Richardson Times

Analysis: Data Sets

2012-12-09T20:38:01Z

For this blog, I found a two-part story called "Glamour Beasts: The dark side of elephant captivity" by the Seattle Times reporter Michael J. Berens.
I located this story using www.nicar.org's Extra Extra section.
The reporter used many documents from zoo records and from animal advocacy groups. Many of the documents were zookeeper logs about attempts to inseminate elephants in zoos.
There was a compelling interactive graphic that mapped out where and how many elephants had died at zoos across the United States. The was a table below the map that listed the elephants' name, age, sex and cause of death.
There is another interactive graphic that follows the timeline of a famous elephant family in captivity.
The reporter must have had to do extensive digging in zoo records to find this information about the elephants, especially since some of it is incriminating in the health of the animals.

Itlay PM to quit as party support wanes

2012-12-09T02:33:59Z

Italy Prime Minister Mario Monti said Saturday he will resign as soon as an important budget law is passed amid waning support from Silvio Berlusconi's party.
Silvio Berlusconi had announced a few hours earlier that he would run for the office of prime minister again, according to a report by The New York Times.
The Guardian reported that although Monti's time in office is supposed to end in April, elections could happen as early as February.
Monti took office last spring after Berlusconi left surrounded by scandal and turmoil.
Monti is credited with improving Italy's market standing, according to The New York Times.
But Monti has relied on support from Berlusconi's party in Parliament throughout his time in office, and that support has since dried up, according to The Guardian.
Berlusconi claims that Italy is worse off now than when he left office, according to The New York Times.

St. Paul pays $20,000 in lawsuit settlement

2012-12-09T01:45:37Z

The St. Paul City Council settled a federal lawsuit for excessive force by police for $20,000 with a vote last week.
The suit came from an incident in 2007 with three minors who were throwing snowballs, according to a report by the Star Tribune.
The Pioneer Press reported that on March 12, 2007, Patrick Hedican IV, then 17, and two other minors ran after seeing a police car while throwing snowballs.
Hedican stopped running, and police kicked him and hit him with a flashlight, according to the Star Tribune.
The Pioneer Press reported that Hedican needed medical attention for several of his injuries.
The city said that the settlement is not an "admission of liability," according to the Star Tribune.

Hoaxed Middleton nurse found dead

2012-12-07T22:17:03Z

The nurse who took a prank call about Kate Middleton's hospital condition was found dead Friday morning.
The BBC reported that the death of the nurse, Jacintha Saldana, is being treated as unexplained and are not looking for suspects.
According to a report by Al-Jazeera, this explanation means the death is a suspected suicide.
The pregnancy of the Duchess of Cambridge immediately caused a media obsession around the world.
The Duchess was hospitalized Monday for acute morning sickness and released on Thursday, according to the BBC.
Saldana was a victim of a prank call from two Australian radio DJs who were trying to get information about the Duchess.
Al-Jazeera reported that both the hospital and the Duke and Duchess released statements expressing their condolences.

Man arrested in NYC subway death

2012-12-05T21:43:44Z

Police arrested a homeless man Wednesday for pushing a rider on to the tracks, where he was killed by a train moments later.
Naeem Davis, 30, was charged with murder for pushing Ki-Suck Han, 58, of Queens, to his death at the 50th Street and Seventh Avenue station Monday, according to a report by The Washington Post.
The New York Times reported that the police rounded up witnesses to identify who was responsible for Han's death. A cellphone video showed the two men in some sort of confrontation.
A controversy arose around a photograph taken by a freelance photographer working for The New York Post of Han stuck on the tracks just moments before he was struck by the train.
According to The Washington Post, many have criticized R. Umar Abassi and the Post for taking and publishing the photographs instead of trying to help the victim.
Abassi defended himself, saying he was too far away to help and was trying to signal to the train to stop, according to The New York Times.
Davis remains in custody.

4-year-old kills 2-year-old in Minneapolis

2012-12-05T21:18:22Z

A 4-year-old boy shot and killed a 2-year-old boy Wednesday afternoon in Minneapolis.
The shooting occurred in a duplex in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis, only blocks away from Augsburg College, according to a report by the Pioneer Press.
The 2-year-old was shot in the leg, according to the Pioneer Press.
Minneapolis Police Sgt. Steve McCarty said emergency personnel from Hennepin County Medical Center were not able to revive the injured boy, according to the Star Tribune.
The Pioneer Press reported that the child's name would not be released.
According to the Star Tribune, police are investigating if any adults were home at the time of the shooting and how the child got the gun.

Analysis: Reporting on a public meeting

2012-12-03T05:12:49Z

This report by the Star Tribune covered a Mendota Heights City Council vote to approve an ordinance on maintenance of commercial properties.
This was a very short report on the council meeting, and the reporter did not choose to go in to any real depth about what the new ordinance means for Mendota Heights.
This report was a basic summary about what the ordinance is and what it requires from commercial property owners.
To go more in depth with this story, I would want to talk to commercial property owners and residents in the area to get their take on the new ordinance. It would bring more humanity and relevance to the story.
It would also be interesting to know the consequences if the new ordinance is violated.

