Le Notizie

In both Minneapolis and St. Paul, the number of dog attack incidents has been declining in the past few years. However, dangerous dog declarations have doubled in the past year in Minneapolis. St. Paul City Councilman Dan Bostrom has suggested outlawing pit bulls in St. Paul to aid the decline.

The Pioneer Press added that City Council President Kathy Lantry said that a breed-specific law is not the way to go.

I think more concentration on the pit bull issue would be good, as they are a big topic of debate.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 1:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Minnesota State Patrol is still investigating a rollover on 694 that resulted in two deaths. After a jeep rear-ended an SUV, the SUV rolled over and two of its passengers, who weren't wearing seat belts, were killed.

The Pioneer Press added that six people were in the two cars.

Both stories report well on the incident, but it would be good to have more witness accounts.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman's car was rear-ended on Thursday by a drunk driver. Abbie Raymond, of St. Paul, was booked into jail after she hit the vehicle, charged with a DUI. She had a blood-alcohol level of 0.26.

The Pioneer Press added that even two hours after the incident, Raymond was struggling to understand that she had hit the mayor's vehicle.

I thought it was interesting that the Star Tribune story said Raymond was "allegedly" drunk, although her blood-alcohol level was recorded as 0.26.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Minnesota Historical Society entered a 22.66 carat sapphire belonging to the society, into a New York City auction last week, speculating that it might bring around $80,000. The gem was sold for $3.06 million, of which the society will receive $2.6 million after commission and fees.

The Pioneer Press added that the gem was given to the society in 2006 and was never on display.

I think that both stories would be better if they gave more detail about the historical value of the gem.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 2:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fei Ni drove his Lexus SUV the wrong way on Crosstown March 11 and killed two women in another car as the two vehicles collided in a fiery crash. Officials believe that after being bailed out of jail, Ni fled to China. He is now a fugitive after he missed his court hearing Friday.

The Pioneer Press added that because the United States has no extradiciton agreement with China, there is no way of bringing him back.

The Star Tribune article provided more thorough analysis, as well as quotes from the husband of one of the women killed. It turned this tragedy into something a person can sympathize with.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

State health officials announced Friday that chemicals formerly used by 3M are not in Minneapolis' or St. Paul's drinking water. Officials said that the chances of the chemicals being in the water were slim, but performed the tests as a precaution.

The Pioneer Press added that the tests were performed after the chemicals were found in fish lakes in Minneapolis.

Both articles should have discussed, or mentioned, the previous stories about 3M chemicals in drinking water in the eastern suburbs, but didn't.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ten years ago, British scientist Jonathan Slack was criticized by almost all media outlets when he created a headless tadpole. The University of Minnesota announced this week that he will be the head of its stem cell program after its founder left to return to Belgium. The University thought it was a joke when the widely respected biologist and author applied for the position.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press added that Slack is best known for turning liver cells into pancreas cells, which could help develop a treatment for diabetes.

The Star Tribune did a much better job of detailing the story from 1997 regarding the headless tadpole controversy.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 6:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced Thursday 157 road projects that will take plae over the summer. They will cost $1.5 billion, with 36 in the metro and 121 statewide. One long-awaited project is the untangling of the Crosstown/35W junction.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press provided details on certain projects, including individual costs for each.

Both articles are short, I wish that more details were available about the Crosstown/35W construction and the "Unweave the Weave" project.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 6:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The northwest suburbs of Minneapolis voted against a busway from Osseo to Minneapolis, favoring light rail or trolleys. Light rail would attract more businesses than a busway.

Other articles in the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press discuss the examination of other light rail routes, like the one proposed on University Avenue.

This article does a good job following the mass transit trend within the Twin Cities. Lately, light rail and/or trolleys have been favored over busses.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 2:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Intruders shot and killed three people after breaking into a home in St. Paul. The intruders are believed to be several males who were driving a dark-colored sport utility vehicle.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press added that neighbors said they had moved to the neighborhood thinking that it would be a place where their children would feel safe.

