The Olb City Announcer
Volume 3, Issue 8
February 14th-February 20th, 2021
Semi Truck Slams Into Building
By Tony Yuan
Downtown Olb City-A semi truck went out of control and slammed into the Wharton Park office building on ice-covered roads on 1st Street Monday. Thirteen people have died and a further twenty are in the hospital. According to security camera footage, the truck swerved around crazily before crashing violently into the office building, where it promptly exploded. Firefighters tried to control the fire until 2:00 in the morning on Tuesday. The fire was put out Tuesday afternoon. The building is not stable and may collapse; a 5,000-foot zone in and around the building has been evacuated and is currently closed while engineers assess the situation. The affected parts of the building include three small businesses and offices for Tvnrmr Medical. The small business owners are dead, along with four customers. The truck driver and five Tvnrmr Medical employees are also dead, and two other employees have since died from injuries. Two small business customers were injured, and the remaining 18 injured people are Tvnrmr Medical employees. The semi truck is operated by Qzmp Deliveries, and Qzmp has offered a “sincere apology” for this “sad and horrifying accident.” Detours can be taken via AR-14, AR-10, and AR-12. We will be publishing updates as new facts emerge.
Arts
By Owen Miyazoi
The travelling exhibition Beautifont opened at the OCAM on Wednesday. It showcases beautiful, innovative, and intricate fonts from around the world.
Sports
By Sam-Louis Alrocaet
As temperatures drop drastically, the first round of the Arenztopian Skiing Tournament was held. Johnathan Kalanak of the New Paris Numbats won, beating everyone else by over a minute.
Weather
By Mezoir Logan
Temperatures have dropped to -9 degrees celsius and we are starting to see major ice and snow buildup. Travel is strongly discouraged because there have already been multiple fatal crashes along the highway. Small power outages and water pipe failure have also been reported, although these are not forecasted to grow to a large scale. It is advised to let your faucets trickle and drip, because this prevents ice buildup in your water pipes. If you own snow chains, use them when travelling.
Coronavirus Report
By Owen Miyazoi
Cases have dropped to just 310, and deaths are at 7. The death count is now lower than the death count from mid March. The case count is now lower than the case count in early- and mid- April. A record 3,000 more people have gotten Avac, and another 1,500 have gotten Pfizer. So far, 5,000 people have been fully vaccinated with Pfizer and 5,575 people have gotten Avac, for a total of 10,575 people vaccinated with more to come. The Arenztopian Officer of Health, Dr. Johannes Peterson, has arranged for 20,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine to be delivered to Arenztopia, hopefully by mid- to late- March.
Feature: Carnod Danswin
By Tony Yuan
We interviewed Carnod Danswin, the manager of the architecture firm Danswin, Rodos, and Imhop Ateliers.
Olb City Announcer: What style of architecture do you usually design?
Carnod Danswin: I usually design retrofuturism architecture. It's the kind of architecture that you see in those spacey-looking buildings from the 1950s and 60s.
OCA: What are some notable buildings that you have designed?
CD: I remember once, back in 1989, we had a building where it was made out of the bow of an old ocean liner, so the facade was the bow of the ship modified to look really streamlined and futuristic, and the back was this chrome-covered jumble of cones, pyramids, and spheres. That building eventually became the Circlefish bar and hotel, which was pretty much at the heart of the North Riverside neighborhood. You can still go over there and see it now.
OCA: What is you favorite building that you have designed?
CD: I suppose my favorite would be the Circlefish bar and hotel, the one that I just told you about, and I also really like this one house that we designed in 1995, which was this sphere perched on top of a mountaintop like it's about to roll off. That one got demolished in 2012, but oh well.
OCA: That looks like all the questions that we have for you today! Thanks for coming!
CD: Thank you for inviting me!
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
NASA's Perseverance rover lands
By Sam-Louis Alrocaet
NASA's Perseverance rover landed on Mars Thursday, after a six-month journey through the cosmos. The rover incorporates revolutionary new technologies and could change our understanding of Mars.
New Ptcos 10 Phone Bug
By Owen Miyazoi
The phone manufacturer Ptcos says that it discovered yet another bug with its problem-riddled Ptcos 10. The bug causes the screen to permanently shut down when users try to take a photo while the phone is facing diagonally down and to the left. Ptcos says that this is likely an error with the motion and direction sensors; reports say that Ptcos is rushing to fix the problem.
Poetry
By Lorenzo Avila, edited by Tony Yuan
Perseverance
Journey finished, yet also just starting.
Years of hard work
finally done
yet years of hard work
are just starting.
Obituary
By Owen Miyazoi
87-year-old former city council member Gerard Pankliemo died at his home on Sunday. He was influential in the stock market center being moved to Olb City. Visit olbcity.az/pankliemo to show sympathy.