Gibbs, Beth

The New York Times reported that the Canadian Defense Minister announced Friday that a Russian bomber neared Canadian airspace hours before President Obama’s trip to the country the previous week.

Two Canadian fighter jets intercepted the long-range bomber about 125 miles from Canada over the Beaufort Sea in the Arctic, Defense Minister Peter MacKay said.

According to the Star Tribune, MacKay said the jets approached the bomber in international airspace and gave a "strong signal that they should back off."

"I'm not going to stand here and accuse the Russians of having deliberately done this during the presidential visit,” MacKay said, “but it was a strong coincidence.”

According to the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Alexander, the bomber never intruded on Canadian airspace and that Canada had been notified about the flight in advance.

MacKay said that this is the not the first time a Russian plane has flown near the airspace and has given no prior warning, despite Canada's request for Russia to do so.

Posted by gibb0138 at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported that the state media announced Thursday, 14 people were poisoned after eating pig organs that may have contained an animal-feed additive in southern China and this is the second outbreak this month.

The 14 grew ill after eating a pig liver in Guangzhou at a dinner party, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

All 14 were hospitalized with stomachaches, diarrhea, vomiting and headaches, according to the agency.

The agency said, the doctor said the poisoning could be from clenbuterol, which is a chemical used to prevent pigs from accumulating fat.

In early February, more than 70 people became ill in the same area after eating pig organs that contained clenbuterol.

CNN.com reported the largest clenbuterol case occurred in Shanghai in 2006, when 336 people were hospitalized after eating pig that contained the chemical. It has since been banned by China.

Posted by gibb0138 at 7:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported that the Census Bureau released the results on Wednesday of the 2008 Current Population Survey on family structure, which showed large differences in living arrangements on the basis of race, ethnicity and income.

According to the study fewer than half of American families have a child living at home. This is due to a decline in fertility rates and the aging of the baby boomer generation.

According to the census, 25,173,000 married couples lived with children, which has declines in 1 million since 2007.

In marriage treads, a little more than half of men and women are married and living with their spouse, but among black men and women 33 percent live with a spouse.

Of nearly 67 million opposite-sex couples who live together, more than 60 million were married. The bureau did not count same-sex couples.

In parenting treads, 85 percent of Asian children, 78 percent of white non-Hispanic children, 70 percent of Hispanic children and 38 percent of black children lived with two parents.

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The Star Tribune reported Tuesday that the reconstruction of Crosstown/35W took over about 20 homes in former residential areas in Richfield and Minneapolis, but one home was left crowded by the construction.

Mary VanSlooten, 65, whose home is located on 1st Avenue South in Minneapolis has not been moved, but it is directly below a concrete overpass and is now only reachable by sidewalk.

VanSlooten complained many times to the Minnesota Department of Transportation in the past year. MnDOT made promises to fix her problems, but she has decided she needs to move out of her home.

MnDOT said Monday that it wants to buy VanSlooten's house.

"It's been pure hell," VanSlooten told the Star Tribune.

VanSlooten bought her home 28 years ago and two years go, she learned of the changes her neighborhood was going to receive.

During the construction, a worker came to her door and told her the recontruction would require 10 feet of her yard. After she refused, the worker returned and said it was no longer needed.

The street in front of VanSlooten’s home was taken for a work zone and she was given instructions to park down the street.

"This is no way for someone to have to live," VanSlooten wrote to MnDOT in a letter on Feb. 5.

MnDOT sent a worker to take pictures of the property and have scheduled a meeting on Wednesday to discuss buying the property.

Posted by gibb0138 at 6:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported an Alzheimer’s disease study involving nuns has moved from the University of Kentucky to the University of Minnesota.

The study of 678 nuns moved back to the university, where it began in 1986, due to the retirement of UK researcher and originator of the study David Snowdon.

The mental and physical abilities of the nuns from School Sisters of Notre Dame, have been tested for over 20 years. The results are cross-referenced with education, writing samples, etc., and then correlated with brain tissue loss after the nuns die.

The nuns are perfect specimens because of their homogenous lifestyle, researchers said.

60 of the 678 nuns from the beginning of the experiment are still alive. The nuns’ ages are between 75 and 106 years old.