Both articles treat the story well, with quotes from surviving family members and neighbors, as well as police officers. Everything is attributed well and a thorough story is provided.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 2:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A 24-year-old man broke into the house prominently featured on the 1970s sitcom "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning. He was found in a second-story bedroom Saturday morning and was arrested and charged with burglary. The man said friends had dared him to break into the home.

I could not find a similar article anywhere.

The story was very good, with a quote from the man who was arrested. I thought it was very interesting that they got the quote.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 9:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This question has been plaguing residents of six east metro communities since chemicals from 3M were discovered in their tap water. John Linc Stine, environmental health division director at the Minnesota Department of Health, says that the answer is elusive. Saying "yes" would disregard possible long-term affects of the now "safe" levels of the chemicals. Saying "no" would declare the water dangerous, but that is not known for sure.

The Star Tribune story above was from Monday's paper. On Wednesday, the Pioneer Press ran a story that said 3M had declared the water safe to drink.

Both stories did a very good job informing the audience about what the concerns were and what the worrisome chemicals were, describing them in detail.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 9:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Military explosives were discovered in a Bloomington house Monday. Federal agents were dispatched to the scene. Uncertain whether the materials were active or inert, they called the Bloomington and Minneapolis bonb squads to help, as well as military personnel. Five nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution.

The Pioneer Press added that the man who lives there was home at the time and was taken into custody, while the Star Tribune gives some details into his personality and activities.

The lead in the Star Tribune article seems a little too wordy, and the second graf brings too much detail to quickly for my taste.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 7:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On his way home from a party Feb. 23, Sean Humphrey apparently fell on the sidewalk and was discovered partly frozen the next morning. He died in the hospital on Feb. 24, what would have been his 19th birthday. Police suspect alcohol may have been involved.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press added that foul play is not suspected.

The story, though tragic, starts with a relatively boring lead. It depends on the headline to catch reader interest.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A bill to legalize ticket scalping in Minnesota passed 48 to 15 in the state Senate Monday. Ticket scalping is now recognized as "a legitimate secondary market." The ticket scalping law was sporadically enforced, though.

The Minnesota Daily added that many scalpers had no idea that the bill was passed.

The Star Tribune made a good decision in writing this story. As the Daily said, scalpers did not know about the bill, so the Strib told them.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Almost 189,000 Minnesotans don't use the food stamps available to them. This is more than 40 percent of eligible Minnesotans. Many people don't know about them, but others find the paperwork to be too much. This prevents the state economy from getting more than $170 million a year in federal dollars. There are currently bills in the Legislature to simplify the paperwork.

I could not find an article similar to this one, from the Star Tribune.

The analysis of the report is very thorough and quotes are used very well. I think that the article pinpoints all of the major related issues.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 2:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Federal investigators are looking into a mortgage scam orchestrated by a former Prior Lake real estate agent, believing it may be part of a larger problem. Jill Lehn is accused of altering more than 60 transactions in the scam. Investigators believe that it is a larger problem than just Lehn, predicting many more arrests.

The Pioneer Press reports that Lehn plans on detailing all her misdeeds in the upcoming issue of Minnesota Realtor, due out March 1.

The two articles take different stances on the story. The Star Tribune reports mostly from the investigators' point of view, whereas the Pioneer Press reports mainly on Lehn.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A man died in a police chase in St. Paul Monday. Mitchell Moua was wanted on aggravated assault, false imprisonment and federal weapons charges when he was approached by St. Paul police. He fled in an SUV down 7th Street, firing at pursuing officers. His SUV crashed in front of a thrift store, and Moua was found with a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

The Pioneer Press added family accounts, with his father Blong Moua saying that after being released from prison, Mitchell struggled to find a job and fell back into the gang crowd.

The chronology in the Star Tribune story is very good, however it is lacking in emotional connection. The quotes from family members in the Pioneer Press add a human aspect to the detailed chronology.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Metro communities want more police control of speeders. Speeding has become more of a concern in the past year, despite police handing out more speeding tickets than in 2005. Cities are considering using more traffic-calming measures, like roundabouts, speed humps and curbs that narrow the street. Raymond Street in St. Anthony Park is detailed as a concern in the article.

