The Seahawks are Super Bowl bound
In front of a loud, energetic, and sold-out crowd, the Seattle Seahawks earned their right to play in Super Bowl LX by defeating their rival, the Los Angeles Rams, in a thrilling 31-27 victory at Lumen Field. With the win, the Seahawks become the NFC Champions and are set to appear in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2015 and for the fourth time in franchise history.
The Super Bowl will take place in Santa Clara on Feb. 8, where the Seahawks will take on the New England Patriots. The Seahawks vs. the Patriots sets up a rematch from the infamous 2015 Super Bowl XLIX.
Highline College sets date and venue for 2026 commencement
Highline College will hold its 2026 commencement ceremony on June 18, 2026 at the ShoWare Center, a decision college officials say was influenced by venue availability, tradition, and capacity needs.
The decision marks a move away from Emerald Downs, where commencement was held last year, and brings graduation back to ShoWare Center, which hosted Highline’s ceremonies for more than a decade prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. College leadership said the venue change was influenced largely by ShoWare’s ability to accommodate graduates and their guests in a single ceremony.
A King County library card might be the most valuable thing in your wallet
One card, thousands of benefits: it almost seems too good to be true! When signing up for a King Country library card not only do you gain immediate access to a multitude of free resources, benefits, and experiences, but you do it all while supporting local communities.
The process is simple: if you’re a resident of King County, you automatically qualify for an all-access library card. Just fill out the information requested on the application and wait patiently for it to arrive!
Who will take home the grammy this year?
Every year, the Grammys are built up for months (the nominations for this year’s ceremony were revealed on Nov. 7) as artists run campaigns to hopefully be awarded with the golden gramophone. In the lead up to the night, people love to try and predict the winners and some even get so confident that they bet real money on it.
For anyone who’s curious about the state of the predictions this year, here are the front runners for the big four categories.
Campus
Highline College will hold its 2026 commencement ceremony on June 18, 2026 at the ShoWare Center, a decision college officials say was influenced by venue availability, tradition, and capacity needs.
The decision marks a move away from Emerald Downs, where commencement was held last year, and brings graduation back to ShoWare Center, which hosted Highline’s ceremonies for more than a decade prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. College leadership said the venue change was influenced largely by ShoWare’s ability to accommodate graduates and their guests in a single ceremony.
Highline’s own literary journal, Arcturus, is now open for submissions for their 2026 issue! If you have a poem, creative writing, art, photography, music, animation, or short film, you can submit your work here for a chance to be published in Arcturus 2026.
Submissions are due Feb. 23.
The Highline College Board of Trustees (BOT) held their first meeting of 2026 last week, navigating new demands for transparency and campus engagement. The meeting was recorded and uploaded to the Highline College YouTube channel, as a direct result from the feedback during last month’s Executive Cabinet listening sessions.
This was the first BOT meeting since Dr. Jamilyn Penn was appointed Interim President – and her first report to the BOT in this role.
Annually, Highline participates in an active shooter response drill, with this year’s exercise taking place on Jan. 21. With students and faculty receiving text and email alerts, this drill is a symbol of the school’s preparedness.
Alongside this drill, Public Safety hosted an FBI-led forum on what to do in the event of an active shooter on campus. This was no doubt beneficial to the 31 staff and faculty members present on zoom or in person. Information reviewed was summarized in the bureau’s video “Run. Hide. Fight.”
The Academic Success Center (ASC) held its Winter Open House, where it welcomed students and community members to learn about academic resources available and highlighted different programs aimed to support the student body.
The event was held on Wednesday Jan. 21 in the library (Building 25), on the sixth floor. It featured subjects including math, engineering, science, and achievement programs. The open house ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Community
One card, thousands of benefits: it almost seems too good to be true! When signing up for a King Country library card not only do you gain immediate access to a multitude of free resources, benefits, and experiences, but you do it all while supporting local communities.
The process is simple: if you’re a resident of King County, you automatically qualify for an all-access library card. Just fill out the information requested on the application and wait patiently for it to arrive!
If you tried to go to a national park on Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) day this year, you probably were in for a rude awakening. Where national parks usually provide free admission on both MLK day and Juneteenth, the Trump administration decided to remove both of these days, replacing it with Flag Day – which happens to be Trump’s birthday.
Derrick Johnson, the president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), said, “Removing MLK Day and Juneteenth from the national parks calendar is more than petty politics – it’s an attack on the truth of this nation’s history.”
The PNW is in a code red and Western Washington and Oregon are in dire need of blood donations. Unfortunately, people aren’t donating as much as they used to and it has caused severe shortages, specifically with universal blood Type O being the most requested. In an effort to curb the shortage, Highline will be hosting a blood drive on campus.
In a press release by Bloodworks it states that blood Type O is “especially for trauma and emergency situations when the patient’s blood type is unknown.” It’s crucial for people to continue to donate, especially those with Type O blood.
Pokémon card collecting has continued to rise in popularity, but as the demand increases for these collectable cards, so too has increased a problematic element to this childhood past time: Pokémon scalpers. Scalpers have taken over the marketplace making collecting these cards increasingly hard and expensive.
Have you ever wanted to get into collecting Pokémon cards or you are already in the hobby? Well then, you have definitely gone to the store and seen all the shelves empty. Ok then – the store is out of stock, nothing out of the norm. You check a nearby Pokémon vending machine: same result. This is because of Pokémon card scalpers.
It’s the dead of morning, the sun is hidden by fog and clouds, school and work is slow, and your sleep is not the best. You try to finish up some homework, but you can’t get up to do the assignment, you would rather be in your bed because you feel so bad and sluggish.
