By: Andrew Krammer
In an article by CNN, a reporter has written a story about a mother who killed her teenaged children for being "mouthy".
For the lead, the reporter had to lead off with the notable part of the story, the suspect's motive. A mother killing her children because they were mouthing off gives a novelty aspect to this story, one that the lead should define.
This lead is also a hard-news lead, it leads with the action: two children being killed, and displays proper news writing.
By: Andrew Krammer
Le Hoang Hung, 51, has died of injuries 10 days after an intruder broke into his home, poured chemicals on him and set him on fire, BBC reported.
The attack happened early Wednesday as Hung and his family were sleeping, the Star Tribune reported. He was in stable condition and talking at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, but he suffered third-degree burns on 20 percent of his body.
Hung has been covering the southern provinces - Long An, Tien Giang and Ben Tre - for the newspaper, the Laborer, for more than 10 years.
Colleague Nguyen Thi Ngoc Mai, of the Laborer, says Hung covered many topics and that he could have been victim of a revenge plot.
By: Andrew Krammer
A woman was charged in connection with a Rosemount Dairy Queen robbery, along with her fiance who was charged in September, the Star Tribune reported.
Kerri Nicole Bean, 23, was charged with aggravated robbery and terroristic threats, according to the Pioneer Press. Her fiance, Kyle Arthur Milhaupt, 27, was charged with the same counts and is scheduled to be in court on Feb. 28.
A man burst into the Dairy Queen restaurant Sept. 20, claiming he would set off a bomb if he didn't get cash, according to the claim.
When caught by police, the couple initially told them that strangers had pulled up behind their car at a stoplight, jumped in, assaulted them, and made them rob the DQ.
Bean admitted the carjacking was a hoax, according to court documents.
By: Andrew Krammer
A suspected natural gas leak sickened a total of nine people; sending two of them to the hospital, KSTP reported.
The leak happened at a business center Friday morning in Roseville and 150 people had to be removed from the building, according to the Star Tribune. Authorities arrived to the Twin Lakes Corporate Center II, in the 2700 block of Arthur Street, at about 8:15 a.m.
Xcel Energy examined the building and said they did not find any leaks.
All nine reported having headaches or headaches and vomiting, said Fire Chief Tim O'Neill.
The cause of the natural gas odor is still unknown.
By: Andrew Krammer
At least 20 people were killed and six were injured in a northeastern Colombian mine explosion on Wednesday, CNN reported.
The explosion is believed to have been caused by a methane gas buildup, according to MSNBC. The blast happened during a shift change, around 7 a.m.
Five victims were found at the mine's entrance and two more were found by afternoon; another 14 are left to be recovered, said Colombian Red Cross director, Johel Enrique Rodriguez.
This is the second fatal blast in the last four years for this particular mine.
By: Andrew Krammer
John Stone, a car salesman in suburban Chicago, was fired for refusing to take off a Green Bay Packers tie that he wore to work the day after the Packers beat the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship, the Star Tribune reported.
He says he wore the Packers tie Monday to honor his late grandmother, who was a big Green Bay fan, according to Fox News.
Stone's boss, Jerry Roberts, says the dealership has a history of doing promotions with members of the Bears and he was afraid the tie would offend the team's fans and hurt business.
Stone worked at Webb Chevrolet in the Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn.
