October 2009 Archives

A student from Arizona State University committed suicide in front of his professor on Monday morning, the Star Tribune said.

Graduate student, David Solnick, 59, shot himself in front of his professor, Mookesh Patel, the State Press reported.  The incident occured in the College of Design South Building.

Police said Solnick was talking to his professor in his office when he took out the gun unexpectedly.

The State Press said another associate professor, Jason Griffiths, made the 911 call after Patel told him what happened.

The ASU president sent out an e-mail to staff and students reminding them that there are numerous people and support service available to help.

A British couple were traveling on their yacht in the Indian Ocean, when they were kidnapped by pirates on Friday, according to USA Today.

Paul and Rachel Chandler were sleeping when armed pirates climbed aboard and forced them to sail towards Somalia, BBC News reported.

Paul had reached BBC Somali Service by phone and said they were being fed and treated fine.

"They kept asking for money and took everything of value on the boat," Paul told USA Today via satelite phone.

Local fisherman said they had seen the Chandlers being taken into Somali, although Chandler couldn't say for sure.

BBC reported that a ransom or release has not been negotiated.  Relatives have pleaded for their release.

The Chandlers were sailing from Seychelles to Tanzania, according to their last blog posting.

Four teenagers were charged in connection with the raping of a 15-year-old girl at a homecoming dance in Richmond, Calif., CNN reported.

The Contra Costa Superior Court accused Cody Ray Smith, 15, Marcelles Peter,17, Ari Morales,16, and Manuel Ortega, 19, for gang raping the girl outside of Richmond High School on Saturday night, according to the Contra Costa Times.

The three minors were charged as adults and Ortega was charged seperately for robbery, assault and rape, which could put him behind bars for life, the Times said.

The accused are due back in court November 5, said CNN.

The two and a half hour incident occured in a dark part of campus after the victim went outside to call her dad to come pick her up, Richmond Police Detective Ken Greco said.

CNN said as many as 10 people were involved with the rape and as many as 10 others were watching, but didn't procede to call 911.

Monica Peter, aunt of Marcelles Peter, said she will sue the city of RIchmond if her nephew is given life.  She believed his ethnicity was the reason he was arrested.

The victim remained in critical condition, but was released on Wednesday, CNN said.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty is traveling to Mexico to meet with President Felipe Calderon in November, according to Kare 11.

Pawlenty, Calderon and Minnesota business owners are speaking to the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico about trade, exports and new business oppurtunities, according to Pawlenty's office.

The Star Tribune said the trip was arranged by the Mexican government and the Mexican Consulate in St. Paul.

Pawlenty's office said, proceeds from previous trade missions will pay for the trip at the state's expense.

Kare 11 said Pawlenty will meet Calderon on November 9 and return the next day.

Pawlenty, who has done several other trade missions, announced his decision at a Mexico-Minnesota Day celebration in Richfield, according to the Star Trinbune.

New Ulm school officials punished 40 student fans for yelling inappropriate comments at a volleyball game last Thursday, according to the Pioneer Press.

The students will not be allowed to attend sporting events for two weeks and althletes involved are suspended for two games, according to Superintendent Harold Remme.

Rob Bute, the New Ulm football coach said 11 of his players were suspended.

The students were removed from the volleyball game after yelling profanity at the Fairmont coach and players. One student threw a penny onto the court, game officials said.

The New Ulm Journal reported that parents of those students were outraged by the actions the school board had taken.  They found it to be "a rash decision."

The parents requested a meeting with school administrators to discuss the issues and voice their opinions, according to a Journal count.

One parent said,  "They are teenagers, they push the pencil all the way to the line."

Regardless of the parents reactions, the school administrators defended their actions and wanted to follow the High School League guidelines, the New Ulm Journal said.

Parents have called for another meeting, this time publically.

President Barack Obama addressed a crowd at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology about new energy sources.

USA Today wrote a news report about Obama's speech. making a point to touch on his optimism.

