The Capital Post

[studentloandebt]

The Capital Post is a Ministry of Role-Play news group that publishes In-Character news about the Capital of the DSA, the city-state that holds the capital city of the Democratic Socialist Assembly. It can be through news reports, interviews, and other ways that help better flush out what is happening in the Capital.

[studentloandebt]

Originally Published June 19th, 2019

---

Mayor McCheddar Dead

Tragic news coming out of the Capital this evening. Mayor McCheddar, Cuscatlanian Mayor of the DSA Capital, has died after a tragic incident where they choked on a chorizo and died. With the death of the Mayor, an interim Mayor needs to be appointed and as such elections have reopened.

thedsa.proboards.com/thread/371/election-interim-mayor-dsa-capital

[studentloandebt]

Originally Published July 21st, 2019

---

Heat Wave Hits DSA Capital

The DSA Capital is prepping for a week of excessive heat and hazardous weather, with the Regional Weather Service reporting that today’s heat index will top 38 degrees. Senior citizens, children and anyone with a compromising medical condition such as diabetes or heart and respiratory problems are particularly at risk, said Arcomo Medical Center spokesman Mary Rutabaga. Rutabaga advises the public to wear loose clothing, stay hydrated and avoid both strenuous and outdoor activities during peak hours.

“If you feel lightheaded or dizzy even after getting to a cool place, go to the emergency room or call emergency services immediately,” said Rutabaga.

Rutabaga also detailed the differences between heat stroke, when a patient stops sweating and has a high body temperature, and heat exhaustion, when a patient feels light-headed. DSA Capital City is setting up cooling centers around the city. The centers will be open this week from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The city's park sprinkler systems and municipal pools will also be open this week for those seeking refuge from the summer heat. For a full listing of cooling centers, visit the city's website at www.dsacapital.com/beat_your_heat.

Though cooling centers, pools, and sprinklers are features for residents to enjoy, health officials still encourage the public to stay indoors when possible except for early morning and late evening hours. Alongside cooling centers, Mary Rutabaga will also be selling her bathwater for all you thirsty gamers at each cooling center.

[studentloandebt]

Originally Published October 11th

---

Ghoul Fish Warning

The Mayor's Office of the DSA Capital has issued a warning for all residents and tourists to the Capital of the DSA. Lowering seasonal temperatures has resulted in an increase presence of Ghoul Fish in Capital waters. If you see a Ghoul Fish, avoid it and do not touch it. If one comes into contact with a Ghoul Fish, it may attempt to enter the victim's body to create a nest. This can result in injury, mutilation, massive blood loss, and death. If you see a person being attacked by a Ghoul Fish, do not interact for the Ghoul Fish may attack you. If you find a body near, at, or in the water, do not approach for a Ghoul Fish could be inside and may attack you. Call emergency services.

All residents are warned to stay away from the ocean shore and the shore of South Jarvis Bay until the warning has been lifted.

---

---

---

Originally Published October 18th

---

Ghoul Fish Breakout

-Downtown Capital is currently under lock down. This comes after an infestation of ghoul fish attacked a large crowd that gathered near the ocean side. The ghoul fish had entered the bodies of many people in the crowd, a known characteristic of this animal that they do to seek food and shelter. Many of those who became infested with ghoul fish begun to attack others and having ghoul fish enter the bodies of other people. To prevent more attacks, police have shut down the downtown area. Our correspondent, Jack Slapper, is at the border for more detail. Jack, what is happening down there?

"Police have shut down the area as crowds of people infested with ghoul fish wonder the streets. We are told that the crowd was next to the water when a large number of ghoul fish had climbed onto the pier they were located at and attacked the crowd. Ghoul fish climbed into people through whatever orifice they could access and dug into them. Witnesses say it was a horror show, seeing these creatures climb into people, blood erupting from many, screams of terror and excruciating pain. Some people fell into the water only to be swarmed by more ghoul fish, some fell down and died right away.

