The author also describes the method and details of the three robberies, which gives the reader insight into the case.
The background information that the author provides gives another layer to the story that turns the article into an above average one.
]]>Elizabeth Collins, 8, and Lyric Cook, 10, went missing on July 13 after leaving their grandmother's house in Evansdale, Iowa. The girls' bikes and purse were found around the area of Lake Meyer, which led authorities to scanning the lake with sonar. After nothing was found, the case was classified as an abduction.
Police haven't said whether they have a suspect, but added that another press conference is scheduled for Thursday.
"It's definitely not the outcome that we wanted, obviously," Capt. Rick Abben of the Black Hawk County Sheriff's office said. "This is a difficult thing for us to go through. It's a difficult thing for the community."
MSNBC by NBC News Staff
Christian Alexander, 25, was sentenced in federal court in St. Paul for robbing a McDonald's in Byron, Rochester, and Winona. In total, Alexander and his accomplices nabbed less than $6,500.
The first robbery occurred September 19, 2010 in Winona. The Rochester and Byron robberies occurred within 11 days of each other in June 2011.
Following the Rochester robbery, police traced Alexander back to his home where they found him sitting in his car, which had money on the floor, guns and ammunition, and several McDonald's bags.
His accomplices have not been identified.
Star Tribune by Paul Walsh
Police received a call around 9:15 p.m. and arrived at the home at the 29200 block of Sunny Hill Road between Pine City and Hinckley, where the ex-husband was standing on the front deck. Retreating inside, he held a gun to his head and threatened to kill himself. Following two hours of police attempting to diffuse the situation, the man fatally shot himself.
The events occurred near the 29200 block of Sunny Hill Road between Pine City and Hinckley. Names of the man and woman have not yet been released because the relatives have not been notified. The cause of the shooting is also not released.
Star Tribune by Paul Walsh
Mount Vernon, NY resident Lucius Crawford, 60, told the NYPD to alert Long Island officials of his confession as they were searching for a suspect in the murders of 10 women whose bodies have been discovered in recent years. Crawford was taken into custody after police discovered the body of Tanya Simmons, 41, in his apartment.
Crawford was not home at the time of their discovery.
"We're glad to have this man off the streets," a Mount Vernon police officer said. "He's harmed so many people over the years, and now it's finally over."
CNN by Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley
Merrill does nice work by getting the player's background information, but it is lacking the reaction of someone that was close with Belcher. Many of the quotes are from people that hadn't spoken to him in a while or didn't get a lot of individual time with him.
Overall, the article had a good flow to it. It helped readers first understand the basis of the article and then it provided further information that gave the story more depth.
]]>Javon Belcher, 25, murdered his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, 22, and then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and committed suicide in front of his head coach and general manager. Friends of the couple reported that they had been arguing recently.
According to witnesses, Belcher thanked his coaching staff "for everything they had done for him". He then walked away and shot himself in the head in the facility's parking lot.
The Kansas City Chiefs will play their game on Sunday as scheduled against the Carolina Panthers.
ESPN by Elizabeth Merrill
According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the alert will last from Saturday afternoon until Sunday at noon.
Monitoring stations have begun noticing high levels of fine-particle pollution in the area. When the levels get too high, people that are sensitive to air pollution will being to feel chest pain and have difficulty breathing.
Air quality should improve by Monday due to an expected cold front, officials said.
Post Bulletin by Associated Press
Officer Tom Decker, 31, was shot and killed behind Winners Sports Bar after responding to a call about a suicidal person at a Main Street apartment around 11 p.m. Decker died on the scene because, according to witnesses, he had been shot in the face.
Police have arrested Ryan Michael Larson, 34, on suspicion of murdering a police officer. He was a resident in the apartment above the sports bar and is also a co-owner with his parents, Oakes wrote.
Decker leaves behind a wife and four children.
Star Tribune by Larry Oakes
Yoselyn Ortega, 50, is accused of allegedly stabbing a six- and two-year-old to death while they were under her care. According to police, the mother came home to find her two children stabbed to death and the nanny laying nearby.
Ortega did not speak and had her lawyer deliver the plea for her. She is currently expected to undergo psychological evaluation.
Her next court date is January 16.
CNN by Kristina Sgueglia
According to Akamai Technologies, a Web content distributor, "all 84 of Syria's IP address blocks have become unreachable". Web connection has been disrupted occasionally during the 20-month civil war, but this is the first complete cut off.
Shutting down local and international communication has become a common method used by governments facing civil unrest, as it has been done by Libya, Egypt and Iran.
MSNBC by Helen Popkin
Bangladesh's prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, declared the fire on Saturday and a different fire at another factory are both cases of "planned arson". Two were arrested in suspicion of the fire, but authorities have yet to make a connection that ties them to the arson.
The clothing factory, which is a supplier for Wal-Mart, caught fire in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka. There were 200 people injured in addition to the 100 deceased, Ahmed reported.
"How the factory caught fire, I don't know. But when we heard 'fire,' we all rushed out and we were trying to get out of the factory," said Parul Begum, a survivor.
CNN by Farid Ahmed
Sam Bracanov, 76, was ordered by a New Zealand court to stay away from the royal family after being charged with planning to throw horse manure at Prince Charles and his wife Camilla.
Bracanov has had a long history of speaking out against the monarchy in Britain. He was arrested in 1994 for spraying air-fresheners at Prince Charles. He pleaded not guilty to preparing to commit a crime, although he appeared to be disappointed in not being able to carry out the task, Reuters wrote.
"I make it like liquid - like porridge," Bracanov told reporters. "I would have done it."
MSNBC by Reuters
Ogura does a nice job of starting the story with information that is straight to the point while also giving background information on the subject.
Further on in the article, Ogura describes the trend of violent crimes in Japan by Americans. This is an excellent way of showing that this incident is not isolated and that it is part of a trend.
Another good aspect of Ogura's reporting is her ability to portray the Japanese emotion in response to these incidents and the rising tensions between to two nations because of them.
]]>The new addition is the fifth installment to the "Angry Birds" family, which has generated over 1 billion downloads since its 2009 launch. The franchise has spawned from a simple game for phones to a game that can be played on any format.
"Angry Birds Star Wars" will feature 80 different levels and a final showdown with Darth Vader.
"The game follows a plucky group of Rebel birds in their fight against the evil Imperial Pigs," said Rovio Entertainment, the game's producer, in a press release.
CNN by Brandon Griggs