In Obama's speech, he talks about new innovations for cleaner energy use.  He wants America to be the leader of this because of all the great accomplishments we've already achieved.  Towards the end, Obama mentions a myth he disagrees with: Pessimism.  People think nothing will get done.

USA Today's report centers around this idea of pessimism.  He encourages the crowd to work on this and be optimistic.

The reporter for this story took one main theme from Obama's speech and chose to write about it.  He didn't try to summarize each point made.  The reporter took a few quotes to enhance his point and even added in what Obama did after the speech.  The reporter made Obama look very positive about upcoming energy innovations.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants the sex offender treatment facility in Moose Lake to sell back its 25 recently purchased plasma TVs, reported Kare 11.

The Star Tribune said the center opened in July and had the $1,576 apiece with $706 mounting brackets ordered last October.

A Department of Human Resources spokesperson wrote a statement saying, "Watching television is one of many group activities that M.S.O.P. patients do as part of the treatment process."

The number of occupants is 566 and expected to grow in the next seven years.  No patient has successfully completed treatment and released by the courts, the Star Tribune said.

Pawlenty read about the newly purchased TV's on Tuesday and wanted them returned immediately.  He said that if TVs were necessary then for the center to purchase smaller and cheaper ones.

Pawlenty argued that this purhase was a "bonehead" decision and wanted to find out who was behind it.

The plasma TVs are expected to be removed and sold this week, Kare 11 said.

October 22 marks the 20th year anniversary of the abduction of 11-year-old, Jacob Wetterling, from his Slayton, Minn. town.

Family and friends of Wetterling have not given up hope and are still seeking to find answers about the night Jacob was taken.

According to the St. Cloud Times, the Wetterlings still live in the same house and are careful not to discuss their opinions about possible suspects in the case.

It's a season that Patty Wetterling calls "the shaking of the tree," when annual publicity about Jacob's abduction generates more leads in the case. The Wetterlings hope the lead they need surfaces or a person comes forward with a tip -- or a confession, the St. Cloud Times reported.

Aaron Larson, Jacob's best friend, still remembers that night in 1989.  Larson was biking home with Jacob at the time of his abduction.

Larson, Jacob and Jacob's younger brother Trevor, were biking home from a convienance store, when a masked man with a gun stopped them, according to Larson's account on KSTP.

Larson told KSTP that the man asked for their ages and told Larson and Trevor to run but took Jacob.  By the time the boys looked back, Jacob was gone.

Larson thinks about that night he lost his best friend everyday, especially when he sees a child on a bike.

"It's something I'll have with me for the rest of my life," he said.

Patty Wetterling recently finished a book called, "Jacob's Hope" about the special place he holds in their hearts.,

The Vatican announced Tuesday that Anglicans who are unhappy with their faith are now welcomed into the Catholic Church, according to CNN.

Cardinal William Joseph Levada said the Anglican Church has recently welcomed the ordination of women priests and homosexual partnerships, leaving many traditional members upset.

The Star Tribune reported, that groups of conservative Anglicans will be able to convert to Roman Catholism as opposed to before when Anglicans converted on a case-by-case basis.

The Anglicans will still be able to keep their Anglican identity while recognizing the pope as their leader, Vatican officials said.

While married Anglican priests may be ordained as Catholic priests, the same does not apply to married Anglican bishops, Levada said.

This decision aided Pope Benedict XVI's plan to create a unified Catholic Church, according to the Star Tribune.

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The annual costs of college tuition and fees are higher than ever, making college less and less affordable, according to CNN.

The College Board sent out a report saying that the average costs at a four-year public school rose by 6.5% from last year.  The average costs for a four-year private school rose by 4.4% from last year, the New York Times reported.

The 2008-2009 academic year saw only a 4.7% increase of financial aid offered to students, making extra costs higher than ever, CNN said.

CNN reported that there was a 5% increase in borrowed loans during the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 academic years for families to bridge the gap.