The main threat to the rest of the city came from those who were being forced to move by the ghoul fish. Something ghoul fish can do is slide into the limbs of creatures they inhabit and make them move, usually in a sluggish and staggered manner. They approach other people and constrain them. Any number of ghoul fish, from one to many, will climb out of the host's mouth and attack the other person, seeking to be inside them. Right now you can hear behind me the scream of pain that the hosts make as the ghoul fish force them to wonder around, looking for more people to infest."

-And where are you right now?

"I am currently at Arcomo Hospital where a border has been made of police cars. Police have quarantined the ar-"

*a gunshot is heard next to the camera. The camera man redirects the camera to look beyond the police barricade to show police firing at a stumbling person. The person is shot and falls over*

-Is that an infected person?

"I am not sure but they could possibly be".

---

---

---

Originally Published October 20th

---

Kiptoke Neighborhood Evacuation

The Kiptoke Neighborhood has been evacuated and quarantined after Ghoul Fish suddenly appeared in the area. The suburban area on the corner of the city is far away from the downtown area. However, residents began seeing Ghoul Fish enter their homes through the sinks and toilets. This shows that Ghoul Fish have now began moving through the sewers and water pipes of the city.

In an emergency decision, Mayor Jeffy Fresh has shut off all water in the city and has called on the Capital Guard, the city-state’s military forces, to assist in the elimination of Ghoul Fish from the city.

---

---

---

Originally Published October 23rd

---

End In Sight?

The Ghoul Fish invasion appears to be coming to an end. After days of water being cut off and entire sections of city being closed, the remaining area of Ghoul Fish has been reduced to a few blocks in the downtown area. However, Mayor Jeffy Fresh is continuing the policy of shutting off water. He says it is to make sure that there are no more Ghoul Fish in the pipes that could cause more death.

There has already been thousands of LC in damage across the city from the invasion. Current number of fatalities is around 450 sapients, with many more hospitalized.

[studentloandebt]

Originally Published October 28th

---

DSA Capital Ghost Tour

You ever feel like something is near your head and you try and swat it, but nothing is there? Like you think there's a bug, but there isn't any. What if those are the ghosts of the bugs you killed?



If you're spooked already, you're gonna be spooked even more with the DSA Capital Ghost Tour! The DSA Capital; center of DSA culture, beliefs, and one of the most haunted places in the world. Come join Dr. Esteban Julio Ricardo Montoyo de la Rosario Ramirez has he takes you on a tour around the city to some of the spookiest places around! Explores the bloodied halls of La Sagezza Castle, the long forgotten underground tunnels of The Black Line, the misty waters of Pier 126, the wails of the disturbed spirits of Arcomo Hospital, and many more. Just beware; you're in for a scare!

Tickets are open now and the tours will be conducted starting at 6:30 PM on October 29th-31st. Get them while you can.



Everything you need to know about the tour can be found below under the "Ghost Tour" tab.


www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1176969

[studentloandebt]

Destruction of Communities After Disaster
By Samson Rotterdam | @samrot | @cappost.com November 22nd, 2019, 8:07 pm CST

---

Herresburgh is one of the many neighborhoods in the DSA Capital with a rich history and culture. For decades it had served as a spot for immigrants and minority citizens who couldn't afford to live in higher value neighborhoods. Herresburgh was one of the neighborhoods most impacted by the Clean Streets Initiative under Mayor Gregory Pennicoth in the 1960s. With the CSI inspiring mass graffiti with the well known "Fungus Lord" art that became a graffiti art style unique to Herresburgh, the neighborhood soon developed a stronger mixed culture, with artists becoming a major part. The diversity, culture, art, and experiences of this neighborhood made it a treasured area in our city. However, this may all soon end.

