February 2012 Archives

Mitt Romney narrowly beat out Rick Santorum in his home state of Michigan's Republican primary and won the Arizona primary giving him more control of the Republican presidential race, reported The New York Times.

Romney gained much needed momentum heading into Super Tuesday when 10 states hold their primaries, reported The Associated Press.

Romney barely won the Michigan primary gaining only three percent more of the vote than Santorum, reported The New York Times. Romney won all 29 delegates from Arizona, according to The New York Times.

With his victory in Arizona, Romney now has 163 delegates compared to 83 for Santorum, according to the AP. It takes 1,114 to win the nomination for presidency.

The lengthy GOP race has proved beneficial for President Barack Obama. A survey released Tuesday shows consumer confidence for Obama has been its highest in a year, according to the AP.

40 delegates are up for grabs Saturday in Washington's primaries, followed by 419 available on Super Tuesday with a big primary in Ohio, reported the AP.

Santorum was already campaigning in Ohio when the results from Michigan were coming through, reported the AP.

Matthew Damman was the passenger in Timothy Backdash's car the night Backdash drove the car on the sidewalk in Dinkytown mowwing over three college students, killing one, reported the Pioneer Press.

Damman said Backdash wanted wanted to fight two men after they had taunted him at The Library bar in Dinkytown reported the Star Tribune.

Damman and Backdash were about to leave when Backdash spotted the two men. He then aimed his Mitsubishi at the men and sped down the sidewalk. Damman said he repeatedly yelled no at Backdash, said the Star Tribune.

The car struck three people who were not involved in the fight at the bar. One of those students Benjamin Van Handel, 23, died because of the accident, reported the Pioneer Press.

Damman did not come forward to being involved in the accident until six months later. He said he was afraid he would be charged for being involved in the April 15 hit and run, reported the Star Tribune.

Damman was one of several witnesses to take the stand Monday in the first day of Backdash's trial on charges of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder, reported the Pioneer Press.

Testimony are to continue Tuesday, said the Star Tribune.

One student is dead and four others were injured after a teen gunman open fired in a high school cafeteria before classes started Monday morning in Ohio, reported msnbc.com.

Chardon High School student T.J. Lane was reported as the suspect who open fired on a group of students sitting in the cafeteria, according to Dayton Daily News. Lane was caught at his car a short distance away from the school, said msnbc.com.

Chardon High School students said the suspect is considered an outcast and had apparently been bullied, reported the Dayton Daily.

Witnesses to the shooting said Lane walked up to a group of four kids sitting at a table and started firing, said the Dayton Daily.

Five students were rushed to area hospitals after Lane had been chased out of the school by a teacher, msnbc.com reported.

One of the students, Daniel Parmentor, 17, died at MetroHealth System in Cleveland. Two other students were in critical condition, and another in serious condition, said msnbc.com

Parmentor was a student at nearby vocational school and was waiting for a bus in the cafeteria when he was shot, said msnbc.com

This is the worst high school shooting in the U.S. in 11 months, and the worst in Ohio since 2007, reported msnbc.com

A vigil is scheduled Tuesday at 7 p.m. for the victims of the shooting, reported the Daily Dayton.

When comparing the multimedia used by the Star Tribune, and ESPN.com I noticed that both outlets use very similar forms of multimedia.

A lot of the news stories the Star Tribune used were also accompanied by a video. Some of the bigger stories had a full written story to go with the video. What this does is it allows for people to get a visual of who the Tribune is talking about. Also it is a lot easier to watch something than try to read a full story.

The Star Tribune also has photo galleries for some news stories. Most of the stories in the photo galleries were about sports. The action shots were able to give a little more life to the story, allowing the reader to again visualize what happened. With the pictures there was just a one sentence description about what was going on in the picture.

ESPN does similar things with it's multimedia. They have a lot of videos to help portray the stories. Sometimes things happen in sports that are difficult to describe well enough to do the moment justice. The video allows for the audience to see for themselves what happened, without a middle man.

ESPN also offers podcasts on their website for their audience to listen to. Again listening is easier to do than read through a couple page story.

