ privacy. The text of the law states, “The general assembly maintains that a parent has a fundamental right to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care of the parent’s child.”  This legislation alerts … Continue reading House Bill 8 introduces new rules for schools

AI can affect someone’s creativity in everyday life

by Chi Steadman AI has an impact on people who do creative works. Bellbrook parent Josh Steadman uses AI to help manage various tasks. However, Steadman does not use AI for artistic purposes. “If you’re using AI as a tool to fill in spaces and to help you with grammar and stuff, that’s perfectly reasonable,” Steadman said. “If you’re using it to actually write a … Continue reading AI can affect someone’s creativity in everyday life