Katie's Blog

Just Mercy is a 2019 movie based on a true story that took place in the late 80s and through the 90s in Alabama. Just Mercy stood out to me this week because it amplifies the black voices and experiences that are being shared throughout the world today and within the last few weeks during the black lives matter movement. I’ve had this movie recommended to me recently at protests and on Amazon Prime in their black history, hardship, and hope section available on their homepage.  Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Just Mercy shares the emotional, hopeful, and inspiring story of Bryan Stevenson, a Harvard civil rights law student graduate, fighting in defense of those wrongly convicted in Alabama and put onto death row. One of his first cases is that of Walter Mcmillian, a father of three and husband, is sentenced to die in 1987 for the murder of an 18-year-old-girl, despite a lack of evidence supporting this. Stevenson, originally from Delaware, quickly runs into racism and...

Puberty is hard for anyone; ance, changing bodies, mood swings, and - superpowers? The end of February of this year, the show “I’m Not Okay With This” came out on Netflix as a Netflix Original. Shortly after its release my mom and I decided to binge-watch it together. Reading this assignment; I thought this show was perfect to dissect since it’s only seven 23 minute episodes. So I proceeded to re-binge-watch it, if you will. With all this spare quarantine time; Why not? Courtesy of Netflix This show at first glance is reminiscent of Carrie in the trailer   by replicating the famous covered in blood in a dress scene. But instead this show is a comedy-drama that follows the story of Sydney Novak (Sophia Lillis). To attempt to quickly summarize Sydney's, or Syd's, complicated life I’ll start with her description of herself, “just another boring 17-year-old white girl.” Residing in Brownsville Pennsylvania, she lives with her little brother Liam, who's a middle scho...

Animal House has exotic fresh and saltwater fish, birds, and reptiles at it's location in Corvallis. One day a beloved pet parrot owned by a local Corvallis woman began having seizures. Unable to afford the vet bills, she was heartbroken and left hopeless. Sobbing, she stopped by the Animal House in Corvallis hoping to get some sort of help. There she found Dale Stepnicka, who comforted her and offered step-by-step instructions for what she could do. With a little bit of hope restored, she went home ready to do what she could with the new advice. Weeks later, Stepnicka was greeted by the familiar face of the women, but with a smile replacing her tears. In her hands was a bucket of assorted candy for Stepnicka. Her gratitude ran for miles; her parrot was healthy again thanks to the advice of the owner of Animal House. But she didn’t need to thank him. This is, of course, what makes it all worth it to him. Dale Stepnicka raises exotic birds like this one named Scarlet....

On the corner of Main and 15th street in Philomath, you may have noticed a new white building with a roof lined with yellow lights. It’s easy to miss while driving through town, but once you enter it’s a place you’ll surely remember. Walking in you're greeted with glass cases filled with monster-size cookies in an assortment of flavors and walls covered in rural decor such as timber and even deer heads. Briere Marshall greets visitors with a smile while cleaning tables or preparing coffee for customers. She and her mom Molly Marshall run Timber Towne Coffee together. “The people here are so sweet!” said Margaret Bruton, a frequent customer at Timber Towne Coffee. This is Briere Marshall's first time running a business after graduating from OSU in 2016. For the Marshalls, mornings start bright and early in the kitchen. Items such as biscuits, muffins, and even giant cinnamon rolls known as “lumberjack rolls” are some of the customers’ favorite freshly baked in-hou...

Image: Tobacco.Stanford.Edu While walking towards Takena Hall before your day of classes you may have noticed a designated smoking area or two in the parking lot. Has it always been like this? Around 50 years ago there wasn’t such a thing as designated smoke areas. When you walked into a classroom there would be big glasses, wild hair, and puffs of smoke coming from students and teachers during lectures. In 1981, Oregon legislation passed the Indoor Clean Air Act which prohibited smoking inside public buildings. This was to protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke. In 2009, the Indoor Clean Air Act had some modifications that included banning smoking within 10 feet of public doorways. After this ban, colleges everywhere had to make arrangements for the students who partake in smoking. “They [Linn County Department of Health] came out here and they told us, ‘If we find cigarette butts anywhere close to your doors, you’re going to get cited.’” said Marcene Olson, Director of ...

The annual Corvallis Indoor Market began on Jan. 11 and runs every Saturday until April 11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is located at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Corvallis. It’s full of delicious in-season vegetables, fresh smoked fish, and hand-crafted goods such as smooth wooden bowls or even warm felt hats; but that’s not all this winter market has to offer. There's plenty of food carts set up by the booths lined up at the Benton County Fairgrounds to choose from, but one establishment stands out. With a bright red, wood-fired oven emitting a deep smoky aroma, Krakelen LLC is the premier option for delicious slices of oven baked pizza during the Corvallis Indoor Winter Market. Kassandra Babb hand tosses artisan pizza dough to each order. The owner of the stand, Lara Herrman, was inspired to create Krakenlen when she was finished with the military in 2017. She decided she wanted to start working for herself, and wanted to do something she was passionate about. So her a...