Most of the writing that went along with the multimedia was very simple. The videos or the photographs are suppose to help tell most of the story, and the writing is just a side note for general description.

The multimedia allows for a better description of the story, and allows the audience to visualize what happened easier.

Two American officers were shot and killed Saturday at the Interior Ministry in Kabul, Afghanistan, reported the New York Times.

NATO pulled out all military advisers from Kabul after protests against the burning of the Quran raged throughout the country for the fifth day, reported msn.com.

Msn.com reported the identity of the gunman is unknown, but an aggresive search is under way to find out who the person was.

The New York times reported the killings happened in one to the most secure areas of the building.

The Afghan Taliban claimed that two of their fighters were able to enter the building and kill four U.S. adviser, according to msn.com.

A member of the Taliban said the attack was a direct response to the desecration of the Quran by U.S. forces, said msn.com

The identities of the two U.S. officials were not given in either report.

Seven U.S. Marines died when two helicopters collided over the California-Arizona border Wednesday night, msn.com reported.

The Marines were from the 3rd Marine Airwing based at Miramar Marine Corp Air Station in San Diego, reported The Arizona Republic.

The Marines were doing a routine training exercise at around 8 p.m. local time when the two helicopters, an AH-1 W Cobra and UH-1 Y Huey, crashed midair, reported the Arizona Republic.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation, msn.com reported.

The Arizona Republic reported there have been several accidents involving Marine Corps training in Southern California over the past year.

The identities of the Marines have not been released until their families have been notified, msn.com reported.

An Argentine train carrying morning passengers, crashed into the end of the line at the Buenos Aires' Once station killing 49 people and injuring hundreds more Wednesday, reported msn.com.

The train was carrying more than 800 passengers when it slammed into the barrier of the platform at about 16 miles per hour, reported the New York Times. Officials said the train was unable to stop when it entered the station, reported msn.com.

Msn.com reported the dilapitated and overcrowded rail services that are run by private companies have a history of train accidents.

Last September a train on the same line hit a passenger bus and then another train at the Flores station, killing 11 people and injuring more than 200, acccording to the New York Times.

In 2011 four people were killed in a collision between two trains, reported the New York times.

On Wednesday helicopters and multiple ambulances took the most seriously injured to local hospitals. An estimated 600 people were injured in the accident, reported msn.com

Four freshman women at North Dakota State University died Wednesday when their car crossed the freeway median and slammed into an oncoming SUV near Alexandria, reported the Star Tribune.

Lauren J. Peterson, 18, was identified as the driver of the girl's car. Also the passengers that died were newly identified as Jordan N. Playle, 19, Megan R Sample of Rogers, and Danielle R. Renninger, 18, reported the Star Tribune. They were heading back to campus when they crashed.

State Patrol Sgt. Jesse Grabow told the Pioneer Press the roads were slippery and it was snowing when the accident happened. Officials were still investigating the cause of the accident.

The four women were heading back to North Dakota State University, where three are roommates, when their car crossed the Interstate 94 median and collided with a large SUV, said the Star Tribune.

State patrol investigators were reconstructing the crash to determine if weather, speed or alcohol were factors, reported the Pioneer Press.

The Pioneer Press reported that 2 inches of snowfell Monday, which is the larges accumulation measured since Dec. 3.

The Minnesota House voted to close a loophole in the state's sex offender notification law Monday, reported the Pioneer Press.

State law requires community notification for when a sex offender moves in, but does not required notice for when the offender moves into a halfway house, reported the Associated Press.

Lawmakers approved the bill 127-1, under self-declaimed emergency, said the Pioneer Press. Lawmakers took a two-thirds vote to declare the emergency and speed up the bill's process, said the AP.

The bill was passed in response to the release of Clarence Opheim, 64, who admitted to sexually assaulting 29 children between the ages of 8 to 17, said the AP. Opheim is the first civilly committed sex offender to receive a court-ordered provisional discharge in Minnesota, said the Pioneer Press.

Opheim will be moved from the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter to a Twin Cities halfway house in a matter of days and could be eligible for release, said the Pioneer Press.

Gov. Mark Dayton said he will support the legislation, reported the AP.