The terrible events of the Ghoul Fish Breakout in October caused a lot of damage to the DSA Capital. Many people were injured, many has painful deaths, and there was also a lot of destruction from both victims and armed forces. Herresburgh was one of the most hit neighborhoods of the Breakout, with 14% of the residents, 1 in 7, dead. Some of this was from being attacked by ghoul fish, some from being attacked by ghoul fish victims, and a lot from armed forces. Many shops were attacks, fires started, and the streets looked like a war zone after armed forces cleared out the area. 

Mayor Jeffy Fresh signed into order a new program right after the Breakout ended called the Downtown Revitalization Program. The program is made to fix and reconstruct the destroyed neighborhoods of the downtown area. Since then, construction crews have been working every day in these areas to not only fixed them, but to improve them. The DRP has the city buying properties from local residents as compensation for their loses and renovating buildings and in some cases tearing them down and building new ones. The Ghoul Fish Breakout has left many residents in desperate situations to where they are choosing the government buyout over staying.

While some residents are choosing to buyout, some, however, are being left with no other choice than to buyout.

The DRP's provision on improving the neighborhoods is not a new idea, but one that has been lobbied by many more well off residents of the city for a while now who sought to lower the crime and raise the (economic) value of the less affluent neighborhoods. Under previous mayors, this did not occur. However, Mayor Jeffy Fresh is supportive of this idea and has implemented it in the DRP. Already people have started taking notice of these areas and the (economic) value of the neighborhood getting higher. New and outside businesses are being attracted to the area. There's even already corporate giant coffee shops on 2 different corners.

The increasing value of the area has already begun the process of gentrification on downtown neighborhoods that had resisted these changes for years. The increasing value is not just bringing in new businesses, but pushing out local ones. There was a a small Slotherian restaurant popular with locals that served authentic Slotherian dishes called "The Mawnan's Iolpé". Going there once before, they served amazing food like Tolti and Kaikorm that you couldn't find anywhere else in the city. However, it's been forced to closed it's doors after Giraffe Dish, a cheap Slotherian-themed corporate fast food chain, out competed them. Arcodu Suns, a local Bayar clothing and jewelry shop, has declared bankruptcy after a Margret's Department Store was build across the street from it, selling cheap and generic clothing that appeals to newer residents. 

Alongside the new businesses comes new houses with modern designs. While this appeals to the affluent residents of the city that have started buying them up as either primary or secondary residences, it comes at the expense of the historical feeling of the architectural styles of the buildings that had remained up for decades, a century even. Red bricks are replaced with black steel. Intricate stained-glass windows are replaced with flat square sheets of glass. The neighborhoods that felt rich in history and preservation are losing that feeling for modern luxury. And this new look doesn't come cheap. Prices are rising for goods and services. Land value is increasing, which means rent is as well. Many of the original residents who survived the Breakout were not well off people and some were going paycheck-to-paycheck. With rising prices, they can't afford to stay in the homes that their families bought decades ago, live in the neighborhoods that their ancestors moved to and lived in and added to over a century ago. For many, their only option is to take the government buyout and move out. 

Residents have started a petition to the mayor to stop the gentrification of the neighborhoods that is pricing out residents and removing minority culture. Only time will tell if the mayor will chose to listen.

[studentloandebt]

The Psychosis Down Memory Lane
By Jonnah Harris| @jonahh| @cappost.com November 28th, 2019, 8:15 AM CST

---

A new drug has been rolling through the Capital of the DSA. Known as Nostal, this drug has been appearing around the state, from the countryside to the inner-city.

The drug directly interacts with the central nervous system of the taker, disrupting the reuptake of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin to enhance memories and make them more vivid, inducing the taker into a hallucinatory trance of memories. In small amounts, this helps the taker in remembering events and has shown some beginning medical uses in preventing memory loss and slowing the effects of diseases like dementia and Alzheimer's. However, the street drug is in higher doses and fully returns users to previous moments in their lives in strong flashbacks. The drug is still too new to gauge the long term effects, but patients in hospitals have shown early signs of downregulation as well as cognitive disruptions like psychosis, with some drug takers being unable to differentiate reality from the flashbacks.