That seasonal dread and procrastination could be a sign of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Which is known to many as seasonal depression, it is a type of depression that is tied to changes in season, mainly in winter/fall. This disorder comes from many different causes and can make it difficult for people to function properly during a season.
Sports
In front of a loud, energetic, and sold-out crowd, the Seattle Seahawks earned their right to play in Super Bowl LX by defeating their rival, the Los Angeles Rams, in a thrilling 31-27 victory at Lumen Field. With the win, the Seahawks become the NFC Champions and are set to appear in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2015 and for the fourth time in franchise history.
The Super Bowl will take place in Santa Clara on Feb. 8, where the Seahawks will take on the New England Patriots. The Seahawks vs. the Patriots sets up a rematch from the infamous 2015 Super Bowl XLIX.
It has been a hair raising, nail biting week for the Highline Thunderbird basketball teams. The Highline men and women both had competitive games against Lower Columbia Community College and Tacoma Community College.
Both the men and women had upsetting games against Lower Columbia on Jan. 24, but they were quite the war.
The Seattle Seahawks didn’t leave room for debate in their latest matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. From the opening kick to the final whistle, Seattle controlled the game, using explosive special teams play and a suffocating defensive performance to secure a decisive 41-6 win that felt as symbolic as it was significant.
Seattle set the tone immediately. A jolt from special teams ignited the stadium as electric returner Rashid Shaheed returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Shaheed handed the Seahawks instant momentum and energy before the 49ers could establish any rhythm.
The Spanish Super Cup final’s two opponents have been set through a couple of hard-fought matches, with Barcelona and Real Madrid coming out on top and ready to take on each other in the final matchup. Barcelona was the first to stamp their ticket to the final by taking care of Athletic Club in a decisive 5-0 victory. Then Real Madrid pushed past Atletico Madrid 2-1 to earn their chance to fight for the cup.
Both victories have earned each respective team a chance to win it all and sets up a dynamic final, sure to thrill fans as each team fights for the cup. Although the upcoming final match may be the most important one, each team has already battled to earn their spot in the final.
Arts
Every year, the Grammys are built up for months (the nominations for this year’s ceremony were revealed on Nov. 7) as artists run campaigns to hopefully be awarded with the golden gramophone. In the lead up to the night, people love to try and predict the winners and some even get so confident that they bet real money on it.
For anyone who’s curious about the state of the predictions this year, here are the front runners for the big four categories.
Yet another Star Wars show was announced this past week, but this one stands out in its appeal to older Gen Z and Millennials. “Maul: Shadow Lord” will feature the original voice actor from the “Clone Wars” animated show and return to the hand-painted animation style that made the original trilogy so visually stunning.
The animation team revisited old school animation techniques used in the original Star Wars trilogy. The creative team has handpainted glass panels for their backgrounds and environments. Instead of live-action acting in front of these panels, Maul and his story will be animated on top of these glass panels.
Ariana Grande’s “Eternal Sunshine” is not just another pop album – it is a carefully crafted emotional diary that captures heartbreak, healing, and self-reflection with striking honesty. On her seventh studio release, Grande steps away from glossy chart-chasing and leans into vulnerability, delivering a project that feels intimate, mature, and deeply personal.
Grande’s seventh studio album, “Eternal Sunshine”, arrived in March 2024 and spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. She later released a deluxe version of the album, and will be going on a tour later this year in support of the project.
Science & Technology
Recently scientists have pondered if lakes on ancient Mars could have stayed liquid for years. As new research suggests, there is a chance only the top layer of the lakes could have frozen over, acting as insulation to prevent the rest of the water from freezing.
‘Ancient Mars’ refers to the early, geological history of the red planet, in which it was once teeming with water, and covered with ocean billions of years ago. Now, the planet is pockmarked with lake basins and structures resembling ancient river systems.
One of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s (RFK) most recent controversial public statements regarding public health is the new emphasis on meat and dairy on the food pyramid. While many experts agree with the decision to encourage people to consume fewer processed foods and added sugars, the emphasis on sources of saturated fats is raising alarm.
While RFK intended for this new pyramid to showcase the importance of avoiding “highly processed foods,” many nutrition experts are concerned that foods that are known to be significant sources of saturated fat are featured on the very top.
News Briefs
Following the recent unlawful murder of another U.S. citizen, Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse for the department of veteran affairs, many associations from the University of Minnesota, Union De Vecinos, IFCO/Pastors Peace, and more have endorsed a nationwide shutdown. They are urging people to take a stand against ICE, this Friday Jan. 30.
This would mean no work, no school, no shopping for everyone causing an economic shutdown showing the government how much Americans and the American dollar is worth.
Oglala Sioux President Frank Star Comes Out condemned racial profiling done by ICE via a statement on Facebook, denouncing the treaty violation of four detained tribe members. One has since been released.
He’s urging citizens to carry tribal IDs as ICE operations continue. Star notes the detained men were living in a homeless encampment near the Little Earth Housing Complex in South Minneapolis.
Opinion
What the Welfare Fraud Reveals About Laissez-Faire: A Mandevillian Response to the Wall Street Journal
A recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece, “Minnesota’s Fraud Problem Isn’t Immigrants”, examines Minnesota’s welfare fraud scandal and warns against reducing it to a narrative about bad actors or suspect communities. Instead, it emphasizes failures of oversight and political accountability. That caution is important, but incomplete.
President Donald Trump has a history of lashing out at the press, particularly when approached about his long-time friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, and a camera to catch it all doesn’t stop his temper. While he may be the laughing stock of America, will his temper make him crack, or will he lash out in more violent ways?
ThunderPod
Do you love the “Percy Jackson” series? Did you grow up singing along to Disney’s “Hercules”? Resident ThunderWord writer and editor Lilah Nutting sits down with host Evelyn Rissell to dissect everything godly.