[Listen]

 

[Radio Static]

 

THE REPORTER:

 

Good evening, Witherburn. I'm the reporter and today's broadcast will not be our usual routine. I have learned something recently that I think is best shared at the end of our program, but I am willing to guarantee it will change the way you look at the Witherburn Police Department.  I don't quite know what it means yet, but trust me when I say you will want to hear this. With that out of the way, I would like to officially welcome you to Witherburn Afterschool News. 

 

[Theme Music]

 

Let's get our regular news stories over and done with. Our first story tonight is about the PTA elections. Now, I know there's been a bit of strong campaigning from the presidential nominees, but we are going to go over the other positions before we get to them. Consider this your easy guide to the Witherburn PTA elections.

 

Mr. Golder has filled the Treasurer position for the past two years and has done an outstanding job. However, there is a new challenger approaching, Mrs. Doyle. She thinks that Mr. Golder allegates too many funds to the sports programs, considering both his children are the school's sports superstars. 

 

There is no evidence for Mr. Golder doing this, though, and it feels like Mrs. Doyle made this all up. While I do agree we allegate too much to sports, in the end, it's not Mr. Golder who makes the final decision. Mrs. Doyle should be advocating for more arts funding, especially since her child has participated in multiple programs, but instead she is using her campaign time spreading rumors. With all that being said, it seems like Mr. Golder has a strong chance of winning this election. 

 

The Secretary position is less dramatic because Mrs. Stoker is running unopposed. She has dutifully fulfilled this position for three years and everyone seems satisfied with it. 

 

The Vice President position used to be filled by Mrs. Farrow-Garcia, but since she has opted to run for President this year, the position is being filled by Mrs. Hoffman. She is running unopposed, though people seem to believe in her skills and think that she will make a great Vice President. 

 

Now, I know you have all been waiting for me to discuss the presidential campaign.

For about seven years now, Mrs. Clark has run the PTA unopposed. Whether this is because she did a good job or because people were scared of her is debatable. She's often used her power as a way to get her son out of trouble or to have the principal in her back pocket. 

 

Essentially, if there was a club or teacher she didn't like… Well, all it took to get rid of them was a wave of her hand. As one might imagine, this didn't sit well with some people. Why should the Clarks get special treatment?

 

That's where Mrs. Farrow-Garcia comes in. She has spent many years as Mrs. Clark's vice, but felt that the position was being misused and abused. I mean, sitting back as she approves policy after policy that only helps one kid, it would be frustrating, especially for someone who is so involved in the community.

 

This year, she finally decided to run against Mrs. Clark. I guess standing up to the Clark’s is becoming a family trait. This decision didn't come without its consequences, though. The Clark’s decided to run a smear campaign against Mrs. Farrow-Garcia, with ads being posted on Facebook. The ads say some disgusting things like, “How can the  Farrow-Garcia's claim to care for our children's education when Mr. Farrow didn't even finish high school?” And, “does she even have the ability to run a PTA when she can't even handle running the family business?”

 

 I hope you can hear how ludicrous that all is, especially since her daughter Amelia is the current valedictorian. I mean, it's laughable that the Clark’s tried to imply that education wasn't important to the Farrow-Garcia's when it's their son, who's barely squeaking by in all his classes.

 

It turns out smear campaigns can backfire, and after those vicious ads aired, many people sent messages to Mrs. Farrow-Garcia saying that she had their full support. It's looking like, for the first time in years, Brenda Clark won't be the president of the PTA. I think this is a good thing, some changes could do this school some good.

 

With all that PTA news out of the way, let's move on to the rest of the school related news. Our Theatre Arts Society is now selling tickets to the play Macbeth, the story of the Scottish general named Macbeth who receives a prophecy from three witches that he will become king of Scotland. Soon, he becomes consumed by his ambition, leading to a series of violent actions and a descent into madness.

 

I know many people aren't rushing to go watch Shakespeare, but I highly suggest you take the time out of your day to come and see this play. I've seen a few of their practice runs, and trust me, it's gonna be good. They really focused on making it easy to understand, so even if you have never seen Shakespeare, I still suggest you give it a shot.