UK vice president for research James W. Tracy said the University of Kentucky tried to hold the brain and tissue banks, writings and archive records, but the nuns control the collection.

According to Kentucky.com news the nuns used to say, “when we die, our souls go straight to God, our brains to the University of Kentucky,” but officially in March that will change to the University of Minnesota.

The two universities are jointly holding credit until the University of Minnesota formally announces its attainment of the study in March.

Alzheimer’s research will continue at both institutions.

Posted by gibb0138 at 8:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The spot article and follow article were featured in the Star Tribune.

In the first story, it simply tells the reader that there were complaints made and in the second story, it tells the reader that the Eagan principal might be fired.

The main news is summarized in a very similar manor in both articles. Due to the length of the follow article, there are more details included in the story. In the first article there are not as many details, most likely because details were not known at that point.

The second news story adds detail to the first story. it also give the most up-to-date information, because the principal might now be fired.

The second-day story is not a response to another news organization.

Posted by gibb0138 at 1:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported skateboarding has become part of the physical education curriculum at an elementary school in Fridley.

Hayes Elementary, which serves students from kindergarten to fourth grade, allowed third and fourth graders to ride skateboards on the gymnasium floor.

Hayes is the first school in Minnesota to have skateboarding in its curriculum.

Physical education teacher Craig Coleman said, he skateboarded as a child and wanted to add it to the class to get students excited.

"It's the big talk of the school," Coleman said. "The kids just love it."

The skateboarding unit began with instructional videos from Skate Pass, a national company designed to provide schools with the necessary equipment and provide teachers knowledge to teach skateboarding in their classes. Skate Pass also provided all of the equipment.

After working on the program for around a year, Hayes Principal John Piotraschke and Coleman were able to fund the $5,000 program with a from a donation by a community health council non-profit group tied to Unity and Mercy hospitals in Anoka County.

Hayes has 30 skateboards and helmets, knee pads, wrist pads and elbow pads. If all goes well with the third and fourth graders, skateboarding may be taught to younger grades in the future.

Posted by gibb0138 at 12:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times reported a jury acquitted three suspects on Thursday in the murder of a prominent Russian journalist.

Two Chechen men and a former police investigator were acquitted in the murder case of Russian investigative reporter, Anna Politkovskaya.

Supporters of Politkovskaya, an investigative reporter, were frustrated by the verdict. They see it as the government’s failure to pursue the murder.

“The fact that no one at all has been held accountable for this murder sends a very clear message to potential perpetrators: You can do it, and you can get away with it,” Tatyana Lokshina, deputy director of the Human Rights Watch Moscow bureau, said.

Politkovskaya criticized the Kremlin’s policy and investigators and colleagues believe someone had her killed in 2006 to silence her dissent.

The Star Tribune reported the two Chechen men were brothers, Ibragim and Dzhabrail Makhmudov, accused of being a lookout and a driver for the suspected triggerman and the former police investigator was Sergei Khadzhikurbanov accused of organizing the murder. The triggerman is yet to be found.

The Russian Prosecutor General’s office announced plans to challenge the verdict, according to the New York Times.

16 journalists have been killed in Russia since 2000. For more information, read “Russian Journalists in Danger.”

Posted by gibb0138 at 5:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported that a bill passed in the North Dakota House of Representative that give a fertilized human egg the legal rights of a human being.

The bill is a challenge to Roe v. Wade and would make abortion illegal in the state.

The bill was approved with a vote of 51-41 on Tuesday. The bill now goes to the North Dakota senate.

The bill states that "any organism with the genome of homo sapiens" is a human protected by human rights under North Dakota law.

Rep. Dan Ruby, who sponsored the bill, said it does not ban abortion automatically.

"This is very simply defining when life begins, and giving that life some protections under our Constitution — the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Ruby said.

Critics of the bill say the bill will cost millions of government dollars to defend.

According to The Colorado Independent, critics also argue that the bill's broad language could also outlaw reproductive health care, contraception, in-vitro fertilization and stem cell research that involves fertilized eggs.

Posted by gibb0138 at 4:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times reported a 200- pound pet chimpanzee was shot and killed by police in Stamford, Conn. on Monday after he attacked a woman he was familiar with.