Two-thirds of undergrads still receive grants, the College Board said, but one-third is still paying full-tuition on top of room and board costs.

Patrick Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education said,  "Given the financial hardship of the country, it's simply astonishing that colleges and universities would have this kind of increases."

"It tells you that higher education is still a seller's market. The level of debt we're asking people to undertake is unsustainable," Callan said. 

Allina hospitals and clinics in Minnesota and western Wisconsin are placing limits on visitors in the pediatric and labor units to prevent the spreading of H1N1, according to the Star Tribune.

Visitors will be screened for flu symptoms and are limited to four a day, including family members, Allina hospitals announced Monday.

The Pioneer Press reported that siblings of patients must be above the age of five and non-siblings must we at least 16.

Visitors may be asked to wear masks or will be denied access if they carry flu symptoms.

Pregnant women and children with diseases have suffered higher rates of complications and death from the H1N1 flu, according to the Pioneer Press.

Other area hospitals are adapting similar restrictions, including many local Fairview hospitals.

"Until vaccines come, our only defense is prevention," said Allina spokesman Tim Burke. "We don't want to expose our vulnerable population."

Many news organizations use all kinds of multimedia perspectives to get across news to their audiences.  Newspapers, broadcast companies, etc now have websites with a variety of mutimedia options for any viewer.

The Minnesota Daily not only writes stories, but enhances those stories with photos, slideshows, blogs and video footage.  The MN Daily is a University of Minnesota campus newspaper, but technology such as video, helps to engage it's online audience.

The above link features a story by student reporter, Tom Johnson about a possible 18+ ban at downtown Minneapolis nightclubs.  This particular story is targeted at college-age kids and to view the actual interviews and night life downtown (featured in this video) is informative and entertaining.  Actual footage reminds the reader interested in this story why they may even be interested in it in the fist place.

The news report itself is presented quite professionally considering it is a student run organization but the writing has an informal flair to it.  The writing almost seems impromptu but it is shot in a way that seems like you are having a conversation with the reporter.  The video is light-hearted as well as informative.

Another news organization that uses multimedia options is the broadcast station, WCCO.

A story they did features 'U of M' students getting rowdy on Fraternity Row in not only a news report but also a video format to accompany it.

For someone who doesn't want to read the whole news article (students who already read too much in their textbooks), they have the oppurtunity to watch the video footage.  WCCO plays video to accompany the news story and then adds more videos after with related topics. 

WCCO is a professional news organization and their video reporting is very similar to a news article format but the anchors and reporters throw in a few jokes amongst each other. The videos are sure to include the reporter's name, a tagline and establishes the location of the news story.

The University of Minnesota will be making some changes to the April 2010 Spring Jam due to off-campus rioting last year, administrators said.

Students can expect to see more police patrolling the Dinkytown and Southeast Como area during the day at the annual event, according to KSTP News.  There will be a zero tolerance policy for alcohol related events and parties.

The Minnesota Daily said Spring Jam has been shortened from six days to three, running Thursday, April 22 through Saturday, April 24.

During the 2009 Spring Jam, a riot had broke out in Dinkytown with an estimated 500 person turnout.  Police had to break it up using tear gas and marking guns.  Some student were even arrested for being involved in the rowdy behavior.

Vice Provost of Student Affairs Jerry Rinehart said the same amount of money will be spent for the upcoming Spring Jam, but will try to engage students in non-alcohol related activities such as a possible concert at TCF Stadium and a Noble Prize speaker.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed Northern Ireland's legislature about U.S. support of the Northern Ireland peace process, the CNN reported.

Clinton spoke about the special relationship between the U.S. and Great Britain and how the U.S. is committed to keeping Northern Ireland's peace process on track, according to the New York Times.

Clinton spoke to the legislature saying, "to put far behind you the long years of division and conflict, to build confidence and trust across all communities and political parties, and to honor the hopes and sacrifices of your people by making whole and permanent Northern Ireland's emerging peace."

