Home- On Oct. 17, the nation’s tenth and eleventh grade students took the Preliminary SAT (PSAT/NMSQT). This test prepares students for the official SAT, a major component in the college admissions process, and it is also used for qualification in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Ninth graders took a practice PSAT that is not affiliated with the official PSAT. To accommodate the testing, WJ adjusted its schedule, leaving three hours for the test, 43 minutes for lunch and 19 minutes for each period. (Source: WJ website)

United States- On Oct. 16, the second presidential debate took place between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor and Republican candidate Mitt Romney. This debate is the second of three debates that have and will take place between the two candidates. The debate was town hall format, where citizens asked the candidates questions on foreign and domestic issues, to which each candidate had two minutes to respond and another minute allotted for the moderator to continue discussion. The moderator was Candy Crowley. (Source: 2012 Election Central)

Global- On Oct. 15, Cuba announced it will get rid of its exit visa requirement on Jan. 13, 2013. This visa lift will let Cubans exit the country freely, whether it be short or long term, with a passport as well as a visa from the country they wish to visit. In addition, Cubans can now stay in a country for up to two years before losing Cuban citizenship and benefits, as opposed to the 11 months in place right now. This plan was promised by President Raúl Castro last year and will soon be enacted.