Announcement of bin Laden's Death Mutes a Week of News

Sitting on my couch Sunday night was business as usual—watching reruns and old movies on TV as I enjoyed an ice cold glass of chocolate milk. When my phone began to explode with text messages and news alerts, all that changed.

My good friend and fellow journalist, Brian, texted me and we began speculating as to what could possibly cause President Obama to hold a press conference at 11 p.m. on a Sunday. We both knew Gadaffi's son was killed in the latest attack in Libya so we knew it couldn't have been that. 

Then, Brian sent a text I'll always remember: "What if we got bin Laden ...."

My mind instantly spiralled into shock and disbelief, but the sheer magnitude seemed absurd. I had grown up in a generation that came to grips with the fact we would never catch Osama bin Laden. 

Sure enough, as I watched the light flicker off Wolf Blitzer's beard on CNN around 10:36 p.m., he and John King announced that Obama would soon be announcing that the United States had the body of the leader of al-Qaida. 

Immediately, I got on the phone and began calling sources thinking, "Who is going to want to talk at this hour?" Thankfully, I was able to get through to long-time Marine vet and Severn resident, .

His reaction to the news was powerful, sobering and offered a unique perspective to the situation. We spoke for a brief time while he manned his current post in Camp Lejeune, NC, and I was able to post the around 12:36 a.m. 

Fresh off the story and filled with adrenaline from the last few hours, I didn't sleep much. 

Royal What?

In jest, my colleagues and I joked about how only America could one-up the Royal Wedding with bigger news. However, the reality is bin Laden's death truly trumped all other news from throughout the week.

Local laborers picketed against Cordish Casino's labor agreement with Reliable Contracting Company, stating that Reliable. After neither Cordish or Reliable made themselves available to speak with us, we shared what we knew with Severn Patch readers about the situation. More is sure to come as the situation develops. 

Dressing the Part

Local students went back to class last week after enjoying spring break, but Principal Sheila Hill of Old Mill High School was forced to stop more than 15 girls due to inappropriate attire. Something she has to do anywhere from five to 10 times a day, said Hill.

Patch spoke with local administrators and high school students to learn about the dress code between students and administrators. 

It seems, due to the untracked records of each student's dress code violations, consequences for infractions usually amount to an oversized sweatshirt and nothing more. 

A that led to an arrest, Old Mill lacrosse's and some , all were truncated by the world-stopping news of .