Observer Department: Features
Reintroduction of language classes sparks discussions
The reintroduction of Spanish courses at Northern Essex Community College is sparking a discussion. These courses, taught by Arnaldo Robles-Reyes, will hopefully provide a positive linguistic learning opportunity. Students, however, have expressed a desire to add more language courses over the coming years. At one point, the college…
Why is Pokemon not as popular now?
Why is Pokémon not as popular anymore? Everyone knows Pokémon, some of them are cute, and some look really cool. But why is it not so popular anymore like when it used to be? Don’t get me wrong, it is still popular, but I feel like its not as popular…
Fast fashion promises style, delivers waste
Ever since Shein and Temu grew in popularity, I’ve seen fast fashion take over almost every store I walk into. If you’re not familiar with fast fashion, it’s clothing that mimics new styles using cheap quality material to be sold at cheap prices. It sounds appealing when you hear it,…
Black Friday 2025: A recap
Every November, brands roll out television commercials and video advertisements for something called Black Friday. Occurring on the day after Thanksgiving every year, it is widely considered to be the start of the Christmas shopping season. While almost everybody knows about the sales and discounts of Black Friday, many feel…
Store closures leave shoppers with fewer options
If it feels like more stores are closing lately and malls are looking half-empty, it’s not your imagination. Across the country, thousands of stores from major retail chains like Macy’s, Party City, and Carter’s to supermarkets and pharmacies such as Walgreens and CVS have closed their doors. Bankruptcy, rising tariffs,…
The banned book discussion
Books are a primary form of media and educational material. They contain stories or historical information, some of which have influenced modern society as it is known today. However, in the United States, book censorship is becoming increasingly common. During the 2023-24 school year, over 6,500 books were banned…
Political divisions drive discussion: The continued quest to find unity and dialogue
In the United States, political divisiveness is often covered in the media. Whether it’s President Donald Trump’s policies or speculation regarding the 2028 Democratic Party primaries, it’s become an inescapable topic for the average American. Since the 2016 election, the nation has shifted away from moderate and bipartisan politics and…
People of Lawrence photo essay
My profile is on Lawrence and the people residing in it making it what it is today I took photos of people doing their every day activities. Note: Arias is currently enrolled in an Early College Journalism I course. Students completed profiles and/or portraits for their final projects. Arias chose…
NECC’s budding cannabis courses
College offers certificates focused on jobs in the industry Since its legalization in 2016, following the decriminalization of cannabis in 2008, Massachusetts has emerged as a leader in the recreational cannabis sector, becoming the 18th state in the nation to embrace this progressive change. The legalization has not only reshaped…
Alexa Plus: A new era of voice assistance, but at what cost?
Amazon’s latest innovation, Alexa Plus, promises to revolutionize the way we interact with voice assistants. With enhanced voice recognition capabilities powered by generative AI, Alexa Plus is designed to provide a more personalized and efficient user experience. However, this advancement comes with significant changes to how user data is handled,…