It is currently unknown where this drug came from and where it is continually being imported from. Police believe that the drug may have first arrived in the state about a month ago. Some dealers have been arrested, but it is difficult to track where sellers are and where their sources of Nostal are coming from. 

[studentloandebt]

Police Chase, Drug Mules, and Rise in Organized Crime
By Cassandra Vardinogiannis | @cassyv| @cappost.com December 2nd, 2019, 10:00 AM CST

---

A large shipment of the drug Nostal has been found in the back of a semi trailer driving through the Capital of the DSA yesterday morning. The driver, Gordon Bonley, was speeding on the highway and refused to pull over after police had attempted to have him do so. This resulted in a chase that lasted 1 hour and 38 minutes, ending after the truck ran over a spike strip set up at a police barricade. Bonley drove through the police cars, injuring 2 and killing one, Sergeant James Hoffman. Bonley is currently in police custody.

The back of his truck contains 40 crates of Nostal, an addictive drugs that causes strong hallucinatory flashbacks to the user. Police have released no official information, but that has never stopped me before. From an anonymous source, I was able to get some audio relating to the incident. While in questioning, Gordon Bonley was asked many questions and presented quite a unique story;

"I got a message on my phone while at work. There was no number on it. It told me to go this area in the middle of no where outside the state borders at exactly 1:00 AM. It was GPS and I had to figure out how to do that. The message said that if I didn't do as they said or if I tried to call the police that they would go after my family. Then they sent me a picture of my kids sleeping in their beds while the person was in their room. I had no choice. I went to the place and found the tractor trailer with a note on it saying to drive to a certain place on the other side of the state before sunrise, leave the truck there, walk away, and then I would be done. *Gordon Bonley begins to cry* I never made it. What if they do something terrible to my family? To my kids? They have to know that the police took me in and that it wasn't my fault!"

From his interrogation, it is implied that the recent influx of Nostal is a lot more organized than previously thought, including forcing civilians to be drug mules. It is currently unknown why Gordon Bonley was chosen to transport the drugs and who forced him to do so. Currently Bonley is being held for evading arrest, reckless driving, assault and murder of police officers, and drug smuggling.

[studentloandebt]

City Hall Cracks Down on Nostal Epidemic
By Jonnah Harris| @jonahh | @cappost.com December 15th, 2019, 9:29 PM CST

---

The Capital City Council has passed a bill introduced by Mayor Jeffy Fresh that criminalizes possession of the drug Nostal by a vote of 5-5 with Jeffy Fresh ending the tie with a For vote. The bill, called the Family and Neighborhoods Protection Act (F.A.N.P.A.), was made in response to the rising presence of the psychoactive drug Nostal on city streets. It makes possession of the drug punishable by 2 years minimum jail sentence and a fine of 2,000℄. Drug dealing receives harsher sentencing where having just one gram can result in between 5-10 years in jail and a fine of 10,000℄. Mayor Jeffy Fresh says he believes a "strong and firm punishment is needed to deter people from taking the drug and from selling it". Already arrests are being made of both dealers and buyers.

The passing of the bill is celebrated by lobbyist groups like Jeb!ist Moms Against Dabbing, the most active supporters of the bill. Allison Adams, a Herresburgh resident and member of JMAD had this to say:

"I did not move my family to the city to be surrounded by drugies, criminals, and predators. This bill is a blessing of Jeb! and we can keep our streets free from these undesirables".

However, the bill has not come without backlash. Protesters outside City Hall see the bill as targeting minorities and as having too harsh of punishments. Protester Derick Bayer had this to say;

"People who are buying Nostal are not committing violent crimes. The bill treats them like stone hearted murderers but they're not. They're people with an addiction that need treatment, not fines and jail".

