January 2011 Archives

by Jake Daczyk

Timberwolves owner, Glen Taylor and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak will show off renovation plans on the Target Center at a press conference Tuesday at 1 p.m. in the Target Center lobby.

In a story published by The Star Tribune, it was stated that $8 million of Gov. Mark Dayton's new $1 billion bonding plan announced Monday will be used for Target Center renovations.

Details were not discussed on Monday but when asked Taylor said, "We're looking for the environment to be fresher and newer."

According to the Pioneer Press, the Target Center is the fourth-oldest arena in the NBA and hasn't seen major renovations since it opened in 1990.

by Jake Daczyk

The lead I chose to analyze was the lead from The Star Tribune story, "Body of missing U student found in boxcar."

The lead contains the "what," "when," and "where" in the lead by giving you a basic overview of what happened, when the body was found and where the body was found.

The lead is straightforward hard-news lead and the only part of the lead that is detailed is what actually happened, that a body was found. The rest is general as the reporter doesn't give you a time the body was found or even the name of the student, that information comes later in the story.

by Jake Daczyk

The man who set off a bomb in a Russian airport, killing 35 people, was identified as a 20 year old from the North Caucasus area of Russia by the Russian Investigative Committee Saturday.

MSNBC reported that authorities will not give out the name of the man who committed the bombing, that information will wait until they know the organisation behind the bombing. The initial speculation is that this bombing was organized by Chechen insurgents.

CNN reports that the agency believes that the bomb was targeted at foreingers inside the Russian airport so it was no coincidence that the bomb was set off in the international arrivals zone.

Immediately following the bombings Russian President Dimitry Medvedev fired top airport security officials for preventing the attacks.

by Jake Daczyk

The body of missing University of Minnesota student Keaton Patrick Murphy was found Thursday in a rail car in an industrial area near TCF Bank Stadium.

The Star Tribune reported that Murphy, 20, had been been missing since being released from from Hennepin County jail on January 20, where he was held for suspicion of distributing childhood pornography.

University Police Chief Greg Hestness said the cause of death is unknown but he doesn't suspect a homicide

The Minnesota Daily quoted a statement released from College of Liberal Arts dean James A. Parente, ""We're deeply saddened to learn of Keaton's death," Parente said. "Anytime we lose a student, it is a tragedy for our community. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his parents, family and friends."

The investigation is ongoing

by Jake Daczyk

The Department of Homeland Security will replace the color coded terror alert system, said a senior law maker.

Yahoo reports that the new system to be reviled will be more targeted to specific areas instead of general alert levels.

Yahoo quoted Bennie Thompson, the senior Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee as saying, "The old color-coded system taught Americans to be scared, not prepared." The new system should help citizens more than the old system.

The Washington Post quoted US officials who said that the new system would be built around two threat categories; elevated and imminent.

According to the Washing Post the old color coded system was fading in relevance as the last time the color was changed was in 2006.

by: Jake Daczyk

Minnesota's Golden Gophers mens basketball team will be without senior guard Al Nolen, who will be out indefinitely with a foot injury suffered during Saturday's game against Michigan.

The Minnesota Daily reports that Nolen will have surgery to put a pin in his broken foot which will cause him to be out indefinitely. Nolen will be missed as he was a key player for the team in both stats and leadership. Nolen was second on the team in minutes played per game and is in second in school history for career number of steals and third in school history for career assists.

ESPN reports that the loss off Nolen will hurt the Gophers depth. Blake Hoffarber will more than likely play point guard for the team with freshman Maverick Ahanmisi and Chip Armelin seeing increased playing time. Head coach Tubby Smith seems confident that the those seeing increased playing time will fill in nicely, citing the freshman's maturity. ESPN quoted coach Smith saying, "That maturity is a big key to us staying focused, staying stable, staying balanced, not getting upset or disappointed."

Nolen says the optimal scenario would be a healthy return in mid march, hopefully in time for the conference tournament or the NCAA tournament, if the Gophers make it.

by Jake Daczyk

A terrorist bombing in Moscow's busiest airport kills 35 people and wounds 180.

CNN World reported that the blast occurred around 4:30 p.m. in the Domodedovo Airport, near the entrance of the international arrivals section.

Immediately following the bombing Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev ordered increased police presence in the airport. Security in other airports in Moscow were also increased to try and prevent another attack.

MSNBC was told that the attack was "almost certainly" the work of Chechen militants from the North Caucasus region of Russia. This group has been responsible for other terrorist attacks in Russia, including a double suicide bombing in a Moscow subway in March of 2010, that killed 40 people and wounded more than 100.

While the authorities believe they know who is responsible for the attacks, they are still working to find answers.