According to the Star Tribune, Michael Larson, a student of the University of St. Thomas, who was originally from Woodbury, died Saturday in a house fire near St. Thomas's campus. Larson's roommate Cameron Cochran, 20, said Larson had saved his life that night after he woke all the roommates up by screaming, "Fire! Fire!" KSTP reported that Cochran said Larson had been sleeping on the couch in the downstairs of the home. He told authorities that there were three other people who lived in the home as well.

KSTP said that the three people in the home were stuck on the second story of the home because of the heavy amount of smoke. The Star Tribune reported that the cause of the fire has not been determined but started just after 3 a.m. and had started around the porch.

The Star Tribune added that when Cochran heard Larson yelling, he opened his bedroom door and got blasted by heat and was covered in soot. Cochran is currently being treated for carbon monoxide inhalation at Regions Hospital. They found Larson's body in the basement. Cochran suspects he was in the basement because he was trying to get downstairs to warn another roommate who lives there that there was a fire. However, Cochran says that roommate was not home. But, an official says that Larson was found on the first floor.

According to the Minnesota Daily, the roof collapsed early Sunday morning after the heavy snow fall over the weekend. It occured around 5 a.m. after work crews had been working to get snow off the roof were told to get off due to safey concerns. BBC News reported that no one was hurt, but that a strip of the roof had been left dangling above the field.

The Minnesota Daily said that experts who helped build the roof of the Metrodome are going to assess the situation and think of a timeline for fixing it. The roof has collapsed before in 1983. So far, the Vikings game scheduled for Monday will be relocated in Detroit.

BBC News reported that experts who built the roof are hoping to have it repaired in time for the next home Vikings game which is December 20.

According to the Star Tribune, two people, one was the homeowner, were killed Sunday in a house fire. Firefighters tried to get as many people out as possible, after the first fire truck called to the scene got stuck in the snow. Fox 9 News said the fire truck got stuck only a half block away from the houes fire.

The Star Tribune said the victims were Mary France Rowe, 78, and a family member who authorities do not know the name of yet. Fox 9 News reported that fire crews had been dispatched to thouse around 1:31 a.m. on Sunday morning. The crews arrived to heavy smoke and fire billowing from the house.

The Star Tribune reported that the second engine came around 1:36 a.m. after the first first truck got stuck in the snow. When the engine arrived they found three adults on the porch roof. Fox 9 News said all three of the adults were taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, whose conditon is unknown at this time.

According to Reuters, demolition teams burned down a house packed with explosives Thursday in the San Diego area. Authorities say that the home had been turned into a bomb-making factory by man who is now in jail on charges of bank robbery. The New York Post added that the home was set on fire in "what was determined to be the safest way of dispoising of the volatile materials."

Reuters reported that the burning began a little before 11 a.m. The home was fully engulfed in flames within minutes when authorities heard two bangs which were then follwed by loud popping noises. The New York Post said the blaze was supposed to last for at least two hours

Reuters said that firefighters had cut holes into the roof to help improve ventilation before the house was set on fire. They also sprayed fire-retardent gel on homes that were close to the burn zone. Firefighters evacuated at least 60 homes that were close to the bomb house and the California Highway Patrol shut down a part of the intersate highway, I-15.

The New York Post said the home had been rented out by a former software consultant George Djura Jakubec. It contained, "the largest quantity of homemade explosives found in one location in the history of the United States." Reutuers added that Jakubec, 54, had lived there for four years and he is now in federal custody.

The New York Post reported that the home was filled with PETN, a powerful explosive that has been linked to terror cases such as the shoe bomb and the underwear bomb. Reuters added that the home had high explosives, bomb-making materials, handmade grenades and guns that were mixed in with piles of paper and other debris.

According to the New York Post, Jakubec is charge dwith 28 counts of possession and manufacturing destructive devides, on top of his already two counts of bank robbery.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Britain's government voted on Thursday to triple the amount universities can charge students for tuition. This vote has been under a lot of scrutinty of late, and thousands of students have been protesting it with marches and sit-ins around the United Kingdom. The Washington Post said that protestors in London have even went as far as to attack a car containing Prince Charles over the tuition hike as well as fighting with police and smashing windows around London.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the vote on this issue was 323-302. The Conservative side have backed the rise in fees while the Liberals were split over the decision that contradicted one of their campaign promises. The Washington Post added that the tuition fee was raised to 9,000 pounds or $14,000. This was a crucial test for the government's plan to get rid of Britain's budget deficit. The Los Angeles Times reports the tuition fees will rise to $5,200 all the way to $14,200.

Some of the demonstrations, by upset protestors, have turned very ugly said the Los Angeles Times. Many protestors were seen throwing objects and fighting with the police. This led to several arrests and at least three officers being taken to the hospital. The Washington Post added that thousands of protestors were outside Parliament booing and chanting "shame" after they heard the result of the vote. They even pressed against metal barriers and police officers who were trying to pen them in. Some even threw flares, billiard balls, and paint bombs at the officers. Amongst this group, 13 protestors and eight police officers were injured, including seven who were arrested.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the Tory-led government said the new tuition increase was necessary as part of Britain's plan to cut billions of dollars in public spending. However, those against the vote say this neglects student from poor families to seek higher education. The Washington Post added that the vote put the Liberal Democrat party in a very awkward position because they promised they would not increase tuition.

According to Fox 9 News, a winter storm warning has been put into effect for Friday and Saturday for most of Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin. The Pioneer Press reported that snow will begin in the Twin Cities late in the morning and early afternoon starting Friday.