 

They'll be performing it for three nights right before winter break on the 14th, 15th, and 16th at 5 o'clock. Tickets are only $5, and there will be concessions as well. Also, if you feel inspired by their riveting performance and would like to work on plays in the future, then you can sign up for the Performing Arts Society next semester after the show. So, grab those tickets soon and make sure you don't miss out on the performance of the semester. 

 

I guess we should cover our holiday news next. Thanksgiving is next week, so try to figure out something you're grateful for, despite living in a town that has people disappearing every other week, useless police officers and creepy messages. I'm sure you guys can come up with something, y’all are smart like that.  

 

In all honesty, I know this will be a hard Thanksgiving for a lot of people.  Even if you aren't one of the families affected, it can still feel wrong to celebrate right now.  Though, I still encourage you to celebrate even if that's sending a meal over to one of the families.For those planning a traditional celebration, here are some tips for making these holidays go by a little easier. 

 

Number one, don't gloss over what's going on right now. Dancing around the issues of this town won't make them go away and won't make dealing with them any easier. You can talk about how grateful you are that your children are safe. You are allowed to discuss at the dinner table how you hope the families of the missing are doing well. The only way we as a town can get through this is to talk about it.

 

Number two, if you have family out of town, seriously consider visiting them for Thanksgiving this year. It'll probably be a nice break from everything going on plus, it's always nice to visit extended family. 

 

Number three, make Thanksgiving meal prep a family affair. If you're the kind of person that takes charge of the Thanksgiving feast and are scrambling around the night before trying to make the stuffing, the okra, and the turkey, then try getting your whole family involved in it this year. It can really take a lot of stress off you and can be great family time.

 

For example, some of my favorite Thanksgiving memories are of people sitting around the table peeling potatoes or snapping green beans while we talk about the latest gossip, or our life or whatever we wanted to talk about, these little moments go a long way in making the holidays memorable.

 

And tip number four, you don't know when your family might get together again. So enjoy this time you have together. Watch a movie, play a board game, or have a Mario Kart tournament. The holidays don't have to end at dinnertime, milk every moment you have with them. 

 

Okay, that got a bit sappy, let's move on. I have an announcement from Brandon Roberts. He says, “I know everyone is having a rough go of it lately and the last thing on anyone's mind should be where they're going to get their holiday turkey. I actually hunted too much turkey for me to eat and have four whole birds. They are completely free for those that need them. They have already been plucked and cleaned. Simply come by my house and ask for one. Happy Thanksgiving, Brandon Roberts.”

 

I would like to thank Mr. Roberts for this act of kindness, and for bringing it to my attention. I hope he has a happy Thanksgiving. 

 

Just a few more things to go over, listeners, the ladies on Ms. Newberry's porch have made a scandalous discovery. They think Mr. Tim, the baker, is cheating on his girlfriend Tulip, who is the clerk over at the old bank, with his assistant, Sarah Mae. Which, Tulip, if this is how you're finding out, I am so sorry. According to the older ladies on the porch, they will often see Sarah Mae leaving work with hickeys on her neck.

 

Which,  jeez, try to hide it better at least. Apparently on her birthday, Tim gave her a heart shaped locket with their pictures inside. Which, to be honest listeners, I'm taking this with a grain of salt because how on earth did they see the picture inside the locket from the porch? I mean They usually give very accurate information, but I feel like this is a stretch.

 

Also, the bakery will sometimes close early, yet both of them will leave late. Now, according to Tulip, she thinks Tim is out hanging with his guy friends, when he's really still at the shop with Sarah Mae. Which, why would he even lie about being at the shop? It's your place of work, it's not exactly suspicious that you're there.

 

Men, they truly can't be trusted. I am very much encouraging Tulip to dump him. Trust me, he's not worth your time. Also, if I were Sarah Mae, I would dump him as well, and find a new job, cause honey, if he's willing to cheat on Tulip, then he's willing to cheat on you. Mr. Tim, if you're hearing this, then all I have to say to you is,  you're a jerk, and get better excuses. 

 

But that's just my two cents. I don't truly know what's going on behind the scenes anyway, so  who am I to judge?  Our final bit of news for the day is about a new local boutique that's opening up. Apparently someone from Magnolia bought that older store on Main Street and is turning it into a store called The Southern Chic Boutique. Which is just so creative.