[studentloandebt]

Trans Day of Visibility In The Capital
By Cassandra Vardinogiannis | @cassyv | @cappost.com March 21st, 2020, 5:28 PM CST

---

On March 31st, the world will undergo an event of recognition and celebration. This will be of those of the transgender community and bringing visibility to them on International Transgender Day of Visibility. As with previous years, DSA Capital Pride will be hosting a week of events leading up to the day.

The Day of Action on March 25th will be a day to promote organizations, charities, and groups that are trans-supportive and affirmative groups that help to improve the lives of transgender people.
The Day of Lights on March 26th will feature a film festival to present films created by trans film makers as well as acknowledging films that accurately portray the lives of transgender peoples.
The Day of Writing on March 27th will celebrate transgender authors and poets, have live readings, and book signings by trans writers.
The Day of Sound on March 28th will feature a music festival, showcasing music and performances by trans musicians.
The Day of Arts on March 29th will present works by transgender painters, sculptors, architects, photographers, and other visual artists in celebration of their contributions.
The Day of Style on March 30th will showcase fashion and clothing design by trans designers as well as being featured in fashion shows by trans models.
And lastly, on March 31st will be International Trans Day of Visibility when Capital Pride's Trans Day of Visibility Parade will happen on the Capital streets.

March 25th - Day of Action
March 26th - Day of Lights
March 27th - Day of Writing
March 28th - Day of Sound
March 29th - Day of Arts
March 30th - Day of Style
March 31st - Day of Visibility

[studentloandebt]

Ignacy Walzak Dies at 91
By Samson Rotterdam | @samrot | @cappost.com April 10th, 2020, 9:57 pm CST

---

Haltari Park is an well frequented and old park, one of the first reserved recreation areas of the DSA Capital. The northeast corner of the park is a well shaded area with large trees hanging above and making a hot summer day feel light and cool. If you were to enter the park from this corner between 5 and 7 PM, you might have heard a soft voice ask "Anyone like to play?". At one of the chess tables nearby you could find an older man sitting there. He always had his signature look; worn-out brown penny loafers, baggy pants, an unbuttoned cardigan, a flat cap, and a warm smile. Everyday, people would play a game of chess with him, hear him tell stories about many topics, and laugh at a few well placed jokes with him. He didn't always win the chess games, but he always had fun playing. When the game was done, he would say "That was a fun game. Thank you for playing with me." This man was named Ignacy Walzak.

Born in 1929 in Sorsluth, Walzak was born into a Govoyin family. Translating to "Bovine", Govoyin is a lower class of people in Sorsluth society designated for hard labor and jobs that higher classes don't want. Regularly discriminated against, Walzak's family lived a hard life. When he was 19, he and his older sister Marcelina gathered enough money to move out of the country together and they migrated to the DSA Capital, where many immigrants were moving to at the time. Like most migrants, the Walzaks lived in the Herresburgh neighborhood that had become a popular location for migrants moving into the city. With very little money and no knowledge of DSA Basic language, they both struggled to get by. Ignacy found employment at a warehouse dock while Marcelina operated a day care for the children of immigrant workers. 

In 1951, Ignacy, after learning how to speak DSA Basic, was able to get a job at the DSA Capital District building. He worked in the Capital Legislative Services's Procurement department with loading and unloading supplies. It was during these years that he had a growing interest in city government, learning about the structure, the legislative process, and coming into contact with people involved in the city-state's government. He and his sister also became more involved with the Herresburgh immigrant community.

Marcelina's daycare service made her well known to immigrant families in the area and allowed her to establish more connections with people. In 1953, she and her brother developed a neighborhood watch to try and combat local crime that had been an issue for a while, Marcelina being the head of the group. She also assisted her neighbors in learning DSA Basic to better integrate into society. Ignacy had a growing interest in organized labor and had a liking to forming coalitions. He helped organize boycotts of products sold by businesses that treated their workers badly, many of them being successful, and encouraged companies to hire more immigrant workers. The Walzaks became a fairly well known name in Herresburgh around this time.