Economic envoy, Declan Kelly accompanied Clinton on her visit and helped her meet with Irish and American business leaders to come up with investment possibilities, according to CNN.

Clinton had noted that the economic downturn would be an obstacle to overcome in keeping the peace process on track as well as the shooting of two British soldiers.  However, she wanted to keep pushing for peace and remained optimistic.

A man collecting census data in Manchester, Kenn. was found hanged from a tree with the word 'fed' scrawled on his chest, a law enforcement official said.

Bill Sparkman, 51, was going door-to-door for the Census Bureau, when he was found in a remote part of Daniel Boone National Forest on Sept. 12, according to WCCO.

The Star Tribune said an autopsy concluded Sparkman died of asphyxiation although authorities are still investigating as to whether it was a murder, suicide or accident.

WCCO said the FBI is investigating whether he was a victim of anti-government sentiment.

 Mary Hibbard, a teacher in Manchester said most people in the area were shocked by the death.  "I think the negative publicity of it is a stigma on our county. It makes people think less of us even though this is an isolated incident," she said.

A manager, where Sparkman worked, said other part time interviewers requested to go door-to-door in teams as opposed to going alone.

An official said the Census Bureau has suspended door-to-door interviews in Clay County, where the incident occured. 

Two men were accused of attempting to altar lost and stolen credit cards from ATM users, according to the Star Tribune.

Ion Datcu, 51, of Seattle and Stelian Cipu, 31, of Bucharest, Romania, attached a small device called a "Skimmer" onto a TCF Bank ATM in Maplewood, the Pioneer Press reported.

Datcu and Cipu entered their pleas in Minneapolis and then proceeded to plead guilty in federal court on Thursday, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

The Star Tribune said Datcu pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of aggravated identity theft. Cipu pleaded guilty to a conspiracy count.

The men had been staying at a Maplewood hotel, which police raided and estimated the men collected 230 stolen bank-and credit-card numbers, according to the Pioneer Press.

Skimmers are small devices that can scan and store credit card numbers, which later can be uploaded onto a computer,Mark Lanterman, chief technology officer for Computer Forensic Services in Minnetonka said. 

The Pioneer Press reported that there have been a number of skimmer cases reported in the U.S. but authorities said it rarely happens in local investigations.  

A National Guardsman from Walker was killed in Bagram, Afghanistan on Saturday, according to the Defense Department.

Kare 11 reported that Spc. George W. Cauley, 24, was wounded in Helmand Province last Wednesday after insurgents attacked his vehicle with an explosive device.

Cauley was a soldier for the Minnesota Army National Guard in Duluth, assigned to the 114th Truck Company, according to the Star Tribune and Kare 11.

The Star Tribune said Cauley was the 86th person to die in Afghanistan and Iraq with strong Minnesota ties.

There were quite a few news storys written about the death of 16-year-old Derrion Albert.  The first one chosen for this analysis was about the increase of security at the school following Albert's death.  A follow story that relates to the school security was about what happens once the school bell rings at the end of the day.

The lead in the first story says Police and Chicago Public Schools are increaseing security at Fenger High School.  The follow story's lead differs in that it talks about the "shock" of the video of Albert getting beaten to death.  The first lead tells the reader what the story is going to be about exactly and the follow lead just adds small input to enhance the story.

The first news story just re-caps the events about Albert's beating whereas the second story is broken down into three sections talking about gangs and what it is like for students after school in Chicago.  The first story is repeating facts from original news and the follow is a column relating to the incident.  The second story adds depth to the first.  It enhances the reality of why things like Albert's death occur.

The Chicago Sun Times wrote both of these news storys.  The events in the story happen in Chicago so the follow was appropriate to the first story.  The follow is shaped by the need for increasing school security.  The schools aren't necessarily the danger, it's the getting to and from school that is where the security is needed, according to the story's columnist Mark Brown. 