I could not find a similar article in the Pioneer Press or other publication.

This is a good representation of the concern. It's a problem around the nation, according to the article, but this is the only article I could find addressing the issue.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A cab driver for Green and White Taxi was shot in an apartment building's parking lot early Sunday morning. The shooting happened in Brooklyn Center and police think robbery may have been a motive. Police were searching through the entire apartment complex for witnesses to the crime. Many residents said that they did not hear a gunshot.

A brief in the Pioneer Press added that the driver had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

The use of quotes from residents helps humanize the story and makes me sympathize more. I think that the individual quoted reactions give the story power.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Penthouses are appearing all around Minnesota for those able to pay for them. There are hotels in St. Paul and Minneapolis offering penthouses and now two hotels in Rochester. But, there is quite a price to pay, varying from $2,800 to $5,000 per night. Many hotel owners cannot generate a quality response to the question of why the price is so high. "The price," said Dan Dick, the general manager of the St. Paul Hotel, "is so not everyone can go up there." Another reason for the price is that they don't want the room to be worn. It's all about exclusivity.

The quote used here is a perfect example of a great quote. It couldn't have been said as succinctly in by paraphrasing or using a partial quote.

I could not find a similar article in any other publication.

I think that the story is very good, because many people always wonder what makes a penthouse so good. Apparently it's just for exclusivity.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mille Lacs Band Chief Melanie Benjamin has proposed plans for a pension fund for band seniors. This comes due to the high level of poverty among the elders in the band, who sometimes can pay bills only every other month. Funds will come from band businesses, including casinos. The fund will receive five percent of the band's annual revenue.

In the article, Benjamin has many quotes, most of them not too good. For example, she said, "When I get to be an old person, I want to know I'm going to be taken care of." This quote is unnecessary and would be better paraphrased.

I could not find a parallel article in any other publication.

Overall, the story is very good, with a map of the area being discussed as well as different sections. However, as I said before, the quotes could be paraphrased and attributed better.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the Twin Cities metro area, traditional billboard are being replaced by LED billboards that resemble televisions and change their messages every eight seconds. These new billboards are worrisome for several local municipalities, including both Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as Minnetonka, while at least a dozen other states have already outlawed such billboards. Some worry that they will distract drivers, while others think that they are a wonderful step into technology.

The lead, "Billboards are getting a high-tech facelift that allows outdoor advertisers to get more bang for their buck. But cities across the country are going to court to limit or outlaw their use," is wonderful. It states what is going on and answers the "so what" question.

In St. Paul, the City Council has banned these new electronic billboards temporarily, according to the Pioneer Press. This temporary ban has been issued to provide the city time to analyze their pros and cons.

Both stories do a good job when read together. The Star Tribune story provides background and information about the new electronic billboards and their costs and benefits. This provides a perfect lead-in for the Pioneer Press story, printed two days later, which mentions St. Paul's ban of the billboards.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Four deaf people are suing Dakota County for emotional injuries after they were not provided with interpreters during an emergency situation in September 2004. Neighborhood children found jars of mercury in an old glass factory and began playing with them. In the Rosemount Woods mobile home park, more than a dozen homes had unsafe mercury levels and residents had to be decontaminated in on-site showers. The deaf residents struggled to understand what was going on, one of them was even laughed at.

The lead, "Four deaf individuals have filed a federal lawsuit against Dakota County alleging that emergency responders violated their civil rights by failing to provide American Sign Language interpreters for them when their Rosemount neighborhood was contaminated by mercury in September 2004," is too long. The lead is understandable, but too long. It has critical information from beginning to end, but could be broken into a two-sentence lead for ease.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press provides a much shorter story. The Pioneer Press story mentions that interpreters were allegedly not present at follow-up meetings about health either.

The Star Tribune does a very good job outlining this important issue. I think that the direct quote about having been laughed at is a very good storytelling element to increase empathy.

Posted by Ted Maghrak at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)