 

I got a peek at the clothes, and to be honest, listeners, it's what you expect. A lot of animal print and clothes you could wear to be both the modest, cool girl at church and also to a frat party. I expect a lot of balayage blondes to be all over this store when it opens. This isn't really to drag anyone who wears this type of clothing, but it is a little frustrating that this is the only type of clothing women can seem to get around here.

 

I mean, come on, I know about a dozen southern chic type stores within a 30 minute radius of our town. Do we really need another one? I just wish we could get an interesting clothing store for once. That's all? Anyways, Southern Chic's opening date is Black Friday, so make sure to check it out.  Okay, now that we are done with our regular news, we can move on to what I uncovered this week.

 

For some context, after Chloe disappeared, the police had convinced me that she had run away and that they had a general idea of where she was, and that she was fine. I accepted this answer and went to bed calm, thinking my friend was safe. Well, earlier this week I was looking through some of my text and realized Chloe had texted a group chat asking if anyone wanted to go to the Halloween bonfire.

 

Everyone in the group chat responded with things along the lines of, “not really”, and Chloe said it was okay and she would figure something out. It hit me at that moment that Chloe probably tried to go to the Halloween party alone. This also makes sense when you realize one of the only items of clothing missing from her closet was a short, black dress.

 

It's so obvious, I'm shocked I didn't realize sooner. Of course, I immediately brought this information to the police. It would explain why her glasses were in the woods, and if she got lost in the woods, she could still be out there. At the very least, it's evidence that she didn't plan on running away that night.

 

She could have met someone who convinced her to go with them, or she might have just wandered into a nearby town. Maybe she was scared of coming back home after all this. People, people don't always think clearly in these situations, you know? Anyway, I brought this to the police station and let's just say they weren't very receptive.

 

I know some of you are gonna say I was the problem and I should just let the police do their job. But the thing is, the thing is they weren't. It's like they didn't even want me to submit the new evidence. They just wanted me out of there, they wouldn't even search the woods. If you're still on the fence about this, then listen to this recording I've got. 

 

[Police Station Recording Begins]

 

THE REPORTER: 

 

So what, are you just going to ignore this new evidence? 

​

POLICE OFFICER: 

 

We don't have time for your theories, okay?

​

THE REPORTER:

 

 It makes the most sense though. That's why the dress is missing and why her glasses were in the woods. She's out there and you have to find her.

​

POLICE OFFICER:

 

I told you we know where she is.

​

THE REPORTER:

 

Then why don't you go get her? 

 

POLICE OFFICER: 

 

Look, why don't you just let the police do their jobs?

 

THE REPORTER:

 

And what has that done for the four other families with missing children? Do you even want to find her? Do you even care?
 

POLICE OFFICER:

 

 Ma'am, you're hysterical. If you know what's good for you, I suggest you leave.  

​

THE REPORTER: 

 

Fine.  I'm wasting my time here anyways.  

 

[Police Station Recording Ends]

 

THE REPORTER:

 

Even re-listening to that is frustrating, but do you see what I mean? Why wouldn't they take the new evidence? It offers them at least a starting point maybe, maybe Mrs. Calloway was right. I mean, everyone thought she just broke under the pressure, but what if the police actually don't want to find these people?  It's a theory,  I'm starting to believe myself, honestly. Which is terrifying to say, because these are my friends and classmates. 

 

Even if you didn't know the missing, you should still be terrified, because it could be you! I mean, we're all thinking it, right? There's this dreadful feeling in everyone's gut the moment the sun goes down. That lingering question, could you be next? Or someone you know? Or if any more people will even disappear at all.

 

And the police department sitting around doing nothing doesn't help the problem, it just makes that fear worse. 

 

Listeners, you can decide for yourselves whether you still trust the Witherburn police, but I urge you not to judge those that are starting to distrust the department. Whether they are being completely honest or not, it doesn't matter when there are people still missing and families still worried. They also haven't solved the root of the problem, which is that teens are running away. 

 

So no matter what, they're still failing to do their job to the fullest. I know that this episode is gonna make some people upset, but I hope it doesn't prevent you from tuning in next week.

I'm The Reporter, signing off.