October 2010 Archives

By: Andrew Krammer

In an apparent suicide bombing in the center of Istanbul, at least 32 people were wounded on Sunday, police said

Those injured included 15 police officers and 17 civilians; five police officers are in serious condition, CNN reported. The bomber tried to get into a parked police van, but when he failed he detonated the bomb just outside of the vehicle, according to Istanbul police chief Huseyin Capkin.

The explosion happened at Taksim Square, which is a popular spot for street demonstrations and has shops and restaurants that are usually packed, MSNBC reported.

By: Andrew Krammer

Mark S. Holm, 54, the director of a Christian youth organization in Cambridge, Minn., has been arrested Wednesday on suspicion of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in the group Young Life, the Star Tribune reports.

Holm has been the director of the East Central Minnesota chapter of Young Life since 2004, Isanti County News reports. Holm is currently being held in the Isanti County Jail and is expected to be formally charged on Friday at the Isanti County Courthouse in Cambridge, police said.

Holm has been with the organization since 1971.

By: Andrew Krammer

A writer from Philadelphia is suing Oprah Winfrey for reading passages of his book on her show last year, without his permission, the Philadelphia Daily News reports.

Charles Harris filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Winfrey, who read word-for-word questions that were the same as in his work, "How America Elects Her Presidents," CBS news reports. The accused episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," aired on Feb. 16, 2009.

Harris stated in his suit that he sent her a letter and 10 copies of his booklet in January of 2008 to see if she would back it on her show. Harris is seeking $150,000 for each "intentional unlawful use" and additional damages, the Philadelphia Daily News reports.

By: Andrew Krammer

The Minneapolis School District is ordered to shell out almost $17 million to teachers and support staff after a state arbitrator ruled that the employees were unjustly denied raises and merit pay for two years, the Star Tribune reports.

These decision comes after an already difficult budget situation; the district will be forced to make cuts in its $525 million general fund, school district spokesman Stan Alleyne said. The failed pay raises occurred between the 2008 and 2010 school years, KARE11 reports.

This ruling is the second for Minneapolis schools: In January, the district was forced to pay a fine of $800,000 for failing to meet the state's contract deadline.

By: Andrew Krammer

At least 311 people are dead after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake and the following tsunami struck the coast of Indonesia on Wednesday, officials said.

Another 410 people are missing and aid workers have been struggling to reach the victims located in remote, hard-hit Mentawai Islands region of Indonesia, CNN reported. There were faults with an early warning system designed to alert local residents of the incoming 10ft wave, officials said.

The president of Indonesia has cut short a trip to Vietnam because of the disaster, BBC reported.

By: Andrew Krammer

The incident occured Saturday at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, BBC reported. Six people were killed at the stadium, while another person died later in a hospital, Kenyan officials said. The stampede started after a group of people without tickets tried to storm through a stadium entrance, CNN reported.

"When the gate fell, people were pushed down and others stepped on them in their rush to get in," Frank Okoth, a manager at Kenyan Premier League, said.

Many others were injured, but it is unknown how many, authorities said.

By: Andrew Krammer

The Department of Veterans Affairs added 1,200 advertisements to the Washington area to promote its Suicide Prevention Hotline.

In a story by the website GIBill, all of the information from the news release by the VA was included. The reporter chose to include both full quotes and general facts given by the VA. He then added some background on the topic that was not included in the news release.

The reporter gave statistics regarding how many veterans fell victim to suicide, to give reason to the new advertisements set to be displayed on city buses, subways, and bus shelters.

He then added further details regarding the duration of these advertisements and at the end he provided a link to further information.

By: Andrew Krammer

Dorothy Hanson, 85, was hit and killed by a truck as she tried to cross a street in Bloomington on Thursday night, the Star Tribune reports.

The driver of the truck fled from the accident and pieces of the truck were found at the scene, police said. The cause of the incident is unclear, but police said there's little doubt the driver knows they hit something, WCCO reports.

Hanson's son told police she was returning home after visiting her husband in the nursing home a few blocks away.