According to authorities, the woman, Charla Nash, 55, is critically injured with much of her face torn away. She is being treated at Stamford Hospital and may not survive,

The woman is friends with the chimpanzee, Travis', 14, owner.

The attack occurred in the driveway of a home in s wooded neighborhood in northern Stamford.

Travis had been featured in television commercials and was in photographs at the towing shop operated by his owners. He had escaped before, but had no history of violence.

Sandra Herold, 70, Travis' owner tried to protect Nash with butcher knife,Capt. Richard Conklin said.

According to detectives, Herold said Travis took her keys from the kitchen table, unlocked a door and let himself out into the yard at 241 Rock Rimmon Road.

Herold called Nash for help to get Travis back in the home. When she arrived Travis began to attack her.

Nash had not provoked the chimpanzee, but had changed her hairstyle, which may have lead Travis to believe she was an intruder.

Nash called 911 after trying to pull Travis off of Nash. Travis fled when emergency vehicles arrived.

Police went after the chimp. After some time, the chimp began to act aggressivly towards officers, Capt. Conklin said.

Travis entered one police car. The police officer shot Travis several times.

“He’s trapped in his car,” Capt. Conklin said. “He has nowhere to go."

Travis ran into the woods. Police followed the blood trail back to the house, where they found Travis dead in his caged-in area.

The Star Tribune reported Travis was in commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola, on the "Maury Povich Show" and in a television pilot, according to an article The Advocate newspaper of Stamford in 2003.

Posted by gibb0138 at 2:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported Monday that an Eagan principal may be fired after having a kindergartner clear out a clogged toilet bowl with no gloves.

According to Roger Aronson, the attorney of Rahn Elementary School Principal Doug Steele, the toilet bowl had only water and paper towels in it. The 6-year-old boy was asked to place the paper towels in a wastebasket.

Steele asked for a hearing Friday, which he is entitled to, Aronson said.

Steele was put on paid leave in December after the boy's parents made a complaint.

The Burnsville-Eagan-Savage school board voted early February to move forward with disciplinary actions. According to Aronson, Steele has been told he may lose his job.

Elijah and Shannon Hannah, the parents of the boy, told the Star Tribune, the boy told them he was made to remove paper towels he had used to wipe himself from a single-occupancy restroom in his classroom.

The paper towels had clogged the toilet. After his teacher had found out she called the principal, the parents said.

According to Steele, there was only paper towels and water in the toilet, Aronson said.

"It wasn't some gross form of punishment," Aronson said.

The Pioneer Press , reported that according to Ruth Dunn, district spokeswoman, Elaine Mehdizadeh took over Dec. 16 and Mehdizadeh has been teaching in the district for nearly 20 years.

Posted by gibb0138 at 2:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In an article in the Star Tribune the story is written in an inverted pyramid format.

The most important information is given at the top of the story, the where, what and when. The second paragraph gives more details and then so on.

The most important facts are then followed by who and why. The who in this story is not as important, because the couple or not prominent. The why in the story is also not as important, but it does need to be included in the story, because it informs the reader on why a couple would have 118 cats and hundreds of dolls in their home.

This structure of news writing is very effective, in that it gives the reader the most important information first. By doing this, not only is the reader informed, but the reader is also drawn into the story, wanting to read more details.

The lead in this story could have been done differently, because it is not written in a hard news format. This is due to the fact that the story is strange, but not hard news.

Posted by gibb0138 at 6:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported that a Minnesota native landed a Broadway role.

Laura Osnes, native to Eagan, landed the role of Nellie Forbush in "South Pacific." She will replace Tony nominee Kelli O'Hara, who is leaving to have her first child.

Osnes starred in the Broadway revival of Grease as Sandy, after she won NBC-TV competition, "Grease: You're the One That I Want."

Osnes will begin on March and O'Hara will return from leave Oct. 6.

"South Pacific" will show at the Lincoln Center Theater production. It is directed by Bartlett Sher.

According to Broadway.com, Osnes had been announced as a star of "A Little Night Music," but will take the role of Forbush instead.

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The New York Times reported that the Senate was near giving approval to a near $787 billion economic stimulus package on Friday.