Foxsports.com did a follow up story on the ESPN scandal where a headline ran on their website that contained a racial slur.

The leads to the two stories are pretty different. The first story's lead tells about how ESPN apologized for the racial slur. The second lead tells what the consequences were for the employee that allowed the slur to be used. That employee has been fired. The second lead also brings in information about the suspension of an anchor that also used the slur.

The main news is summarized pretty much the same way. They move around some fact blocks, but the information in those blocks are exactly the same.

The way they advance the news is they talk about what anchor was suspended for using the slur. They also add another apology from ESPN to Jeremy Lin and the Asian-American Community.

There was also a story about how the slur was used on ESPN radio, but ESPN did not take action because the person was not an employee of the company.

Aside from some different fact blocks talking about the action taken by ESPN the story uses fact blocks from the previous story to give the background information. If people had not read the first story they would still get the same information and then some.

After a poor showing from New York Knicks rising-star Jeremy Lin in a loss to the New Orleans Hornets Friday night, ESPN. com ran a headline with an ethnic slur, reported Foxsports.com.

After the loss ESPN ran the headline "Chink in the Armor" on stories for mobile devices, reported the Huffington Post.

The headline lasted about 30 minutes on the site before it was replaced with "All Good Things..."reported foxsports.com.

ESPN told reporters it was "conducting appropriate disciplinary action to ensure this does not happen again."

The Huffington Post reported the pun was especially insensitive after Lin revealed he was taunted by the slur during his college playing days at Harvard.

Lin is the first Asian-American to start a game in the NBA. The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak since Lin has become the starting point guard. It was Lin's sloppy play, where he commited nine turnovers, that inspired the headline.

In his state of the state address Gov. Mark Dayton said politicians may be getting close to a site, a deal, and a bill for a new Vikings' stadium Wednesday night, according to Mike Florio of profootballtalk.com.

The Star Tribune then reported there could be word as early as Thursday or Friday to build a stadium along the backside of the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis.

Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commision Chairman Ted Mondale told reporters that there are a couple of issues that still need to be addressed, but they hope to have an announcement in the next couple of days.

The new proposal would build the stadium on 11th Ave. S. which is on the eastside of the Metrodome, said the Star Tribune.

The new stadium proposal would allow the Vikings to continue playing at the Metrodome for the next three seasons while the stadium is being built. At the end of the 2015 season the Metrodome would be torn down, and the stadium would then be finished.

The deal includes contributions from the Vikings and the league, along with public contributions from the state. Public funding is still a point of contention for the bill, said Florio.

Mondale said he wants to get the bill passed as soon as possible because the price of the project could increase $50 million each year the issue goes unsolved, reported the Star Tribune.

Atleast 300 inmates were killed in a Honduran prison when fire swept through the building Wednesday, reported the Associated Press.

About 475 people were able to escape the fire, but 356 were missing and presumed dead, according to the AP. Dozens were trapped behind their jail cells as authorities tried to find the keys, officials told the AP.

Officials said the fire was started when an inmate set his mattress ablaze, reported the AP. Some cellmates said they heard the man yell, "We will all die here!" Everything was burned five minutes later.

Msn.com reported that some 800 inmates were being housed in the prison, which is well above capacity.

Hundreds of relatives of the dead inmates gathered around the building demanding to see their loved ones. The crowd was deterred by police shooting tear gas at them, said msn.com.

Many of the prisoners were gang affiliated, and were serving sentences for homicides and armed robberies, said the AP.

Honduras has long been criticized by the U.S. State Department for having "harsh prison conditions" and violence against detainees, reported msn.com

The Anoka-Hennepin school board voted to replace the controversial neutrality policy Monday night that required teachers to be neutral on the topic of sexual orientation, reported the Star Tribune.

The board voted 5-1 to implement a new policy that will instruct teachers on how to deal with discussions of sexual orientation within the classroom, reported the Pioneer Press.

According to the Star Tribune, 25 people spoke before the school board telling them how they felt the board should handle the situation. 13 speakers were in favor of changing the policy, and 12 wanted to keep the old one.

