March 12: Darcie Little Badger ’10 Wrote a Sequel to ‘Elatsoe’

In a new paper, former Microsoft executive and amateur paleontologist Nathan Myhrvold *83 says past research into the Spinosaurus’s bone density that some said indicated it could swim was “statistically absurd.” — The New York Times
 
Speaking in a SXSW panel with Meghan Markle and Katie Couric, actress Brooke Shields ’87 discussed her advocacy for change in the film industry. “Hollywood is predicated on eating its young,” she said. — Yahoo!
 
Writing in an op-ed with professor Jelani Nelson, UC Berkeley computing college dean Jennifer Chayes *83 applauded efforts to make mathematics courses in California public schools more advanced, to prepare students for science and technology majors. — Ed Source
 
Author Darcie Little Badger ’10’s follow-up to her lauded young adult novel Elatsoe will hit shelves April 16: Sheine Lende tells the story of Elatsoe’s grandmother, who summons ghosts to track down missing people. — Reactor

Filmmaker Sonja Dumas ’86 thanked the people who donated blood to help her father, a former diplomat who did get the blood he needed but still died March 7 after fighting gastrointestinal failure. — Barbados Today

Catholic Charities Chicago CEO Sally Blount ’83 said the agency is relying more on charitable donations and less on government contracts that are “increasingly complex and uncertain.” — Catholic News Agency
 
Knoxville mayor Indya Kincannon *99 was among the Tennessee leaders who declared March 10 a “Day of Hope” meant to support mental health and people recovering from substance abuse. — WBIR
 
A columnist explained why Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito ’72 doesn’t attend the State of the Union: because it’s awkward to be in a partisan crowd when you’re supposed to be an impartial judge. “To the extent the State of the Union has degenerated into a political pep rally,” Alito said, “I’m not sure why we’re there.” — The Wall Street Journal

“The vote itself is proof of faith. The person casting it believes that it matters. Denying them the opportunity is a callous dismissal. The depth of meaning in a single vote comes from our troubled history, our collective ability to effect change and the dignity inherent in expressing our singular desires to the lofty state, as well as to our next-door neighbor.”

— Washington Post senior critic-at-large Robin Givhan ’86, writing about the end of Nikki Haley’s campaign. — The Washington Post

 Lionsgate Television plans to make a scripted series out of journalist Liza Mundy ’82’s 2023 book The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA. — Yahoo! Lifestyle
 
Michelle Obama ’85 and her husband are working with the History Channel on an eight-part podcast exploring the American Reconstruction era. — ABC 25
 
Loretta Mester *85, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, said she still expects the central bank will lower interest rates this year and inflation will head back toward 2%. — Reuters
 
Film producer Ethan Coen ’79 is filming his new movie Honey Don’t! in New Mexico, where he previously filmed O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Burn After Reading. — Albuquerque Journal

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