After its approval by the Senate, the bill will go to President Obama, who is ready to sign it. The package is an attempt to boost the economy to bring the United States out of a recession.

The package includes tax breaks, and federal money which will go to public works projects, health care and energy.

Although, there was little Republican support in the House of Representatives, it passed easily.

The Star Tribune reported that supporters of the measure said it would create or save 3.5 million jobs.

Some disagreed about the potential of the bill.

"The bill that was about jobs, jobs, jobs has turned into a bill that's about spending, spending, spending," House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio said.

Posted by gibb0138 at 1:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported that on Tuesday 118 cats were removed from a couple's mobile home in St. Anthony.

15 masked workers and police officers removed the cats from the home in the Lowry Grove Mobile Home Park. The process took about three hours.

Keith Streff, senior investigator of the Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley told reporters another dozen or so cats were hiding in mounds of debris, consisting mostly of dolls, and will have to be live-trapped.

Three cats were left with the couple, city ordinance limit, and one cat escaped.

In 2002, Humane Society workers removed 72 cats from the couples prior residence in Coon Rapids, Streff said.

The woman has the traits of a obsessive-compulsive animal hoarder and will be given a mental health evaluation, Streff said.

Police identified the couple as Cheryl and Stanley Salidas.

A strong scent of urine prompted a "concerned citizen" to call police on Monday.

The cats seemed to be in fair shape and no dead cats were found, said Streff.

According Kare11.com, Streff told reporters in addition to cats, the couple had hundreds of dolls in the home, including some stored in the refrigerator.

Posted by gibb0138 at 8:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times reported that an empty luxury hotel in Beijing went up in flames on Monday after it was hit with sparks from fireworks.

The China Central Television Cultural Center was still engulfed in flames in the late evening. Due to the height of the building, firefighters could not do much to contain the fire because their ladders only reach the height of about 12 floors.

According to the Star Tribune the fire started after fireworks ignited part of the building. The fireworks were in celebration of the Lunar New Year.

Monday was the last day of fireworks and the city had waived laws for firework use in the city for the celebration.

After sparks from the fireworks landed on the building, flames went up one side of the building and sent off a large amount of black smoke. Police held back onlookers as embers fell to the ground, witnesses told reporters.

No deaths or injuries were reported.

The building was designed by famed architect Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren of the the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA).

The building was the the international broadcasting center for the 2008 Olympic Games. The Mandarin Oriental hotel, which is located in the tower of the building, was not yet completed.

"I think it's really sad that this building is destroyed before it can be opened to the public," Erik Amir, a senior architect at OMA, said.

Posted by gibb0138 at 8:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported that two of Minnesota's schools have been ranked in the top 100 by an objective website.

State University.com, ranked Macalester College in St. Paul, 79th and St. Olaf of Northfield 97th out of 2,000 schools nation-wide.

According to StateUniversity.com, the rankings are "100 percent objective." They are based on statistics and governmental scores.

StateUniversity.com states the most influential statistics are the schools ACT/SAT scores, student retention, faculty salary, and student / faculty ratio.

From these and other statistics a school is given a score between 0 and 100, the best score being 100.

Macalester College was ranked high for its student-to-faculty ratio of 12 to 1. Macalester also wants "to educate thoughtful and responsible global citizens by integrating the traditional values of an academically excellent small liberal arts college with an emphasis on internationalism and civic engagement."

St. Olaf ranked high for its academic support services and offers a 15-1 student-to-faculty ratio.

The University of Minnesota- Twin Cities ranked 193rd on the list, but it ranked 96th in the top 500 ranked universities for highest SAT scores.

Posted by gibb0138 at 5:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the article featured in the Star Tribune there are five sources mentioned. The pilot, Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the "60 Minutes" interview, Katie Couric, the flight attendants and one specific flight attendant, Doreen Welsh.

The sources are scattered through out the story, but most of the sources are only referenced to in clusters. For example, all of the flight attendant's quotes and paraphrases are in the end of the story.

The majority of information comes from people and some of it from the "60 minutes" interview.

The set up for the attributions are very clear. Most come with a paragraph that introduces the source and then follows with a quote from that source.

