Jessica Rehberger's Blog

Saturday Sudanese leaders said they would call for a ceasefire in Darfur, while they participate in peace talks with Libya in the city of Sirte. The fighting and war began in Darfur in 2003 and a 2006 peacetalk treaty had failed to create a ceasefire, according to the BBC. Sudanese presidential adviser Nafie Ali Nafie said: "We announce a ceasefire from this moment, and we will respect it unilaterally." (BBC)

According to The Star, (a Malaysian newspaper) two main rebel groups-The Justice and Equality Movement and The Sudan Liberation Army, have opted out of the talks leaving many to believe they will end up like the 2006 talks, unsuccessful.

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 11:34 PM | Permalink

Idaho Sen. Larry Craig plans on going back to court to argue against his guilty plea of disorderly conduct in a Minneapolis Airport bathroom in June. Craig and his attorney will make a case against Minnesota's disorderly conduct law, stating that it is unconstitutional, namely it is against the First Amendment, guaranteeing United States citizens freedom of speech. The case will be brought to court in December according to MSNBC.

Craig's lawyer Billy Martin is a criminal lawyer from Washington, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 11:16 PM | Permalink

Joseph A. Tucker, 29, a former band teacher who taught at Como Park Senior High in St. Paul, has pleaded guilty to having sex with a former student according to the Pioneer Press.

Tucker appeared in the Ramsey District court on Friday in front of Judge M. Michael Monahan and said, "Your honor, I know that what I did was wrong. I destroyed a community that I love very much, and I betrayed a great trust that I worked very hard to establish." (Star Tribune)
Monahan gave Tucker an 18-month sentence with 3-months to be served in a work house, Tucker will also have to register as a sex offender according to the Star Tribune.

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 11:01 PM | Permalink

St. Paul police were called to the East Side of St. Paul Friday night after receiving a report of gunshots. Once police arrived they found a dead man in the alley way between Jessamine Avenue and Arcade Avenue according to the Star Tribune.

Police could not confirm if the victim was killed from being hit and dragged by a car, or from a possible head shot wound. A second victim was taken to the hospital to be treated for a bullet wound in his hand. Both victims were in their late teens to early twenties. The St. Paul Police gang unit is investigating this incident, according to the Pioneer Press.

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 10:06 PM | Permalink

I am choosing this event: Mount Eerie (band) at the First Amendment Gallery on Oct. 22 at 7p.m. $7 all ages
The advance can be found at citypages.com here.

There are no sources used in this advance, although there are quite a few references to the leader of this band's personal past in the music scene. The angle is not very good for promoting this band. The writer seems bitter about the leader leaving his old band and starting this solo band, Mount Eerie. He at one point says, "these train-wreck solo jaunts probably pay the bills" (citypages.com Ray Cummings ). Calling the show a train wreck, crafts the listing as a train wreck and makes me not want to go to this show, or maybe go to warn Mount Eerie that a local reporter has it out for him.

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 8:10 PM | Permalink

On Sunday England lost to South Africa, 15-6, in the rugby union World Cup Finals in Paris France according to the New Zealand Herald. An England fan said, "I'll be fair and say that I think the best team won," said Peter Hargreaves, 52, from Greenwich. "We never looked like scoring a try and we really needed to get those points." (New Zealand Herald).
According to the BBC, when the game was done millions of fans across South Africa cheered and sang the traditional zulu shosholoza, a song the represents a spontaneous collection of joy. At one point Nelson Mandela appeared on his balcony, over looking a square in Johannesburg, before the match was over. The square was filled with fans, watching the game on a large screen, set up for the public. The crowd took Mandela's appearance as a good sign with one fan saying, "Nelson Mandela is the father of the nation, so when we saw him we said: 'Oh my goodness, it's in the bag." (BBC)

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 7:39 PM | Permalink

A years long lawsuit between the city of Eagan and the Metropolitan Airports Commission was settled in Wednesday. The suit also includes Minneapolis and Richfield. The Metropolitan Airports Commission has agreed to pay over 700 homeowners $7.4 million dollars, over time, to help shield their homes from loud airport noise, according to the Pioneer Press.
According to the Star Tribune, 432 homes are affected by airport noise in Minneapolis and the Commission has agreed to start work on these homes in the next year and finish in 2009.
The years of 1994-2004 have seen a 19% increase in airport noise, to see if your home qualifies for the improvements you can visit the Star Tribune here.