The people for the change said the neutrality policy created an anti-gay environment that many believe caused a number of suicides in the district by gay students, or those who were perceived to be gay between 2009 and 2010, reported the Pioneer Press.

Supportesr of the old policy believed the policy is necessary to protect their children from a dangerous, immoral lifestyle of homosexuality.

Many LGBT supporters thought that the vote to implement a new system is a step in the right direction, but feel that no policy at all would be the best option.

The New Jersey Senate passed a bill that would legalize gay marriage Monday despite Gov. Chris Christie's plans to veto the bill, reported the Associated Press.

The Star-Ledger, New Jersey's newspaper, reported the bill passed by a vote of 24-16, which is three votes shy of the necessary 27 to override any veto by the governor.

Christie does not believe the marriage laws should be changed, but does support New Jersey's law of civil union, which gives gay couples the same legal protections as marriage. Christie wants the bill allowing gay marriage to be put to a public vote, said the AP.

Two Democrats voted against the bill, and two Republicans were in favor of it, both going against the political norm of their own parties, reported the Star Ledger.

Six states and Washington D.C. have already approved gay marriage into law, with Washington state becoming the seventh when Gov. Christine Gregoire signs same-sex marriage into law Monday, reported the AP.

Sen. Jennifer Beck told reporters, "it is our role to protect all of the people who live in our state."

Msn.com wrote a lengthy piece on Whitney Houston's death on Saturday that included multiple elements of her life and career.

The writer begins the story with an information-packed lead that portrays the highs of Houston's career along with the dire lows Houston experienced before her death at age 48.

The story then goes into details about Houston's death such as where she died and when. There were no details on exactly what the cause of death was.

There is about a four-paragraph summary of Houston's life of how she was a star in the mid-1980s to the 1990s but then ultimately crumbled into a life of drugs, and finished with the loss of her incredible voice. The story probably could have ended there and it would have given all the information needed, but the writer goes into a lot more detail of reaction and Houston's life as the story progresses.

The way the story is structured is the writer goes back and forth between Houston's career progression and reactions to her death. The writer talks about where she came from, how successful she was and how it all sort of crumbled in front of everyone's eyes. In between those elements there are present day reactions to the death from Clive Davis, Aretha Franklin and Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown.

I think they ordered it this way to keep the reader interested in the story. By giving bits of information on Houston's past it gives information about Houston that some readers, such as myself, may not have known about her. But they summarize well enough so it is not overwhelming. Having the little breaks with reactions allows for a little bit of a break from all the details of her life. I think it was very effective.

The story probably could have been done differently with information about Houston's death then a chunk about her life, and then a chunk on reactions to her death. I do not think this would be an effective way because it would get old for readers to read through a biography on Houston and then get to reactions on her death, which is the real story. I felt the writer did a good job with keeping a balance and reporting everything that was needed.

President Barack Obama announced Friday a solution to the birth control policy that would have required all religous instituitions to provide free contraception to their employees in their health insurance, reported Rachel Hartman of Yahoo.com.

Obama backed off his original policy because of mounting controversy on the issue from both sides of the political spectrum. Instead of requiring religious employers to provide contraception, workers will be able to get free contraception from their insurance providers, reported the Associated Press.

Religous institutions did not agree with the law because it goes against their beliefs.

Hartman reported both Planned Parenthood and the Catholic Health Association agreed to the compromise.

Obama's administration had originally planned for a year time period where they could make adjustments to the policy. The president said the situation called for a swift solution because it was such a divided issue, according to the AP.

The administration also said insurers could cover the costs of conception because it reduces expenses in the long term by preventing coverages of pregnancies, as well as reducing the risk of ovarian cancer, reported Hartman.

Former auto dealer Denny Hecker was moved from a prison in Duluth to a medium-security prison in Wisconsin Thursday, according to the Star Tribune.

The Pioneer Press reported, the Federal Bureau of Prisons intensified Hecker's security classification, but did not give a reason for doing so, according to Minneapolis lawyer Brian Toder.

The Star Tribune on the other hand reported Hecker was a possible flight risk or someone who was not obeying phone rules.Hecker has been caught trying to sneak a cell phone into the prison on three different occasions.

