The US’ two-party system and resultant hyper-partisanship are, besides COVID-19, the greatest threats to the freedom of its citizenry. The country’s high-stakes, all-or-nothing elections force voters to choose between the lesser of two evil candidates rather than several promising ones.

The coronavirus pandemic has interrupted normal life for many months. The upcoming holidays will need to be adapted to meet our new normal. With Halloween approaching, many families are faced with a hard decision: Do they let their kids participate in traditional Halloween activities such as trick-or-treating? How can parents keep their children safe from the virus during this holiday?

The United States has endured a lot this year. Americans have witnessed natural disasters, police brutality, school shootings, and an ever-increasing partisan divide. While all of these events existed prior to 2020, this year we faced an additional challenge: a global pandemic. With more than 200,000 deaths in the United States alone, COVID-19 has made a permanent mark. The coronavirus pandemic has caused a rise in social unrest and economic disruption, leading to an even more tense nation.

WILMINGTON – On Oct. 5, UNC Wilmington Athletics identified 18 COVID-19 cases among its men’s soccer, women’s basketball, and softball teams. The school would not identify the names of the student-athletes...