With closed-door dress rehearsals complete, Wednesday marked the opening night performance of the third public impeachment procedure in American history. The primary impeachment inquiry depositions took place last Wednesday and Friday regarding the alleged actions of President Donald J. Trump on Jul. 25, 2019. 

Let me start this by saying I hope this article will show some of you reading this that you are not alone.

I have, at a handful of points in my life, battled suicidal thoughts. In fact, I have almost committed suicide. It has been quite a while since I have had any of those thoughts, but having them in the first place is still something I don’t like to admit, even to myself. There are three times that I can vividly recall almost committing suicide and without going into detail, I can attribute my very rational fear of making that decision as the only reason I am here today. It truly is something else when you feel there is no hope, and as far as you can see there is no way out.

My wardrobe was killing people.

Caught in the rat race of mass consumption and swayed by cradle-to-grave marketing campaigns, I filled my closet with fashion brands with questionable labor practices. Countless news reports showed how child labor, extremely low wages, and dangerous working conditions were the fuel to the global fast fashion machine; but, honestly, I felt overwhelmed by it all. I was just a community college student with journalistic aspirations confined to a barely-read blog.

As Nazi Germany faces an inevitable loss in World War II, Johannes “Jojo” Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis) is undoubtedly ambitious in becoming a young, ten-year-old Nazi soldier.

For playwright Jeton Neziraj, growing up in Kosovo had the potential to hinder his creative process, as government regimes limited citizens’ access to viewing and publicly presenting art. However, his desire to pursue theatre overrode any constraints and instead inspired him to speak out against the systems that tried to hinder his creativity.

His most recent play, “Department of Dreams”, had its world premiere in the United States on Oct. 25 at City Garage Theatre Company’s current location, at the Bergamot Station Arts Center in Santa Monica.

On June 15, 2019, the Santa Monica city government released a statement on their website about the closure of its recycling center located at 2411 Delaware Ave.

The statement gave the following reasoning for the center’s closure. “The City of Santa Monica’s contract with Allan Company, the operator of the Buyback Center, was not renewed by City Council. This means in the foreseeable future separation of Santa Monica’s recyclable materials will occur off-site. Staff will return to City Council this fall with a recommendation about how to move forward with a long-term approach to provide recycling services, including potential Buyback Center options. All curbside recycling collections will continue without interruption to our customers and the City remains fully committed to our Zero Waste goals.” The promised fall statement from the City Council has yet to occur.

The Getty Villa had encouraged students to wear a toga or stola (a Roman gown) to the event, and a number of the attendees went along with the theme. All the period clothing looked stylish, and enhanced the ambiance of the event.

Known as the outer peristyle, the Villa has an area with a long reflecting pool, attendant flower beds, and fruit trees. The pool was decorated with floating, illuminated colored lights, which produced a festive feeling.

During the Nov. 5 Board of Trustees meeting, Santa Monica College (SMC) President and Superintendent, Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery, asked campus police chief, Johnnie Adams, to discuss how the school addressed the Getty Fire.

The Inter-Club Council (ICC)-hosted Political Arena debate drew a large audience to the Santa Monica College (SMC) Cayton Center on Thursday, Nov. 14, with students filling almost every seat. At 11:15 a.m., all heads turned to ICC Chair Natalie Lim as she announced the debate topic over the loudspeaker: freedom of speech.

The Santa Barbara Community College (SBCC) Vaqueros handed the Santa Monica College (SMC) football team another loss on Sunday, Nov. 10 with a final total of 14-10. 

On June 15, 2012, the Obama administration announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which defers undocumented individuals under a certain criteria from deportation and offers those individuals eligibility for a work permit. In Sept. 2017, the Trump administration rescinded this program, claiming the Obama administration had implemented it under “unlawful and unconstitutional means,” spurring a “humanitarian crisis” in which DACA recipients go on to become part of “violent gangs”. A case before the Supreme Court now challenges the program and could lead to its elimination.

The melancholic sound of a familiar melody can be therapeutic to some when life’s mishaps come spiraling down. SMC’s Center of Wellness and Wellbeing recognizes music therapy as a healthy alternative to express emotions and will offer a workshop on the subject on Tuesday, Nov. 19 titled Music and Mental Health: Using Music for Expression and Healing.

The workshop will be led by Dr. Loreno Meono, a success counselor, whose overall mission is to help individuals become more effective versions of themselves in their personal and professional lives.

On Friday, Nov. 8, the Santa Monica College (SMC) Corsairs faced off against the College of the Canyons Cougars in a women’s volleyball match. The Corsairs lost in three sets.

This glossary aims to define some of the terms surrounding the ongoing impeachment proceedings in order to clarify the processes at hand.

A brief, visual explanation on why the House has launched an impeachment investigation in President Trump and what the steps toward impeachment and removal are.

The first of two days of public hearings in the House of Representatives impeachment inquiry into President Donald J. Trump will begin this Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. ET, after more than a month of closed-door depositions on the subject.

Santa Monica College's (SMC) Theatre Arts department presented E.M. Lewis's play "Infinite Black Suitcase" in the Studio Stage in the Theatre Arts complex. Directed by Carl Anderson, the performances took place on Oct. 25 - 27, 31 and Nov. 1-3.

On Oct. 25, 2019, the FIGat7th event corporation held a Dia de los Muertos event, at 7th and Figueroa St. Among the festivities were a tequila tasting, silk-screening, poster-making, MAC glamour eyes, and a DJ.

Strobe lights and eardrum-shattering screams set the tone for Steve Lacy’s show at the Wiltern theatre in Los Angeles on Oct. 30. Since the musician released his solo debut studio album in May, Lacy has gained popularity worldwide. His current tour, named Apollo XXI after his solo album, began in Chicago and will end in the United Kingdom.

Lacy has been deemed the epitome of a “21st century musician” in the public eye. While he has since upgraded to more professional software, the musician produced his first tracks on an iPhone in his mother’s Compton home and found his beginnings with guitar through the video game "Guitar Hero."