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 7:17 PM | Permalink

A lifeless male body was found in Cedar Lake in Minneapolis Saturday morning. The man's name is Bobby Joe Allen and he was 55-years-old. According to the Medical Examiner, Allen died from drowning, according to the Star Tribune.
Authorities arrived to the scene after receiving a 911 call from a man at 9:45 a.m. The caller said he saw a small boat overturned in the lake. Authorities then found the body close to the overturned boat. The drowning still remains under investigation, according to the Pioneer Press.

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 6:56 PM | Permalink

What is believed to be a new dinosaur species was found in Argentina, scientists said October 15. The dinosaur was a 105-foot plant eater and one of the largest dinosaurs ever found, according to the Star Tribune.
Scientists believe that this was an unknown species because of the unique shape of its neck, not seen before. They have named the animal, Futalognkosaurus dukei after the Mapuche Indian words for “giant� and “chief�, and for the company, Duke Energy Argentina, which helped pay for its excavation, according to ABC News.
The giant herbivore walked the earth 88 million years ago during the late Cretaceous period according to TIME.
Dinosaurs these sizes are unique to the southern hemisphere according to Alexander Kellner, a researcher with the Brazilian National Museum and co-author of the dinosaur's scientific description. (Star Tribune) To see pictures of the dinosaur’s bones click here. (ABC News)

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 9:55 PM | Permalink

Leonid Hurwicz, 90, an emeritus professor of economics at the University of Minnesota will be sharing the honor of winning the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences which he won on Monday October 15. He will be sharing the prize with Eric S. Maskin and Roger B. Myerson for developing a theory on why markets are not always the model of perfection once taught in Economics 101 according to the Star Tribune.
Hurwicz was born in Moscow and is the oldest Nobel Prize winner ever according to the Royal Swedish academy of Sciences. The academy says the three researches, “"laid the foundations of mechanism design theory." (Pioneer Press).
Hurwicz thought at first the call telling him he had won was a joke saying, “The first thing I thought was that it was a joke, considering that it was 6 in the morning, not a very good joke." (Star Tribune).
University of Minnesota president is very proud of his faculty member saying, “"Professor Hurwicz has been one of the most outstanding economists in the entire world." (The Minnesota Daily)

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 5:07 PM | Permalink

Here is the press release:http://www.governor.state.mn.us/mediacenter/pressreleases/PROD008322.html
Here is the article on MPR: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/09/27/healthcomm/

I found this interesting because the Press release discusses the new Minnesota Health Commissioner who was appointed by Tim Pawlenty in September. It talks about her credentials and her history with the health in Minnesota. The article chooses to focus on the controversy over the last health commissioner and her refusal to release public data. There is even a quote in regards to a reporter asking the new Commissioner if there would ever be a time when she would withhold public information. The reporter chose to write about the controversy instead of the Commissioner’s credentials, which made for a more interesting read.

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 8:05 PM | Permalink

Former Vice-President, Al Gore, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, will share the 2007 Noble Peace Prize, “for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change" (Noble Peace Prize 2007). Dr. Rajendra Pachauri is the chairman for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which Al Gore calls, “the world's preeminent scientific body devoted to improving our understanding of the climate crisis." (The Christine Science Moniter)

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 7:51 PM | Permalink

Russian president Vladimir Putin will be taking a trip to Iran later this week. According to the Associated Press, Russia has been building a nuclear reactor for Iran. The United States is hoping Putin’s trip will verify where the Kremlin stands in Iran’s nuclear issues.
Putin has been warned of an assassination plot against him when he visits Iran. Russian Special Services had gotten word of a gang of suicide bombers planning an attack on Putin when he would be in Tehran according to the BBC.
Putin is the first Russian president to visit Iran since Joseph Stalin visited in 1943. (BBC)

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 7:23 PM | Permalink

A huge vehicle crash involving 28 commercial vehicles and one passenger vehicle has killed three people and injured 10 others early Sunday morning in Santa Clara California.
The crash happened inside a free way tunnel and has closed the freeway temporarily. The tunnel needs to be inspected by officials to see how many repairs need to be made before it can be deemed safe for driving in. According to Will Kempton, Director of the California Department of Transportation, “"Our goal is to get the roadway open as quickly as possible." (CNN)
The roadway that is closed is interstate 5 between Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley. The only time this road has been closed this long is by to earthquakes. The cause of the crash is still being investigates according to the Los Angeles Times.