Two killed when bus crashes in to Miami airport overpass

2012-12-03T00:09:52Z

Two people were killed when their tall tour bus tried to go through an overpass at the Miami International Airport early Saturday.
Three others are in critical conditions, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The 11-foot-bus carrying about 30 Jehovah's Witnesses was being driven by Ramon Ferreiro, 47. According to a report by the Miami Herald, Ferreiro made a wrong turn and missed several warning signs for the 8-foot-6-inch overpass.
Riders near the front of the bus were crushed by the wreckage. The driver's seat was lower than the rest of the bus and he was uninjured, according to the Miami Herald.
Ferreiro was being interviewed by investigators, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Carbon emissions at all time high in 2011

2012-12-02T22:28:31Z

Researchers with the Global Carbon Project reported that time is running out to limit global warming, noted by record high carbon dioxide emissions in 2011.
Global emissions are only expected to increase in 2012, according to a report by The New York Times.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the scientists fear the international goal of limiting global warming to only about three degrees may soon be impossible.
China was the country with the biggest increase in carbon dioxide emissions, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Germany and the United States were the only 10 biggest polluters whose carbon dioxide emissions had decreased.
The New York Times reported that the effects of these high emissions levels on the climate could include more weather catastrophes and rising sea levels, among others.

Police looking for gun used to kill Cold Spring officer in ambush

2012-12-02T21:15:25Z

Police are still trying to figure out what led up to the killing of a Cold Spring police officer last Thursday.
Officer Tom Decker, 31, was shot and killed behind Winners Sports Bar on Cold Spring's Main Street while responding to a call about a suicidal man, according to a report by Minnesota Public Radio.
Authorities are calling the incident an ambush.
The Star Tribune reported that police arrested Ryan Michael Larson, 34, in his apartment above the bar an hour after Decker was killed.
Larson remains in custody in Stearns County jail.
The Stearns County Sheriff's Office believes that Officer Decker was shot by a 20-gauge shotgun.
Authorities are asking for the public's help in finding the weapon, according to the Star Tribune.

Yasser Arafat's remains to be reexamined

2012-11-27T04:20:13Z

Scientists are reopening the tomb of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat Tuesday to further investigate the cause of his death in 2004.
Expert teams from France, Switzerland and Russia will test samples to see if Arafat's death was caused by polonium poisoning, according to CNN.
Polonium is a radioactive element. Personal items on Arafat at the time of his death contained abnormal levels of the element, according to CNN.
The discovery prompted Arafat's widow to call for further investigation in to the cause of his death.
According to a report by Al-Jazeera, the exhumation process is being handled very secretly.
The Palestinian Authority, which is in charge of the West Bank where Arafat is buried, was limiting who could attend the exhumation.
Al-Jazeera reported that because Arafat died in a French military hospital, it is up to the French legal system to decide how to continue after the results come in.

7 Great Danes rescued from Minneapolis home

2012-11-27T03:52:37Z

Authorities rescued seven Great Danes living in inhumane conditions in Minneapolis Monday.
The hoarder of the dogs was compliant with Minneapolis Animal Care and Control in handing over the dogs, but could still be charged with animal cruelty according to the Star Tribune.
The Pioneer Press reported that the two puppies of the group have already been adopted.
The other five are being handed over to the Great Dane Rescue of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The Star Tribune reported that with the dogs from Minneapolis, the rescue organization based in Siren, WIs., will have 15 dogs awaiting adoption.
Minneapolis Animal Care and Control advises that people shouldn't house more animals than they can realistically take care of, according to the Pioneer Press.

Using bikes to attract businesses in Minneapolis

2012-11-19T05:07:54Z

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said in a report by MinnPost that the city is using biking infrastructure to attract new businesses and young workers.
According to the report, young professionals are increasingly moving to cities and are more likely to spend money on new technology and expensive bicycles than cars.
This talented pool of the younger generation is exactly who companies are now looking to hire.
Mayor R.T. Rybak told MinnPost that is part of the reason behind why Minneapolis has invested more in biking over the last several years.
Minneapolis consistently is ranked among the best cities for biking in the U.S., with over 180 miles of bike trails so far and double that planned.
The article goes on to describe how other cities are also investing in biking infrastructure with the same intents and purposes.
"We want young talent to come here and stay. And good biking is one of the least expensive ways to send that message," said the mayor to MinnPost.

Obama visits Myanmar to acknowledge reforms

2012-11-19T04:43:42Z

President Barack Obama begins his trip to Myanmar Sunday, making him the first sitting U.S. president to visit the country.
This is the first foreign trip for the President since being elected to a second term.
According to a report by The Guardian, President Obama said he is not visiting the country because they have achieved a fair democracy, but because they are taking steps in the right direction.
The New York Times reported that the president made a point to visit, in addition to government leaders, the home of dissident Daw Aung San Suu Kyi who was under house arrest for almost twenty years. She was freed two years ago.
However, there are still more than 200 political prisoners in government custody and questionable human rights in areas of the country, according to The New York Times.
According the The Guardian, Obama acknowledged that "the country has a long way to go."

Analysis: Cultural Reporting

2012-11-19T04:05:55Z

The New York Times published a story Saturday about the effects that Hurricane Sandy had on Haitian farmers.
The story is mainly about damages and losses inflicted upon the already struggling Haitians who live in rural areas and work with agriculture.
The common perception of Haiti right now is that of an impoverished nation. This news story does little to break that stereotype, although in reality most Haitians really are still struggling from natural disasters past, in addition to Sandy.
This story does not delve much deeper in to the culture other than the challenges farmers in Haiti face.
This may be because it is only a two-page story, but it only portrays Haitians who have lost a lot and now rely on prayer for help. This does not go much farther than how most Americans already view Haitians.
For example, one man interviewed for the story is a farmer with a family of eight to feed. Tragically, most of his crops were wiped out in the storm.
"At night I pray to God and ask what can I do?" is the only quote in the story from this man, who most likely had a lot more insight in to the situation.
For sources, the reporter had interviewed several farmers and people who were hit hard by the storm in rural Haiti. Four are quoted in the story, and the stories of several more specific people are referenced.
There are also a number of official sources used, such as two United Nations workers and the Prime Minister of Haiti. A report by the international aid organization Oxfam is also referenced.