CRIME HOLDS STEADY IN MAY

By: Roman

The Dimension Investigation Agency has released the official numbers for overall crime in May and the results are steady.

According to the report, overall general crime remained just about the same as it did in April. There were 1,156 official reported crimes documented in comparison to 1,213 recorded in May. This means that there was a slight 4.7 percent decrease of crime in the dream world for the month of May.

While the DIA is touting the ongoing decrease in crime in the agency’s latest policies, there remains descrepencies in whether or not the consecutive decrease in crime is actually due to the policies it has put in place. Some experts believe it is more of a “fear factor” when taking into consideration the new chief detective— who has a history of being notoriously rough on criminals in his prior bounty hunting experience. Other experts believe it could be a mix of both.

“The chief detective has been consistent in his policies and the direction in which the DIA should go,” DIA spokesperson Kristopher Levy said, “Crime is once again decreasing for another month in a row and everyone should be happy about that.”

With crime down, the DIA expects this pattern to persist, though they wish for crime to go down even more for the next report since they believe May’s numbers were “underwhelming.”

“Yes, the numbers for May were a bit underwhelming but we’re hoping to have better numbers for June,” Levy said, “We don’t expect things to go back up soon. All of this is good news for the DIA and for the dream world. Let’s be thankful for that.”

For the latest news about the DIA and the DPF in general, visit their webpage on the DPF’s website for more information and resources.

DPEC TO INSPECT POWER GRID AHEAD OF HOTTER MONTHS

By: Arial

The Dimension Power and Energy Company is out and about inspecting power lines, transformers, and other power equipment this week.

According to an announcement by DPEC, workers have been dispatched to inspect the overall power grid ahead of hotter months ahead. The move is to make sure the grid is working efficiently as temperatures begin to increase and more people may utilize power to keep cool this season.

Following Operation Blackout in November, DPEC spent over a month restoring the power grid which suffered damage from Winter Storm Genesis. The recovery effort took about a month and left the grid in shape following extensive repairs. However, in order to make sure that nothing was left untouched or unfixed from these recovery efforts, workers are double checking and inspecting the grid to ensure quality and safety.

“We’re out here making sure that we didn’t miss anything that could lead to power outages during the summer,” Valrico, a DPEC worker told me, “It gets hot during the summer so people crank up their A/Cs, but too much energy usage could lead to spotty outages. We want to make sure the grid is in tip top shape.”

Historically, DPEC has not implemented rolling blackouts due to intense summer heat and overall energy consumption. No major blackouts have been reported during summer months, but following the major blackout in November, they aren’t taking any chances.

“I guess you could say we learned our lesson back then,” Valrico said, “We took our power for granted assuming it’d never fail us on such a large scale. We learned that lesson hard so we want to make sure everyone feels safe knowing their power won’t be cut off during the heat of the summer.”

DPEC expects inspections to persist for the next two to three weeks. For the latest information from DPEC, or to report an outage, please visit their website or dial *3732.

Q/A: Ask Nate

Dear Nate, do most people in the dream world wake up and go to bed at the same time?

By: Ty M. Tusleip 

Hiya Ty! You may know that most humans in the dream world wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night, but the dream world is a bit different!

Since time down here is a bit strange, our "mornings" and "nights" are different depending on what you do. For most people who work, it depends on your schedule. Sometimes you may have to go to work in the evening hours and you rest during the morning hours. Maybe it's vice-versa. What you consider early might be someone else's late...pretty strange, right?

That being said, we don't necessarily get up or go to bed at similar times as a whole. There isn't a period of time during a normal day where streets are empty. It can be 8h and you'll see people taking the subway just as it can be 20h and you'll still see people bustling about. People are always coming and going and our wake/rest schedules all differ!

I guess that can make for some dilemmas when you're trying to plan things out with friends and family. You set a time to hang out, but it might interfere with someone else's schedule. It's times like these where I kind of wish schedules were uniform, but would that make day-to-day life less interesting then? I'll have to ask Lucid for his opinion on this!

Dear Nate, do you have any tips for traveling in the Backrooms?

By: Willi Gettlost

Hiya Willi! The Backrooms is a pretty big place to explore, but if you want some tips, I have a few!

My first tip to you is to make sure you trace your steps. It’s important to remember what corridor you traveled through when walking through the Backrooms. I’d recommend leaving behind some form of marker that is distinguishable to you. I’d heard people use all sort of markers behind such as candles, paint, arrows, even food crumbs! This is important in the event you get lost and need a way to get back where you came from. Another tip is to have some sort of light with you. Whether it is a flashlight, a lantern, a torch, a lighter, a candle, or just something that emits light. While the first level of the Backrooms is typically lit, some areas are dark. If you manage to pass level one, keep in mind that some further levels might be dark. You’ll need a flashlight to see!

Along with some form of light, you will need basic survival items. I’d say something to drink, eat, and perhaps a small weapon. Keep in mind that while the Backrooms are generally safe to navigate, you may encounter a hostile resident. You’ll need to defend yourself in the event of that! Lastly, I highly recommend traveling with a friend! It’s been said that you should never traverse the Backrooms on your own. The experience might be fun, but trust me, it’s very quiet and eerie there! Having a friend or two will keep it a bit on the lighter side, but it’s also to keep you all safe.

The Backrooms is open to anyone to explore, but remember, if you end up needing assistance there, it may be difficult for the DPF- or anyone really- to come and help. Even the Dimension Guided Tour Association doesn’t offer tours there! I guess you’re better off leaving your curiosity to the side. It’s a pretty big place with a lot of secrets, but let’s just leave it to the professionals.