Combined pitch email - July 31

Hey everyone,

We have some fun pitches for you this week as we head into the last month of summer!

If you want to take any of these pitches, or have a pitch of your own that you would like to write an article on, message the line editor of that section (through email or The Gateway's Slack), and they'll set you up to write the article.

Have a good week!

Lily

News Pitches

You can reach Lily at [email protected] or over Slack!

Researchers aim to find out why gaming grads are exiting the industry early: A growing number of fresh recruits to the gaming industry leave within the first three years, and University of Alberta researchers aim to find out why through a project called The First Three Years.

U of A spinoff company teaming up with Edmonton International Airport to develop biojet facility: Forge Hydrocarbons, a University of Alberta spinoff company producing renewable fuels and chemicals, is collaborating with Edmonton International Airport (YEG) to work towards a new biojet fuel production facility in the Edmonton area.

Damage to gut bacteria linked with chemo-induced weight gain in breast cancer patients: New research seeks to explain why patients who undergo chemotherapy lose muscle and gain fat, with the goal of helping survivors avoid future obesity-related illness.

Low muscle mass could make people more vulnerable to COVID, study suggests: Levels of muscle mass and body fat play a pivotal role in COVID-19 prognosis and recovery, according to new University of Alberta research.In a review of several studies, the researchers found that abnormalities in body composition were prevalent in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and were often associated with more severe disease and poorer outcomes, including higher risk of death.

Opinion Pitches

You can reach Olivia at [email protected] or over Slack!

Safety of K-Days is up in the air: K-Days made the news multiple times in the past couple of weeks, and not for the reasons you’d expect. Fights broke out among those in attendance — including an incident involving bear spray — raising concerns about the safety of the event. Take this pitch, and write about what needs to be done to ensure that K-Days (or events like it) are safe for everyone in attendance.

Are the Edmonton Elks becoming a national embarrassment? At the most recent Elks game on Saturday, fans took to covering their faces with paper bags to poke fun at the fact that the team is currently in a 21-game losing streak. Clearly, fans are getting desperate for change — and surely so are the Elks themselves, too. Take this pitch, and write about the dire state of the team: are they beyond redemption? What has to change for Edmonton to save face? Is it even worth trying?

New cigarette label warnings: This week, Health Canada will begin introducing new warning labels to cigarettes. The warnings will be printed directly on the cigarettes and include phrases such as “Poison in every puff,” and “Cigarettes damage your organs.” The warnings are meant to deter children from smoking, and serve as a deterrent to those who already do. People are split about the warnings: some think they’ll be effective, while others doubt they’ll do anything at all. Take this pitch, and tell us what you think? Will the warnings work? How will they impact university students in particular?

Mandate letters: The mandate letter addressed to the Minister of Advanced Education, Rajan Sawhney, was released recently. Mandate letters are written by Premier Danielle Smith, and are meant to outline the objectives that Smith wants each minister to work on over the course of their tenure. Take this pitch and tell us what you think about Sawhney’s letter. Do you think Premier Smith’s requests are justified? Should she have focused on something else? Is there anything missing?

A&C Pitches

You can reach Katie at [email protected] or over Slack!

Event Coverage: Heritage Festival

Edmonton EXPO Centre, August 5 to 7

For three days, this year’s Heritage Festival will be filled with loads of fun activities to see and various options of food to choose from! If you are interested in going to the festival consider covering it for us as well!

Event Coverage: Tell Us What Happened Publication Celebration

Gateway Theatre, August 7 at 7:30 p.m.

U of A alumna Michelle Robb is publishing a print version of her play Tell Us What Happened! This production won the Novitiate Prize for the Annual Alberta Playwriting Competition in 2020. It premiered at Workshop West in 2022 and this event will be a celebration of this playwright and her very first publication!

Performance Review: Freewill Shakespeare Festival - Romeo & Juliet and Twelfth Night

Edmonton Convention Centre, August 8 until September 3

Shakespeare in the Park is back (sort of)! If you are a theatre lover, then you should definitely consider checking out this year’s performances in the new venue, especially on a Sunday when the tickets for students are priced at $5 each! The festival is from August 8 to September 3 and tickets can be bought on the website. They have two main shows, one of which is a tragic love story and the other a rambunctious comedy that has loads of laughs!

Music Review: Grow On by JayWood

Releases August 11

Check out this new EP from JayWood, the indie-alternative project of Jeremy Haywood-Smith! This artist is from Winnipeg and infuses his catchy tracks with soul influences as well as carefully calculated production. Review this album and maybe you will discover a new artist!

A&C Columns

Brew Crew/Vino Bitches: As we head into the partying season, write a fun, short review of your favourite (or not-so-favourite) beers, wines, or other alcoholic beverages of choice!

Diss Track: Are there 3-4 songs that grind your gears in the worst way possible? Diss the crap out of them in this column.