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By the students, for the students of Central Washington University

The Observer

By the students, for the students of Central Washington University

The Observer

By the students, for the students of Central Washington University

The Observer

Jackson McMurray, Staff Reporter

Staff Reporter – Fall 2019

All content by Jackson McMurray
Onward to another Pixar Movie

Onward to another Pixar Movie

Jackson McMurray, Staff Contributor
March 11, 2020

Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is back in a big way.  This new resurgence with young adults might be a product of the affinity for the fantasy genre that comes from growing up with Peter Jackson’s...

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Teagan Kimbro

‘The Invisible Man’

Jackson McMurray, Staff Contributor
March 4, 2020

“The Invisible Man” (2020) is a remake of the 1933 film in name only. Realistically, the only similarities between the two films is that there’s a guy in it you can’t see and it’s a horror movie. The...

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Teagan Kimbro

The evolution of Sonic the Hedgehog

Jackson McMurray, Staff Contributor
February 19, 2020

The horror of the old Sonic animation was defeated after the first trailer for “Sonic the Hedgehog” (2019) dropped and everyone, rightly, lost their damn minds.  Sonic was a nightmare. He was an...

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Teagan Kimbro

‘Birds of Prey’: A unique story made by unique voices

Jackson McMurray, Staff Contributor
February 12, 2020

Used to be that asking someone if they were “Marvel or DC” was a pretty benign question. In a culture where comic book superheroes were only just a part of the mainstream, it mostly meant “do you...

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“Bad Boys for Life”

Jackson McMurray, Staff Contributor
January 22, 2020

“Bad Boys II” (2003) is a story that comes from the darkest, most terrifying recesses of the mind of Michael Bay. The film is a nihilistic, misanthropic fever dream; it’s the loudest, fastest, and...

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Inside the Food Wagon

Jackson McMurray, Staff Reporter
December 4, 2019

If you ever find yourself lost in or around Barto Hall, feeling very hungry and slightly adventurous between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on a weekday, there is a school-sanctioned vehicle-based solution for...

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Cold weather shelter opens

Cold weather shelter opens

Jackson McMurray, Staff Reporter
November 20, 2019

Temperatures are finally starting to dip below freezing at night in Ellensburg, and for many residents that means a severe drop in living conditions.  Friends In Service to Humanity(FISH) is a local...

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‘The Mandalorian’: a Disney+ Miracle

Jackson McMurray, Columnist
November 19, 2019

The “streaming wars” are supposedly beginning as we speak with the launches of high-profile services like Apple TV Plus and Disney+. With late additions like Peacock and HBO MAX still on the horizon...

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‘Doctor Sleep’ can stand on its own

‘Doctor Sleep’ can stand on its own

Jackson McMurray, Staff Reporter
November 13, 2019

You don’t need me to tell you that “The Shining” (1980) is something of a sacred text when it comes to the horror film genre, and making a sequel to it seems, on paper, about as good of an idea as...

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Stray cats neutered for new owners

Stray cats neutered for new owners

Jackson McMurray and Mary Park
November 13, 2019

Ellensburg, much like most cities in the United States, has a problem with stray pets.  Domesticated homeless animals, cats especially, are very often unhealthy in the wild, and they reproduce quickly...

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The crawling dead

The crawling dead

Jackson McMurray, Staff Reporter
October 31, 2019

On Oct. 25, Randall Hall 133 was filled with severed limbs, blood, and most importantly, dozens of baby dolls. Zombie Babies is a yearly event put on by the CWU Department of Art and Design every...

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Ghostlight Labs sheds light on Holocaust

Jackson McMurray, Staff Reporter
October 23, 2019

The Holocaust isn’t being taken seriously lately, thinks Grace Basta, director of the CWU theater department’s most recent Ghostlight Labs production, “And a Child Shall Lead.” The show, which...

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Get the ‘b’jeebies’ scared out of you

Jackson McMurray, Staff Reporter
October 16, 2019

Have you carved a jack-o’-lantern yet? Huffman can hook you up.   Huffman Farms is a first generation family farm started by Hillary Huffman. The farm is home to a yearly pumpkin patch, corn maze...

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“Joker” is a beautiful film with nothing to say

Jackson McMurray, Columnist
October 9, 2019

Like the red pill from “The Matrix” (1999) or Pepe the frog before him, the Joker is a piece of iconography with a troublesome recent past. Heath Ledger played the role in “The Dark Knight” (2008),...

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Ano Delivery makes food delivery easy

Ano Delivery makes food delivery easy

Jackson McMurray, Staff Reporter
October 9, 2019

Ano Delivery is a local business started by two CWU students, Dante Palmisano and Juan Zamorano, whose last names both end with “ano.” Through their website, anodelivery.com, customers can order...

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