(Photo courtesy of Belloza’s family) “Amy Lucia Lopez Belloza at her high school graduation” Olivia O’Sullivan Connector Staff Amy Lucia Lopez Belloza was at Boston Logan International Airport on November 20 when she was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The 19-year-old student was planning to surprise her family in Houston, Texas,…
UMass Lowell faces first winter storm
(Photo courtesy of Julia Malakie) “Snow overlooking Lowell City Hall” Benjamin Heffner Connector Editor UMass Lowell got its first winter weather system of the season as Winter Storm Chan moved its way through the Northeast, delivering heavy snow threats from Pennsylvania to Maine. “We’ve been talking about this in some of our weather classes since…
Disability rights advocate Alice Wong passes away
(Photo courtesy of MacArthur Foundation) “Disability rights advocate Alice Wong” Amy Lam Connector Staff Alice Wong, a disability rights advocate and author at age 51, died on Nov. 14 at a hospital in San Francisco. It is important to note the issues in the disability community, “People with disabilities face inaccessible educational, professional, and social environments.…
Congress set to release Epstein Files
(Photo courtesy of J. Scott Applewhite) “Epstein survivors gather outside Capitol” Makayla Mahoney Connector Staff On Wednesday, Nov. 19, President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Transparency Act after it passed unanimously in the Senate the night before. This comes after weeks of continuous pressure to release the Epstein files, a promise that President Trump ran…
Longest government shutdown ends
(Photo courtesy of Jacob Levin) “North Bridge Visitor Center in Concord” Benjamin Heffner Connector Editor After 43 days, on Nov. 12, President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan bill from both chambers of Congress, officially ending the longest government shutdown in American history. The bill was voted 60-40 in the Senate and 222-209 in the House. …
U.S. Treasury ceases penny production
(Photo courtesy of Matt Slocum) “One of the last pennies pressed at the U.S. Mint” Olivia O’Sullivan Connector Staff On Nov. 12, 2025, after over 230 years in circulation, the last pennies were minted in Philadelphia at the U.S. Mint. The Mint has announced an auction for the final coins produced. President Trump directed the…
Americans struggle without SNAP benefits
(Photo courtesy of Matt Rourke) “Americans wait in line for food assistance” Olivia O’Sullivan Connector Staff In the wake of the government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it would run out of funding to operate SNAP – the federal food assistance program – by November. The Trump administration previously stated that…
UMass Lowell students confront preachers
(Photo courtesy of Benjamin Heffner) “Students gather outside the South Campus quad” Makayala Mahoney Connector Staff On Thursday, October 30th, a UMass Lowell student threw a glass of milk at a religious demonstrator on south campus, resulting in his detainment by local law enforcement. The student was released on personal recognizance on Friday, October 31st,…