The 28th annual Twin Ciites Marathon had 15,000 runners signed up for the 26.2 Sunday race from Minneapolis to St. Paul.

The weather was cloudy and brisk, but that didn't stop runners from lining up at the starting line near the Metrodome at 8 a.m.

The marathon starts in downtown Minneapolis, runs through city neighborhoods and makes its way to the finish line at the State Capital in St. Paul.

The first-place finisher was Jason Hartmann of Concord, MA with a time of two hours and 12 minutes, according to Kare 11.

Kare 11 reported the top women's finisher was Isla Paulson of New York City with a time of two hours and 32 minutes. Paulson now qualifies for the 2012 Olympic trials

Kristen Nicolini, 32, of Minneapolis placed third among the women running with a final time of 2:35:06. Nicolini finished 3:42 behind the first place finisher, according to KSTP News.

This year's race included 30 women runners had run the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials and a man from Stillwater who had already qualified for the 2012 Olympic Trials, according to Kare 11 and KSTP. 

Uganda police arrested one of the most wanted suspects on Tuesday who was involved with the Rwanda genocide, according to Uganda and Rwanda officials.

CNN reported IIdephonse Nizeyimana was picked up at a hotel in Rubaga, a suburb of the capital, Kampala and was taken to a detention center in Tanzania where the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) is based.

According to the New York Times, Nizeyimana, has been on the run for years and in 2000 was charged with crimes against humanity and offenses related to genocide.

Nizeyimana was a captain in the Rwanda Armed Forces when the 1994 genocide began, according to the tribunal and took authority over other soldiers.  He also ordered for the kidnapping and killing of Tutsi Queen, Rosalie Gicanda.

According to the tribunal's news release, Nizeyimana is the second of 13 suspects to be arrested in less than two months.  He will be tried at the detention center.

City Councilman, David Catania, proposed a bill allowing for the marriage of same-sex couples in Washington D.C. on Tuesday according to My FoxDC.

The bill was almost certain of passing in the city council, even opponents thought, but it still has to pass in Congress before it can become a law, according to the Star Tribune.  Washington D.C.'s Mayor, Adrian Fenty, was in support of the bill.

The Star Tirbune reported the bill was co-introduced by nine other city council members.

"There is no question that we are about to embark on an exciting journey here in the district," Catania said.

My FoxDC said hearing for the bill are scheduled for the end of October and the voting will begin in December.

Congress has only blocked three bills in the past 25 years and has recognized that same-sex marriages are performed in other states such was Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont and Conneticut.

A pilot from Mound was rescued from his burning plane after it crashed in an Eden Praire backyard Monday afternoon, according to the Pioneer Press.

The pilot, Robert Friske, 66, was immediately taken to Hennepin County Medical Center and according to hospital spokeswoman, Christine Hill, is in satisfactory condition. 

According to the Star Tribune, Eden Praire resident, Robert T. Schmidt, was looking out his home window when he saw the plane crash into his backyard around 12:30.  Schmidt said the plane was on fire and he ran outside to see if there was anything he could do.

"I run over there and don't know what to do,'' Schmidt said. "All of a sudden, I see movement in the cockpit. I crawled up on the wing,"

Schmidt and another man managed to eventually break open the window amid the flames and pull Friske out and up onto Schmidt's deck, according to the Star Tribune.

Friske's son Scott Friske said his dad had been flying planes since the 1960's and that he would continue to keep flying.

The Pioneer Press reported the crash was still under investigation.

WCCO reported that six students were taken to the hospital Tuesday morning after their school bus crashed into a car in Mendota Heights.

The bus driver, Raymond Baar, was headed east on Highway 110 and was making a left turn onto Charleton Street when it hit a car headed west on Highway 110, according to State Patrol Lt. Bob Maskel.

The driver of the car, Justin C. Kalenberg, 24, and the six students were taken to Regions Hospital where they were all later said to be in stable condition "and are all doing fine", according to Regions Hospital spokeswoman Kelli Trask.