Hecker is serving a 10-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to charges that he hid his bankruptcy and defrauded lenders, according to the Pioneer Press.

Hecker was moved into an Oxford prison in Wisconsin, which is about an hour north of Madison. This prison will have much much security measures than the Duluth prison. Medium-security prisons are equipped with double fences, and the housing is mostly cell-type, the Pioneer Press reported.

The Pioneer Press reported Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum won the Minnesota caucuses Tuesday night, putting him back into the hunt for the Republican presidential nominee.

Santorum beat out Texas Rep. Ron Paul and front-runner Mitt Romney, earning 45 percent of the precinct's votes, according to the Pioneer Press.

Minnesota was not the only big win for Santorum as he won the Missouri primary and the causcuses in Colorado Tuesday, reported the Minnesota Daily.

The Minnesota win is more symbolic for Santorum because the caucus did not determine how many delegates the canidate won, the decision is non-binding. It is however very important for Santorum's momentum as it is his first win since the Iowa state caucus.

For Mitt Romney, the results were a setback to his campaign. Four years ago Romney won Minnesota in a landslide, gaining 42 percent of the votes. This time around Romney only received 17 percent, according to the Pioneer Press.

According to the Minnesota Daily, Romney stopped in Minnesota for a 17-minute speech in Eagan last week.

The Los Angeles Times reported, a federal appeals court voted to overturn California's Proposition 8 Tuesday because it violated the Constitution.

A three-judge panel issued its ruling in San Francisco. It was a 2-1 decision which found Proposition 8 violated the equal protection rights of same-sex couples, according to the New York Times

The judges said they were not deciding whether there was a constitutional right for same-sex marriages, but the treatment of couples since Proposition 8 violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution, reported New York Times. The Los Angeles Times reported the court still is preventing same-sex marriages from resuming in California.

Supporters of Proposition 8 will now ask for a larger panel of the Ninth Circuit to take up the case or could also appeal directly to the Supreme Court, according to the New York Times. Supporters also said they were not surprised by the Ninth Circuit's decision because they are a liberal court and they predicted the ruling would fail before the Supreme Court.

Proposition 8 was originally passed in 2008 and amended the California Constitution to bar same-sex marriage. When same-sex marriages were allowed almost 18,000 couple married, according to the New York Times.

The Associated Press reported, the U.S. Embassy in Damascus was closed down Monday by the Obama administration as the U.S. stepped up pressure to force Syria President Bashar Assad out of power.

Robert Ford, the American ambassador, along with 17 other U.S. officials were removed from Syria as violence has escalated, said the AP. The New York Times reported Ford would continue his work with the Syrian people from Washington.

The AP reported that over 5,400 people have been killed since March. The New York Times said both the Syrian government and its opposition believe the only way to resolve the issure is through arms.

President Barack Obama said the conflict should be solved without outside military intervention and that a negotiated solution is still possible, according to the AP.

On Saturday China and Russia voted against an Arab League-sponsored resolution. That decision has led to criticism from the U.S. along with other European countries such as Britain.

Shutting the embassy and recalling personnel is a step short of cutting off diplomatic relations entirely. The U.S. similarly closed down its missions in Libya a year ago as violence escalated during the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.

In the story reported by the Associated Press the reporter uses many sources from different backgrounds to report the story.

The reporter names ambassadors from several differnt countries who expressed their frustrations with China and Russia. The report also named President Barack Obama. Also in the report there are many interviews with residents from Syria who are named.

The sources are sort of put into one block of the story. The reporter does not use any sources for the first three paragraphs then names multiple sources back to back.

Most of the information comes from people. The reporter also used footage from a funeral as a source for the story. The way the reporter sources some of testimonies is to say the goverment said, or citizens said. He groups them all together to give a general consensus.

The reporter uses a variety of partial quotes, full quotes, and paraphrases the quotes. I think that it is an effective mix of attribution that allows for important things that were said to be fully quoted, but also the partial quotes let us know how person felt without too much reading. The reporter paraphrased a lot of the ambassador's quotes probably because they had a lenghty speech about the matter and they didn't want to overwhelm the readers.

