Issue 43

The Olb City Announcer

Volume 5, Issue 3
May 30th-June 5th, 2021

Submarine Wreck Found

By Tony Yuan

Arville-On Tuesday, the wreck of the submarine ASMV (Arenztopian Submersible Marine Vehicle) Northerner was found approximately 20 miles off the coast of Arville. The submarine was built in 2000 and was the largest submarine ever built in Arenztopia and also the ninth-largest ever at 450 feet long. The Northerner was also the first and only nuclear-powered submarine built in Arenztopia. It had a capacity of 100 people and a top speed of 25 knots or 31 mph. In 2008, the Northerner experienced an electrical failure during a training exercise and was unable to regulate the pressure inside the hull, leading to an immediate implosion which killed every single one of the 95 people on board. Miraculously, the nuclear reactor itself was able to evade any major damage, but the nuclear waste room has been steadily leaking small amounts of radiation into the sea around the wreck. Locating the submarine became a very high priority for the Arenztopian Navy and other naval-related groups in order to stop the radiation leak. In 2010, explorer Hadring Leon reached the wreck and shared a description of its condition, but he never shared where the wreck was located and died suddenly soon after his discovery. So, despite multiple expeditions, the location of the wreck of the Northerner has been an enduring mystery for eleven years. The wreck was rediscovered by a joint team led by the Arenztopian Navy and the Mariner's Association of Arenztopia (MAA), using three ships, the AMV (Arenztopian Marine Vehicle) Baltika, AMV Amundsen, and AMV Wiencke, all working together to comb a roughly 50-square-mile area that had been narrowed down by earlier expeditions. “This was the largest expedition to locate the ASMV Northerner in history,” said the expedition's director, Johans Korenson. “The expedition was originally scheduled for July 2020 but it had to be postponed due to the coronavirus.” The ships had set sail from Arville Port last month and they were beginning to lose hope when the crew of the AMV Wiencke spotted a spike in radiation levels and also detected a jagged formation protruding from the seafloor. The AMV Baltika and AMV Amundsen immediately sailed to the AMV Wiencke and indeed confirmed higher-than-usual radiation levels and also some kind of wreckage on the seafloor. The divers Rodney Alkun and Julian Tiberun dived to the seafloor and indeed confirmed that the wreckage was that of the Northerner. “I will never forget that moment when I was swimming around in the wreckage and saw those white letters spelling ‘ASMV NORTHERNER’ jump out at me from the darkness of the ocean,” says Julian. Plans are underway to lift the wreckage out of the ocean and possibly transport it to a museum.

The ASMV Northerner being escorted by two boats in 2005 The ASMV Northerner in 2005

Arts

by Owen Miyazoi

The notable German-Arenztopian artist Frederick De Gaussierich died at the advanced age of 102 on Wednesday. De Gaussierich was known for his flamboyant, huge, and expensive paintings featuring bright colors and abstract patterns. His house and unsold art were gifted to the OCAM and plans are underway to turn it into a satellite location.

Sports

By Sam-Louis Alrocaet

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the third and fourth races of the ASCRO stock car racing tournament happened. For the third race, held at Olb Speedway, driver Alki Hoissing won in car #29. For the fourth race, held at the New Rome Superspeedway, driver Sonsa Trae in car #5 won. No major crashes occured.

Science

By Owen Miyazoi

On Monday, scientists at the University of Arenztopia at Olb City discovered a new species of tree in the National Forest. The tree's scientific name is Pinus Lajareni, after Tash Lajaren, the well-known Arenztopian arborist. This species is distingished by its long needles, high-up branches, and grayish bark. The scientists’ findings were published in the journal Arenztopian Arborology Journal on Friday.

Weather

By Mezoir Logan

There will be sunny, hot weather throughout next week, with an expected low of 23 degrees Celsius and a high of 27. There will be winds of about fifteen miles per hour, which means that the weather will be ideal for going outside.

Coronavirus Report

By Owen Miyazoi

Cases are still at 0, with 45 million vaccinated. The KidVac vaccine from the University of Arenztopia and the Arenztopian government has been certified for use in children ages five to 12. Everybody above the age of five is expected to be vaccinated by next week, which means that the vaccination count is expected to go up to 47 million.

Feature: Allen Sizeros

By Lorenzo Avila & Tony Yuan

Today we interviewed Allen Sizeros, a cartoonist and comedian who draws the comic Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious for the Sherville Daily News.

Olb City Announcer: So tell us a little bit about your comic! I hear it's very entertaining.

Allen Sizeros: Yeah, so Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is a comic where there are some characters and they have a normal conversation, but the conversation is basically entirely puns.

OCA: Could you give us an example of a joke from one of your comics?

AS: Sure.

Four: I chickened out of going to the roller coaster yesterday at the theme park because I'm two squared.

OCA: Ha! That's really funny and clever! Could you tell us about how you get the ideas for these jokes?

AS: Well, I guess sometimes they just spring into my head, and sometimes I build on the character's names, the events in the strip, or earlier jokes that I've already thought of.

OCA: Cool! Well, unfortunately, that looks like all the questions that we have for you today, so thank you so much for coming!

AS: Thanks a lot for inviting me!

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Doplon Azani Book Published

By Sam-Louis Alrocaet

Doplon Azani, a famous Arenztopian writer who died in 1996, recently had a book published posthumously by her daughter. It is titled “When the Tiger Roars,” and it is about a young girl living in India who has to rescue her village from a hungry tiger.

When the Tiger Roars is available for 59.99 Arenzos anywhere that books are sold.

Hot Air Balloon Festival Held

By Owen Miyazoi

The long-awaited 2020-2021 Arenztopian Hot Air Balloon Festival (AHABF) finally started on Tuesday, with many participants floating around in their hot air balloons. Meanwhile, there was a hot air balloon race, where conestants raced their balloons to the finish line, albeit very slowly.

Book Recommendation

By Sam-Louis Alrocaet

Today we recommend The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design by Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt, based on the podcast. The book contains many interesting and insightful stories about the stories behind many little tidbits of everyday design that we usually take for granted.

Poetry

By Lorenzo Avila, edited by Tony Yuan

Beach:
It's time for the beach.
Summer
Sand
Waves
Beach.

Obituary

By Owen Miyazoi

On Thursday, baker Sarras Nagan died at the age of 90 from a heart attack. He was known for his excellent food and his extensive donations to charity. He was the third generation to run the historic Nagan's Bakery in downtown Olb City. His 62-year-old son, Mirsans Nagan, says that he will continue to run the bakery. Send your sympathies to memorial@nagansbakery.com or by texting 141714.