The student news site of Westwood High School.

Westwood Horizon

The student news site of Westwood High School.

Westwood Horizon

The student news site of Westwood High School.

Westwood Horizon

Community & World

As COVID-19 causes widespread unemployment, many people have faced trouble paying for groceries, rent, and other necessities. To help combat this issue and keep tenants in their homes, Austin has created several renter assistance programs.

City Unveils Expanded Tenant Aid Program

Amy Simon, Sports Editor July 26, 2020

After distributing $1.25 million in May to 1,681 households, the City of Austin announced a second round of emergency rental assistance, called RENT 2.0, to help keep people in their homes. The amount...

During the first town hall, district officials covered a broad range of topics. These included how areas would be sanitized, in what ways schools and facilities would be updated, and many other safety subjects.

Public Health Guidelines and Safety Measures Town Hall Recap

Hannah Ashtari, Managing Editor July 26, 2020

District officials held a town hall meeting covering public health guidelines and safety measures for reopening schools on Monday, July 21. They discussed the actions that would be taken to keep students...

RRISD issued an announcement on the reopening of schools, stating that for the first three weeks, all learning would be online.

RRISD Decides to Virtually Reopen Schools For First Three Weeks

Jake Schlanger, Community & World News Editor July 14, 2020

Superintendent Steve Flores announced that all RRISD schools would reopen on Aug. 20th, as originally scheduled, albeit online. This move comes as Texas and the Austin area experience a surge of coronavirus...

Lipika Chatur 21, Rushil Patange 21 and an organization volunteer stand outside of Sundara Senior Living, where Ma(s)king a Difference recently donated 100 masks.

‘Ma(s)king a Difference’ Protects Frontline Workers In Austin

Catharine Li, Horizon Editor-in-Chief July 10, 2020

As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise across the State of Texas, extended efforts to help slow the spread of the virus by wearing a mask and staying at home when possible remain the...

Donald Trump made immigration a central part of the 2016 campaign. Now, with deepening economic woes, many fear that Trump is taking advantage of unemployment numbers to shut down immigration.

Trump Suspends Foreign Work Visas in Effort to Curb Unemployment

Amoli Agarwal, Horizon Editor-in-Chief June 26, 2020

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday, June 22 authorizing the temporary suspension of several different types of work visas, in order to decrease the rising American unemployment...

This statue is a monument to the Confederacy and is situated on the grounds of the Texas Capitol.

A Review of Confederate Imagery in Central Texas

Amoli Agarwal, Horizon Editor-in-Chief June 19, 2020

After the death of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement was thrown into full force across the country, starting with protests calling for the obstruction of systemic racism. Following the...

A view of Austins City Hall from the shore of Lady Bird Lake.

City of Austin Begins Redistricting Process

Amoli Agarwal, Horizon Editor-in-Chief June 12, 2020

For the first time in history, Austin will go through the process of redistricting, in which the ten existing council district boundaries will be redrawn to reflect demographic changes found by the 2020...

A section of the Tesla Gigafactory under construction in Nevada.

Tesla Comes to Austin

Amy Simon, Sports Editor June 12, 2020

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently tweeted on May 9, with plans on moving Tesla’s headquarters from California to Texas immediately after restrictions in California forced factories to stay closed due to the...

Looking at her phone, a protestor writes a quote with chalk on the streets of downtown Austin. While writing she shared stories of the protests the occurred the previous day with the people around her.

What Do People Think of The Austin BLM Protests?

Srilekha Cherukuvada, Dreamcatcher Editor in Chief June 4, 2020

This past weekend starting Friday, May 29, the Black Lives Matter Movement started to take root in Austin with protestors lining the roads. Crowds of people came out in support of the movement, including...

TeleHealth Access for Seniors is a non-profit organization that helps senior citizens access many essential functions, such as communicating with loved ones and ordering groceries, by collecting and donating old devices to them. Photo courtesy of TeleHealth Access for Seniors.

TeleHealth Access for Seniors Supplies Elderly with Necessary Technology

Sourav Dhar, Sports Editor June 1, 2020

A growing problem for older citizens is the lack of access to necessary electronic equipment and applications. Without these devices, many senior citizens are deprived of access to physicians due to not...

Overhead image of a hurricane, taken from a satellite.

Tropical Storm Bertha and the Harsh Hurricane Season Ahead

Hannah Ashtari, Managing Editor May 29, 2020

The six- month 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season, beginning on Monday, is expected to be more severe than previous years, especially due to the backdrop of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. The second named...

As Texas businesses open back up, retail and restaurant workers are on the frontlines. After a day of interacting with hundreds of different people, I cant help but worry that just one of them might have made me sick, Ashtari said. Its not just Ashtari thats concerned about safety. Almost every worker we talked to was concerned about their health.

Frontline Stories: A Look at High School Workers During the Pandemic

Jake Schlanger, Community & World News Editor May 15, 2020

Although teenagers aren’t as susceptible to COVID-19, they are being affected by the pandemic in many ways. These effects range from being furloughed, putting themselves in harm’s way at work, or having...

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