Local vandal completes phase three of his pranks, but the question remains: who is the yellow campus crusader? The LU Banana Vandal’s three phases of bringing about the Banana Republic have come to an end, and the culprit seems to have slipped away. On Nov. 29, the Banana Vandal posted a video on his Instagram which showed him drilling a hole into a banana, rolling … Continue reading Slipping Away: Who is the LU Banana Vandal?
Road closures slow down traffic and businesses. Lynchburg is hitting the road. Downtown Lynchburg has been getting a major renovation as multiple construction projects are modifying, renovating and refurbishing the roads and walkways around the city. According to Lynchburg’s city website, downtown has 11 construction projects in progress. While not all the projects are currently active, the ones that are have been affecting local businesses. … Continue reading Ripping Up the Road: An Update on 5th St. Construction
An overview of the blueprint for the next 22 years of city construction. Downtown is looking to the future as the Lynchburg City Council adopted the 2040 Plan, a document tracking growth, development and renovations around the city for the next 22 years, on Nov. 13. Some of the biggest renovations would be the conversion of Church and Main streets to two-way roads, improving pedestrian … Continue reading 2040 Plan Sets Stage for Lynchburg’s Future
Virginians have been heavily affected by the opioid crisis. How can the community rally around this problem? How long can someone watch an epidemic before they feel compelled to take action? For Don Holman, the breaking point was when his son was found dead. Garrett Holman died Feb. 9, 2017, after he overdosed on heroin laced with the super-drug fentanyl, which according to the Drug … Continue reading Special Report: How the Opioid Epidemic is Affecting Local Counties
Campus miscreant vandalizes Freedom Tower. Early Wednesday, Nov. 29, the LU Banana Vandal struck again. Flags displaying giant bananas hung from the top of the Freedom Tower on Liberty’s campus. Underneath the bananas was the Vandal’s Instagram tag, @lubananavandal. View this post on Instagram They told me I couldn’t put bananas on the roof of the rot… but is it cool if I … Continue reading The LU Banana Vandal Strikes Again!
A professor’s mistake publicized on Twitter creates problems for all parties involved. On Nov. 9, Liberty student Ian Parish posted a screenshot on Twitter showing an email sent from his professor containing a link to a porn website. Parish called out his professor in the tweet.  The tweet quickly blew up on social media as students began a flurry of sharing and commenting, ruining the reputation … Continue reading LU Professor Resigns After Pornography Mishap. How Did the Students Handle It?
A Liberty history student’s take on Monday’s Convo Select. I recently traveled with the Liberty University History Department to the Undergraduate Conference on Faith & History at which the conference’s plenary speaker, Jemar Tisby, spoke on the use of history as activism. The talk was illuminating and inspiring, but the most important point came from a student’s question: “How do you ensure that in your … Continue reading D’Souza’s Bias: How Should Political Historians Conduct Themselves?
Who is the LU Banana Vandal and when will they strike next? A masked vandal has been causing bunches of trouble on Liberty’s campus. On Oct. 26, a student dressed as a banana climbed to the top of the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall, commonly known as the ROT, and hung 10 inflatable bananas along with a sign emblazoned with “Who is @lubananavandal?” View this post … Continue reading The Banana Vandal Attempts to Bring About the Banana Republic
Liberty and Lynchburg’s editorially and financially independent student newspaper. Welcome to The Lynchburg Torch. We are a group of Liberty University students who are passionate about the community in Lynchburg and the student body at our school. This project is for the students and locals to have their voices heard and to promote healthy discourse on campus and in our community. I helped start The … Continue reading Welcome to the Lynchburg Torch
An inside look at the blood, sweat and tears an LU filmmaker put into his project. From the moment Caleb Redecki showed his family his first film on VHS and saw their reactions, he was hooked. “There’s nothing like that initial reveal,” Redecki said, “Just creating and having something to show and seeing people’s reaction—I think that is just the coolest thing.” As a senior … Continue reading Liberty Filmmakers: What’s the Cost?