By: Andrew Krammer

Chi Psi, one of the three University of Minnesota fraternities to have a sexual assault reported, has hired a house director, the Star Tribune reported.

Jim Anberley, a graduate of the University of Minnesota in 1982, is also a former member of Chi Psi. Anberley volunteered for the position, the Minnesota Daily reported.

"We're going back to what we used to be initially," said Chi Psi member Garret Schultz. "We have strayed away from that the last six years," he said in a Minnesota Daily article.

Chi Psi will have to go through the Interfraternity Council to get off of alcohol probation in March, Schultz said.

By: Andrew Krammer

A deal worth $60 billion in arms, including helicopters and jets, has been confirmed between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, BBC reported.

Details of the deal have been sent to Congress, who has 30 days to object, the state department said. The sale is meant to further align the Saudi military relationship with the United States and to help them defend threats to their oil structure, CNN reported.

The deal is to occur over a 20 year period and includes the sale of 84 F-15 aircraft, the upgrade of 70 older-model F-15 aircraft and almost 200 helicopters.

By: Andrew Krammer

Retired NFL linebacker Junior Seau drove his white Cadillac SUV off of a cliff Monday morning shortly after being arrested, NBC reported.

Seau was arrested on a domestic violence charge in Oceanside, California, after his girlfriend told police that he assaulted her during a verbal argument shortly after midnight Monday, according to CNN. The alleged victim is a 25-year-old live-in girlfriend of Seau's who had minor injuries that didn't require medical attention, police said.

Seau was released on bail just prior to his car crash, police said. Police said that Seau was the only occupant in the vehicle and that the cause of the accident is still under investigation.

By: Andrew Krammer

The New York Times' multimedia feature involves many aspects of media that provide both interactivity and a visual experience for readers. In the Times, there are many slideshow news stories that provide powerful visual images that compliment the original story in a way that writing alone could not.

The writing within the visual media is factual. Since the pictures provide an actual look, the vivid writing from a journalist is not needed.

In comparison, CNN's multimedia features are not as various. CNN provides many videos of current events that also go along with the news articles. The interactivity and slide shows are not prominent as they focus more on hard news articles and video.

By: Andrew Krammer

An off-duty detective was struck in the head with a piece of concrete during a fight over a parking spot in Baltimore, Maryland on Saturday night, police said.

Brian Stevenson, an 18-year police veteran, was out celebrating his 38th birthday with friends when the dispute ensued outside of a restaurant, CNN reported. The suspects were taken into custody and have been described as one man and one woman.

Stevenson sustained head trauma and died later that night at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, the Chicago Sun Times reported.

It is unknown whether the attacker knew that Stevenson was a police officer.

By: Andrew Krammer

A police dog detained a camouflaged burglary suspect on Thursday in Washington County, Oregon, police said.

The dog alerted the police by biting the ground, which 'cried out in pain', CNN reported. The suspect was dressed from head to toe in a ghillie suit and was attempting to break into a museum, police said.

Gregory Liascos, 36, is accused of cutting a hole in the wall of a bathroom at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals in Hillsboro, according to KPTV. Liascos had been working on the entry into the museum in stages, police said.

Police said the suspect was interested in stealing gold nuggets worth more than $250,000.

By: Andrew Krammer

He overtook the driver of a van during his transport from a Fergus Falls mental institution to an Anoka chemical-dependance facility, the Star Tribune reported.

David Buethner, 37, was free for only a few hours when he was caught the same day and jailed in Thief River Falls, Minn., police said. The incident occurred on Interstate 94 east of Alexandria around 10:15 a.m., Fox news reports.

"Buethner was apprehended Wednesday afternoon after trying to flee State Patrol and county squad cars," said patrol Lt. Eric Roeske in a Star Tribune article.

By: Andrew Krammer

MADISON, Wis. - A bond has been set at $30,000 for Bradley Erickson, 31, who is accused of driving drunk and causing a crash that killed three people, the Star Tribune reported.

Erickson rear-ended the victims' vehicle while they were attempting to fix a flat tire near Madison last week, police said. Marcus Johnson of Milwaukee, 19, Elysia Rapp of Racine, 20, and Wilfredo Ugarte of Puerto Rico, 23, were all killed.