In the late 50s, local politicians, seeing the growing presence of Herresburgh, began reaching out to the Walzaks to try and have them help grow their support among immigrants. The Walzaks became more involved in the political process, helping new immigrants become citizens and encouraging the community to vote for immigrant-friendly officials. The city-state saw an increase in the political activism and presence of immigrants due to their work. With the number of citizenship in Herresburg increasing, the neighborhood and surrounding blocks soon became its own electoral district and was able to elect their own representative in 1960. 

Friends encouraged Ignacy to run for the position and, after hesitation, agreed. 12 people ran for Council Member of the district, with Ignacy coming in 2nd place and not winning the spot. However, this significantly raised his presence in both the immigrant community as well as the DSA Capital at large. In the following 4 years, Ignacy became more involved in organize labor, organizing talks between businesses and workers, securing better conditions, pay, and treatment of workers, and assisted in raising awareness of and lobbying for multiple bills that were before the Capital Council. In those years, he began facing harassment, mainly from xenophobic citizens. There were a few nights he would say that he felt like he was being followed home. He received death threats multiple times, one in a letter that he always kept in his wallet as inspiration.

In 1964, a new election was around and he ran to represent the Herresburg community, winning 1st and securing the spot. In his first term, he helped raise awareness to the struggles of being an immigrant in the DSA Capital. The presence of an immigrant in the legislature also resulted in an increase of political activism among immigrant communities. 

What Ignacy is most well known in his life is his opposition to the now infamous Clean Street Initiative. Following reports from a group of teenagers about supposedly seeing the Capital Sewer Monster, then-mayor Gregory Pennicoth supported a belief that the teens were most likely taking drugs when they "saw" the monster. He put forward the Clean Streets Initiative (CSI) in 1967 that aimed at reducing drug use in the city. This included increased profiling, harsher punishments for drug use, and encouraging citizens to report drug use or suspicious activity in the city. 

While some saw this as beneficial, Ignacy witnessed the opposite. He saw disproportionate arrests of immigrants, people of color, and low income residents as well as an increase in discrimination and hostility against these groups by the population at large. He was a vocal opponent to the bill throughout its entire time in use. Critics of his stance said that he was only defending a dangerous activity while some even accused him of using drugs himself. He recounted that, before one floor session, he was stopped on the street by police asking if he was carrying drugs with him. He railed against the Policy that day in session saying that he was stopped merely because he was a migrant. The officer who stopped him later said that he actually didn't know that Ignacy was on the Council and wouldn't have stopped him if he knew, which further supported his stance that he was stopped just for being a migrant and a political outsider. This made headlines and people began to question the legitimacy of this policy.

His strong stance against the CSI gained him great support from not just the immigrant community but also communities of color and low income communities. He easily won his reelection to the Council by a wide margin. In 1972 the next election for mayorship was underway and he is considered an essential part as to why Gregory Pennicoth lost to Connor Nieslen, who won a large percentage of the communities affected by the CSI and overturned the policy on his second day in office. In the following years, Ignacy and Marcelina both continued to serve their communities and help the migrants in the city in their rights. Marcelina became a community organizer, assisted in many protests and legal movements, and helped support local businesses through investments until her death in 2003. Ignacy continued to be the main voice of the immigrant community in the DSA Capital throughout the rest of the 20th century.

In 1970, he married his partner Roxana Reiter with whom he had 3 children. In 1999, at the age of 70, he announced that he would not seek re-election and would be retiring after spending 35 years in office. In the years following, he would still be involved with the immigrant community, supporting their rights and helping organizations that assist migrants. He was always a very social person, willing to make friends with almost anyone and loved to talk. One of his favorite things to do was to meet new people and one way he did that was to invite strangers to play chess with him at the park. 

On April 8th, at 8:32 AM, he suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. After two days of receiving medical treatment, he was pronounced dead on April 10th at 12:31 AM. He is survived by his 89 year old wife of 50 years, his three children, and 8 grandchildren.