This is very effective because it is clear who the speaker is and gives information about that speaker, so the reader can determine the credibility of the source.

Posted by gibb0138 at 3:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times reported a pilot who landed his plane in the Hudson River was terrified despite his calm exterior during the landing.

While Capt. Chesley B. Sullenberger III landed the U.S. Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River on Jan. 15, he remained calm, but told reporters he was terrified.

The plane lost both engines after hitting a flock of birds. Sullenberger was forced to do an emergency landing.

Sullenberger kept calm as he made the decision to land in the Hudson River, ruling out landing at La Guardia Airport or trying land at a New Jersey airport.

“I needed to touch down with the wings exactly level,�? Sullenberger told Katie Couric on a "60 Minutes" interview on CBS. “I needed to touch down with the nose slightly up. I needed to touch down at a — at a descent rate that was survivable. And I needed to touch down just above our minimum flying speed, but not below it. And I needed to make all these things happen simultaneously.�?

According to the Star Tribune, Sullenberger felt sick during the whole event.

After learning that all 155 passengers had survived the landing, Sullenberger felt much better.

“I felt like the weight of the universe had been lifted off my heart,�? he said.

Posted by gibb0138 at 1:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to the Star Tribune, a teenager from Coon Rapids died Friday after he was thrown from a car which collided with a tree.

A passenger, Esteban "Steve" Sisco, 16,was ejected from the 2008 Ford Mustang and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver, Dietrich Moren, 20, lost control of the car, drove over the median and collided with a tree reported the Pioneer Press.

Moren was treated for minor injuries and officials said alcohol was not a factor, but a State Patrol investigation is pending, Anoka County sheriff's office Detective Patrick Nelson said.

Moren was driving north on Hanson Blvd. NW. near 110th Lane NW. The collision with the tree occurred at 7:38 p.m.

Posted by gibb0138 at 12:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The New York Times reported that at least 108 people died Saturday in wildfires that stretch across Southeast Australia.

The fires in Victoria grew with the 62 miles per hour wind and the temperature rose to 117 degrees, a record high.

Australia often has fires in the summer, due to its hot and dry climate. A drought has made conditions worse than past summers.

The fire destroyed more than 700 houses and killed 108 or more people, at least two of those being children. The toll could rise.

Witnesses said they saw trees and houses explode in flames.

A $6.5 million relief fund has been set up by the government.

According to the Star Tribune, police believe some of the fires were set on purpose and it might take days to put them out.

"Hell in all its fury has visited the good people of Victoria," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told reporters.

Posted by gibb0138 at 11:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times reported that Tuesday Tom Daschle withdrew his nomination for Health and Human Services Department.

Former Senate Democratic leader, Daschle, was nominated by President Barack Obama, but withdrew his nomination due to tax problems.

President Obama had stated Monday that he would support Daschle through his tax issues. "I accept his decision with sadness and regret," said Obama on Tuesday.

Daschle had not paid $140,000 in backtaxes reported the New York Times.

Bill Burton, a White House spokesman, told reporters that Daschle will also withdraw from his position as White House health care czar.

Daschle is the second of Obama's appointees to withdraw due to unpaid taxes and according to the Star Tribune, the third high-profile appointee to withdraw.

According to the Star Tribune, Obama is now facing criticism from Republicans and others due to his support for Daschle. They believe Obama is not being ethical, as he had promised.

Posted by gibb0138 at 6:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported that a chilling pipe burst in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building at the University of Minnesota on Friday causing an estimated $1 million in damages.

The pipe burst early Friday morning and flooded five floors of the building. The Minnesota Daily spoke with Building and Grounds employee Randy Gillard, who stated the northeast corner of the fourth and fifth floors were covered with two inches of water and up to one inch on the first through third floors.

University of Minnesota spokesman Dan Wolter told the Minnesota Daily that because it was a chilling pipe, the water was filled with chemicals. According to Wolter, it has be determined the chemicals are safe to put in the sewer system.

Wolter said this was the second pipe break the university has had this winter. A pipe in the Bell Museum of Natural History burst over the university's winter break.

Classes were relocated on Friday and Saturday due to the damage.

Posted by gibb0138 at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)