At the risk of sounding like a cantankerous old woman, I’m going to make a not-so-bold statement: people should read more.

Growing up, I had all the normal desserts in my lunch box—cookies, cupcakes, even the pre-packaged ones like Cosmic Brownies and Swiss Rolls. There was just one I didn’t have: Twinkies.

The only thing standing between me and total environmental activism is a foot-long grey box.

Next Tuesday, April 4, the city of St. Louis will hold its election for mayor, comptroller and 14 out of 29 board of aldermen seats. Since it seems like Democratic primary winner Lyda Krewson will clinch the mayoral position—and several incumbents or unopposed candidates will fill the aldermen spots—the spotlight shifts to the ballot measures.

Washington University received a record number of applicants for the class of 2021, with the final total coming in at more than 30,464 students who applied, Chancellor Mark Wrighton announced to the board of trustees Friday. The total number of applicants reflects a 4 percent increase from last year, which saw 29,197 applicants, and a 28 percent increase since 2008, with 22,005.

When thinking of St. Louis politics, the first thing that comes to mind is “Democrat.” With a historic 60-year Democratic lineage, it seems clear which party will return to office this spring.

Ella Chochrek, a sophomore from White Plains, N.Y., has been named the next editor-in-chief of Student Life for the 2017-2018 academic year. Currently, Chochrek serves as senior news editor and copy chief for the paper.

After announcing his candidacy in August 2016, Lewis Reed made his platform abundantly clear: economic growth. Since 2007, Reed has served as the president of the Board of Aldermen—the first African-American to be elected to this position—and has worked to expand everything from anticrime policies to bike trails on his path to spur growth in St. Louis.

Last week, as I ate my usual chocolate chip scone during my usual Tuesday office hours (11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Jolley Hall Room 409, if you’re in CSE 240: Logic and Discrete Mathematics) with my usual female co-teaching assistant, a male engineering student walked into our room and asked, “Are you two the only TAs scheduled right now?” We were, as only two TAs are required to help the one—or two, if we’re lucky—students that come in per session.

A protest took place in downtown St. Louis this past Saturday in response to President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on immigration, commonly referred to as the “Muslim ban,” and other anti-immigration and anti-refugee acceptance policies.