Prosecutor Emily Thompson says she will charge Erickson with three counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, according to WCCO.

Ugarte and Johnson were current members of the University of Minnesota's Spirit Squad.

By: Andrew Krammer

A Greek police officer shot and killed a 15-year-old boy in December of 2008, which sparked nationwide riots.

The officer, Epaminondas Korkoneas, 38, was found guilty Monday of culpable homicide and given life in prison, BBC reported. After the shooting, students across the country led demonstrations and riots against what they called police brutality.

These riots continued for several days afterward and police arrested hundreds, according to CNN. Many local businesses were damaged as well.

By: Andrew Krammer

About 40 police officers were injured when petrol bombs and stones were thrown in an effort to disrupt a Gay Pride march in Belgrade, police said.

About 60 people were arrested when police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, according to CNN. None of the protestors were injured even though thousands of police had sealed off central Belgrade to protect the event, BBC reported.

This is the second Gay Pride march to take place in Serbia, with the first one also being attacked and ending with some injuries.

By: Andrew Krammer

About 40 police officers were injured when petrol bombs and stones were thrown in an effort to disrupt a Gay Pride march in Belgrade, police said.

About 60 people were arrested when police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, according to CNN. None of the protestors were injured even though thousands of police had sealed off central Belgrade to protect the event, BBC reported.

This is the second Gay Pride march to take place in Serbia, with the first one also being attacked and ending with some injuries.

By: Andrew Krammer

A second person has died from an SUV rollover in Fridley this week, police said.

Kirin J. Chavez, 21, died Thursday morning at Hennepin County Medical Center, the Star Tribune reported. Chavez was one of four people thrown from the SUV as it went off University Avenue near 53rd Avenue on Tuesday.

The driver of the SUV, Ernesto Avila-Trevino, 36, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to KSTP. Caitlin G. Coy, 20, was hospitalized in critical condition, but has since been upgraded to satisfactory, police said. The other passenger was treated for minor injuries.

By: Andrew Krammer

Kevin J. Berglund, 20, fled the Wisconsin State Patrol and reached 130 miles per hour on his motorcycle Sunday morning, police said. He then lost control in a grassy area, just off Interstate 94, near Menomonie, WCCO reported.

Berglund will be charged with a felony for fleeing a state patrolman and possibly charged with reclkess endangerment, the Star Tribune reports.

No one was injured during the incident, police said.

By: Andrew Krammer

The boy, 8, was repeatedly stabbed at a Dave and Buster's in Long Island, New York, police said.

Evan Sachs, 23, approached the boy from behind while he was playing a video game and stabbed him five times with a three-and-half-inch folding knife, CNN reported. The boy is recovering from a punctured lung and other wounds, police said.

The suspect was then apprehended by the boy's father and another man who witnessed the attack.

There has been no connection found between Sachs and the boy, ABC news reports. It is still unknown whether Sachs was intoxicated or not during the incident, police said.

By: Andrew Krammer

The head of the Kunduz province in Afghanistan was killed Friday, by an explosion at a northern Afghan mosque during routine prayers, CNN reports.

There were 35 wounded in the bombing and the governor, Mohammad Omar, was one of 20 that died. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, according to BBC.

"The mosque was bloodied and its roof was shattered," eyewitness Mujib Rahman said.

By: Andrew Krammer

The body of an American who was shot by Mexican pirates is still missing, according to a story done by CNN.

Within this story, the important elements are easily locatable at the beginning. Important questions such as the what, when and where of the story are addressed immediately. The issue, the missing body, is placed in the lead, followed by information regarding where, the Mexican side of Lake Falcon.

The reporter then follows up with quotes from authorities, confirming the information that was previously given. Then the question of 'who' is addressed, since there is no prominence with the victim, this information is left until the end of the article. Ending with background information about the area.

The reporter did an excellent job of organizing the information from the most important to the least. The way the story is written, it keeps the reader engaged and it doesn't bombard you with useless words and information.