There was a lot of attribution in the story which got confusing sometimes, just because of all the different names were hard to keep track of. However, it was important to get all the perspectives to receive the full story.

Lawyers in the civil wrongful-death case against Amy Senser met Friday behind closed doors to discuss evidence issues after a four-month hiatus, reported the Star Tribune.

Jim Ballentine, attorney for the family of Anousone Phanthavong, met with Senser, her husband, ex-Viking player Joe Senser, and their lawyer in Judge Bruce Peterson's chambers to talk about evidence-gathering issues.

Phanthavong's family had wanted sworn statements from the Sensers, as well as other evidence such as documents, cell phone records, credit card receipts, and copies of checks. Peterson stopped their efforts saying Senser needed to prepare for her criminal case, reported the Pioneer Press.

Senser has a criminal trial scheduled April 23 for charges of vehicular homicide. Senser allegedly hit Phanthavong on the I-94 entrance ramp at Riverside Avenue Aug. 23 and left the scene, reported the Star Tribune.

Senser's criminal defense lawyer,Erick Nelson, said Senser left the scene because she didn't realize she had hit anybody. Nelson is expected to file a motion to dismiss the case today citing a lack of evidence that Senser know she struck the victim.

The Phantavong family filed a wrongful-death civil case against Amy and Joe Senser which is scheduled for July 23, said the Pioneer Press.

The founder and chief executive of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure denied reports that the foundation cut grants to Planned Parenthood because of pressure from politicians, reported msnbc.com.

Nancy G. Brinker told NBC's Andrea Mitchell the decision was made in order to revamp and strengthen the way the organization gives out grants, said msnbc.com

The Tuesday decision to stop giving Planned Parenthood $700,000 each year has set off a firestorm on Twitter and Facebook. The Susan G. Komen foundation gave Planned Parenthood the money for them to offer mamograms for low-income women.

Brinker's comments are very different from the Wednesday comments made by a Komen board member who said they cut off contributions in fear that an investigation on Planned Parenthood would damage Komen's credibility with donors, reported the New York Times.

The New York Times also reported, New York Mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg would donate $250,000 to Planned Parenthood. Bloomberg said politics have no place in healthcare and that women rely on the care given by Planned Parenthood.

University of Minnesota Athletic Director, Joel Maturi, retired Thursday morning after a decade long stint with the Gophers, but will remain as an assistant to President Eric Kaler, the Star Tribune reported.

Kaler said that he hopes to find a replacement for Maturi as early as July 1. He added that he will be looking for someone with Division I athletic experience as well as someone who can engage well with alumni and the external community, said the Pioneer Press.

Maturi said that the physical labors of the job had a great impact on his final decision. He said that he did not know if he could handle the 14-16 hour days like he used to. Maturi turns 67 next week, said the Pioneer Press.

Maturi took over the athletic department in 2002 as the first athletic director to oversee both men's and women's sports which were previously seperate departments.

Maturi helped revitalize a men's basketball program after scandal, and also brought Gopher football back to campus. But the recent failings of the main sports football, basketball and hockey will be what Maturi is remembered for for some individuals, said the Star Tribune.

Maturi will not leave campus entirely as he will be teaching classes for the College of Education and the Department of Kinesiology.

Egyptian soccer fans stormed the field and rioted Wednesday after a game between fierce rivals in the city of Port Said, msnbc.com reported

The fans rushed the field after the home team, Al-Masry, won 3-1 over Al-Ahly, Egypt's top team. The rioters punched each other, threw stones, rocks and lit off fireworks, according to msnbc.com.

The Associated Press reported Egypt's state prosecutor ordered an immediate investigation, and the Egypt Football Association suspended the annual championship indefinitely.

Players were taken to the locker room for protection and two helicopters were odered to Port Said to evacuate the Al-Ahly team as well as injured fans, said msnbc.com.

At least 73 people are dead and 1,000 or more are injured. It is the worst incident of Egyptian soccer violence ever, and the deadliest worldwide since 1996 when at least 78 people died in a stampede in Guatemala City, according to the AP.

Msnbc.com also reported the parliament will hold an emergency session Thursday to discuss the riot.