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 7:08 PM | Permalink

An arrest has been made in regards to the 44-year-old woman who was kidnapped from a light rail station in Minneapolis around 2a.m. on October 4. She was verbally assaulted and led to a nearby apartment building where she was brutally beaten, raped and robbed according to the Pioneer Press.
Police have arrested a 20-year old man on Friday around 4p.m. and he is being held at the Hennepin County Jail pending charges. Metro Transit police are in charge of the investigation. This has been the first abduction at a light rail station since the trains began running in 2004 according to the Star Tribune.

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 6:53 PM | Permalink

Katherine Bodem, 38, was charged with 2nd-degree manslaughter in the drowning death of her 11-month old daughter on October 10. Bodem had claimed that she just left her daughter with her 2-year old brother while she went to look at shoes online for just a few minutes. When police got access to her computer they saw various websites and surf engines relating to shoes had been accessed for over 19 minutes before the 911 call was made according to the Pioneer Press.
Neighbors have stated that they have on numerous occasions tried to contact Le Suer and Dakota county Social Services in regards to Bodem's self-absorbed behavior but have always been told no laws have been broken. Todd and Christine Redmann, former neighbors of the Bodems have said, “"As professionals, both with experience in the mental health field, the signs were clear to us. Kathy often displayed indications of disordered thought -- at times grandiose and manic, and at other times listless and with almost complete disregard for everything and everyone around her." (Star Tribune)

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 6:32 PM | Permalink

First Day Story: http://www.startribune.com/467/story/1462417.html
Second Day Story: http://www.startribune.com/467/story/1464264.html

The lead in the first story discusses some of the evidence the jury for this trial has to look at to determine if the woman in the story is guilty of illegal file sharing. The lead in the second story discusses how the recording industry was found victorious in this case and the woman was found guilty.
The main news in the first story focused on the evidence the jury was presented with to prove Jammie Thomas guilty. The main news in the second story focuses on how the recording industry can use this case as a warning against illegal file sharing and downloading.
The second story advances the news by letting the reader know Thomas was found guilty of the case presented in the first story.

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 6:59 PM | Permalink

Lindsey Lohan, 21, has reportedly checked out of the rehab facility, Cirqu Lodge in Sundance Utah, according to MSNBC.
Lohan checked out of the facility on Friday and this was her third trip to rehab. According to the BBC, while in rehab Lindsey was seen bicycling and white water rafting.
In the last year Lohan had become more famous for her role in the Hollywood party scene than for her role in numerous movies including “Mean Girls� and “Herbie Fully Loaded�. Lindsey’s mom, Dina Lohan, had this to say about her daughter’s check out, “I’m proud of her. She’s moving ahead with her life.� (MSNBC)
In August, Lindsey, did admit she had a problem, she said her life had become unmanageable because she was addicted to alcohol and drugs. (BBC)

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 6:55 PM | Permalink

Early Sunday morning, four or five intruders broke in the Musee d'Orsay; a museum specializing in Impressionist works of art; in Paris and punched a 4-inch hole in Claude Monet's "Le Pont d'Argentevil" according to the International Herald Tribune.
According to the BBC a surveillence camera caught the group trying many doors before successfully breaking into the back one. An alarm did sound but as the group fled one person managed to damage the painting. The Culture Minister, Christine Albane, said the painting could be restored and called the vandalizim an attack on French heritage. Ironically the break-in took place on Paris's Nuit Blanch, an annual all-night festival that celebrates music and culture.
The painting was painted in 1874 and features a view of the Seine with a bridge and boats, click here to see the painting (courtesy of interagir).