The bus was carrying about 30 elementary-aged students, K-8, to their charter school, Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy (TIZA), in Inver Grove Heights, according the Star Tribune.

Several of the other children had minor bumps and bruising from hitting windows but were all ok while waiting almost an hour for their replacement bus to come get them.

Princeton, Minnesota is a small town about an hour north of the Twin Cities with a newspaper (The Princeton Union Eagle) that only prints a couple times a week.  Therefore, their story structure is set up a slight bit different with how long eaach paragraph is.

This five paragraph story about the three suspicious packages that were found starts off with a typical news lead, although a little longer than most.  This lead contains all the information that one would generally read about in the first two paragraphs of another publication's story.  The whole essence of the story is summarized in this lead.

The next two paragraphs talk about the timeline of events.  The first of the two talks about when and where the three packages were found.  The second of the two paragraphs talks about when and where the five McGuyver bomb devices were found.

The fourth and longest paragraph talks about school safety and about the authorities and people involved in making sure there wasn't a public threat.  The final paragraph offers a reward to any information about the suspects.

I think this story resembles the inverted pyramid structure because the reporter mentions the most important details first.  This story is very effective because it holds the readers attention.  If necessary, the reader could stop reading mid-way through the fourth papragraph because the main facts were already stated.  Unless the paragraphs were split up a little more, the structure is fine the way it is.

An earthquake that hit the South Pacific on Tuesday has generated three tsunami waves.

The earthquake struck in the Samoan Islands area with a magnitude of 8.3, according to CNN.

The generated tsunami waves were spreading with the largest one reaching 5.1 feet above sea level.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) said the earthquake struck at a depth of 20 miles.

A watch has been issued to the Hawaiian Islands but it is not expected ti reach the western United States.

BBC reported that at least 14 people were killed and another 50 were injured in Samoa.  Many fled to higher ground. 

The TLC network announced their hit reality show 'Jon and Kate Plus 8' will soon be 'Kate Plus Eight'.

Jon and Kate, who publically announced their split in June, have decided to continue on the the show.  However, the main focus, besides the eight Gosselin children, will be Kate as a single mother.

TLC said Jon will appear on the show but less regularily.

Kare 11 reported that Kate talked about a bright future and that there were discussions about another series for 2010.  TLC's President and General Manager Eileen O'Neil said, "I think there's an oppurtunity for Kate beyond her role as a supermom ro explore her other interests."

'Kate Plus Eight' is expected to air November 2.

A Fenger High School honor student was fatally beaten by three other teens on his walk home from school Thursday afternoon.

Derrion Albert, 16, was an innocent bystander who ended up in the middle of a fight between two groups of fellow Christian Fenger Academy High School students.

According to CNN, Silvanus Shannon, 19, Eric Carson, 16, and Eugene Riley, 18, were caught on video attacking Albert with a plank of wood.  They are being charged with first degree murder.

Albert was knocked to the ground and tried to get away after re-gaining conciousness but continued to get hit by the other three teenagers.

Joe Walker, Albert's grandfather, told the Chicago Sun Times that, "Derrion has never been in a fight in his life."

The fight was believed to be gang-related but Albert's family didn't believe him to be involved with a gang.

A small black bear wandering through North St. Paul, was shot and killed by DNR officials on Friday morning.

Police Chief Tom Lauth said authorities had no choice but to kill the bear because there wasn't a tranquilizer to be found and a crowd was beginning to form, according to the Pioneer Press.

The bear was spotted near 15th Avenue and First Street by staff members at Richardso Elementary School.  The bear then made his way up a tree two blocks over.

The Star Tribune reported that after 90 minutes of trying to scare it down with bean bags, DNR officials proceeded to shoot the bear when it tried to flee.

DNR official Jason Peterson said it is a public safety issue but that bears only are sighted about once or twice a year in the metro area.