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 1:16 AM | Permalink

The Mississippi River reopended to reacreational boaters on Saturday at 3p.m. along Lock and Dam 1, close to where the 35W bridge collapse happened. That part of the river had been closed to boaters since the bridge collapse. The river had to be deemed safe before it could reopen to the public. According to the Pioneer Press ,Chief Petty Officer Kelly Dentry of the U.S. coast gaurd had this to say, ""Contractors for (the Minnesota Department of Transportation) swept the bottom of the river to find any additional debris and they didn't find any."
According to the Star Tribune the ban had started to relax over the past few weeks, at first barges from two local companies were allowed to use certian parts of the river to transport goods, then on Friday other commercial boats such as tour boats were allowed through.
Dentry also said, "We've been anxious to make this happen because so many people are calling us wanting to make that trip to enjoy the fall colors." (Star Tribune)

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 12:49 AM | Permalink

After the Minneapolis 35W bridge collapse in August, the federal government approved $250 million to go towards the cost of replacing the bridge.
MnDOT had originally estimated the new replacement bridge would cost around $393 million, leaving the state to come up with an additional $143 million to go towards the construction according to the Star Tribune. This new estimate has brought many concerns to a hearing by the Transportation Contingent Appropriation Group on October 1. One particular concern is the fact that Minnesota has only received $55 million of the promised money from the federal government. MnDOT would like to start rebuilding the bridge later this month and needs money for immediate expenses.
Kevin Gray, the Minnesota Department of Transportation's chief financial officer said that early estimates did not factor in: on-site cleanup, diverting traffic and stepping up the state's bridge safety checks according to the Pioneer Press.

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 9:32 PM | Permalink

On September 20, thirty-three-year old Tanya Rider, a Washington Seattle native, drove her Honda Element SUV down a steep ravine in King County Washington, and crashed. She was on her way home from work and was trapped inside of her vehicle after the crash. She claims she made a 911 call and no one answered or came to her rescue. The King County sheriff's department is denying that a phone call was received. Tanya's husband, Tom Rider, contacted the sheriff's office to report his wife missing. Sheriff Sue Rahr, stated they can not take every missing persons case seriously because most missing adults do not want to be found.
Tanya was found in her vehicle on September 27 after police used cell phone tracking technology on her phone. She was alive and still trapped inside. The roof of her vehicle had to be cut open to get to her. She suffered kidney failure, dehydration, a badly injured left leg, a broken collar bone and a deep gash on her forehead, according to the Seattle Times.
Tanya Rider blames her husband, Tom, for not finding her soon enough and Tom blames the King County Sheriff's department for not finding her soon enough. Rahr said, "I want to know if he tried to report this and we made a mistake. If we made a mistake, we're going to address that." (CNN)

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 8:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I will be refering to this story in the Star Tribune in regards to my analysis of story structures.

This story seemed confusing for an online story because the Minnesota smoking ban is effective tomorrow, Oct. 1. The story keeps referring to the ban being in effect today. I understand the story was published at 9p.m. and more than likely refers to "today" because it is for the paper that will print tomorrow, but I felt it should be edited for the online version (today could be changed to tomorrow). The progression of the information seems a bit confusing. It refers to Wisconson bars doubling thier waitstaff and expecting more clientele in the lead but does not mention the smoking ban until the second paragraph. I found the story well written and it is of interest to me because I am really looking forward to a smokefree indoor environment through out the whole state of Minnesota, however I felt that the story needed to get to the point sooner.

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 3:32 AM | Permalink

The Greenbay Packers quarterback, Brett Farve, broke Dan Marino's career record of touchdown passes on September 30th in an easy win against the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis, according to ESPN. Greenbay Packers fans and Minnesota Vikings fans cheered together after Farve made a successful touchdown pass to Greg Jennings in the first quarter of the game. This was Farve's four hundred twenty first successful touchdown pass of his career. The touchdownn was followed by a taped recording of Marino congratulating the quarterback that was broadcast on the jumbo screens in the Metrodome.
According to The Star Tribune, Farve's team mate, Aaron Kampman had this to say about his quarterback, "He cares about the record, but it's not the most important thing. He cares about winning. That's when you know you have a special teammate."
To see the record pass click here. (courtsey of YouTube)

Posted by Jessica Rehberger at 3:10 AM | Permalink