Fox 9 News said the snow was supposed to continue through mid Saturday. The heaviest snow will be in Alexandria extending through Carver and Scott counties and into the Rochester area. The Pioneer Press added that about five to eight inches of snow is possible, with the heaviest snowfall in the southern Twin Cities and in the Albert Lea area.

According to the Star Tribune, a 49-year-old woman from Apple Valley set her house on fire while her husband was still inside. She then sat in a vehicle near her home and stabbed herself in the chest with a screwdriver. Kare 11 reported that the woman led authorities on a chase before she stabbed herself in the chest.

The Star Tribune said police were called to the home at 9:15 a.m. which caused the woman to flee the scene. Her vehicle was stopped in Eagan and she was taken to Regions Hospital where she was treated with stab wounds and burns. Kare 11 added that a neighbor called the police after the woman had poured gasoline inside her home and had been threatening to kill herself. When police arrived to the scene, they saw flames coming out of the back of the home and saw the woman locked inside her car stabbing herself with a screwdriver.

The Star Tribune reported that Eagan police officers put down spikes on Pilot Knob Road that eventually disabled the woman's car. Kare 11 added that when police officers approached the vehicle they saw the woman using a hammer to pound the screwdriver into her chest.

Kare 11 also reported that the woman's son was found dead inside her home on November 17. The death is still under investigation. The woman's husband fled to a neighbor's home after the fire started.

According to CNN, police arrived in Celebration, Florida after an emergency call was made at an apartment building in the town. A neighbor said she had found Matteo Giovanditto, 58, dead in his home. TIME reported that Celebration, Fla., was built in 1994 by The Walt Disney Company. It was designed to be the perfect town. It has manicured lawns, "Small Town USA" structures, and a population of 9,000.

CNN said police have classified the death as a homicide. Giovanditto's car was found Tuesday 10 miles east of Celebration in Kissimmee, Florida. TIME reported that Giovanditto was found over Thanksgiving after neighbors had filed a missing persons report.

According to the Guardian, heavy snow, freezing temperatures and high winds broke records to start off December. The winter conditions have stopped various transportation modes around Europe and have even caused several deaths. The Irish Times said that freezing temperatures and heavey snow have taken the lives of more than 30 people in central and eastern Europe.

The Guardian reported that temperatures in Poland dropped to below -26C, which caused eight deaths from exposure. There were other cold-related deaths on top of the eight deaths reported in Poland. The Irish Times said 18 people died in Poland as temperatures plummeted to -33C. Most of those who died were homeless men or those who had been drinking heavily.

The Guardian said hundreds of commuters were left stranded at train stations in Germany. Many had to sleep in train carriages because hotels had run out of room after many train trips were canceled. The Irish Times put this number up to thousands of Germans. Homeless people in Berlin were told to take shelter in subway stations, soup kitchens and buses.

According to the Guardian, three people died in car accidents in Germany and another number of people across central Europe had died because of the same thing. There were 400 miles of traffic jams in Berlin, Prague's airport was shut down, thousands of motorists were trapped in their cars in Brittany and Normany, and hundreds of homes in France were left without electricity. The Irish Times reported that 3,000 Polish prisoners have helped with clearing snow and around 20,000 Polish people were left without heat and light after a power statino broke down in Warsaw.

The Irish Times also reported that four people had died in the Czech Republic. However, Romania and Bulgaria experienced unseasonbly warm weather and recorded its hottest day in December.

According to ABC News, the movie earned an estimated of $125.1 million on its first weekend which put it at the top of the other Potter movies for opening weekend revenue. The New York Times reported that the movie actually debuted with $330 million worldwide and that it was the second biggest opening for the Harry Potter franchise.

ABC News said the movie played on 4,125 screen across the U.S. topping the previous franchise leader, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." The New York Times reported that Imax showings were on 239 screens and made up $12.4 million of the domestic box office sales.

According to the Star Tribune, Jason D. Kohlwey, 31, was sentenced for photographing a girl in a bathroom stall at a Burnsville private school. He was sentenced to four days in jail, 30 days of home monitoring, and up to eight years of probation. The Pioneer Press reported that Kohlwey was even taking photos of young girls around the age of five in the bathroom stalls.

The Star Tribune reported that Kohlwey pleaded guilty in August, and that a charge of child pornography posession and three counts of invasion of privacy were dismissed in a plea agreement. The Pioneer Press reported that if he had been convicted of child pornography he would have been sentenced to five more years in jail.

The Star Tribune said that investigation of Kohlwey started back in 2009 when a girl reported that man had put a camera under the divider of the stalls in the bathroom while she was using the toilet. The Pioneer Press added that the girl saw the janitor walk out of the bathroom before she entered it.

The Star Tribune said investigators found photographs of buttocks of young girls and several of them using the restroom.

According to Fox 9 News, the airport had to shut down due to ice from midnight to 5:00 a.m. KSTP said that the runways were shut down already late Saturday night because of ice.

Fox 9 News said that the airport was expecting freezing rain, but the ice came much earlier than expected. KSTP reported that at least one flight had to land in Duluth. One passenger on the plane said they had to wait two hours to actually land in the airport at Duluth.

Fox 9 News said that two of MSP's airports were opened again at 5:00 a.m. on Sunday, and all of them were re-opened by 10 a.m.

According to the New York Times, the plane made the emergency landing after it was experiencing engine trouble shorty after takeoff. CBS News adds that intial reports said flames were emitting from one of the wings on the plane.

New York Times reported the pilot had reported "unspecified engine problem" and it need to return immediately to the airport. Over 100 firefighters and other rescue personnel arrived at the airport when they received the reports.

CBS News said that there was no sign of fire and no injuries.

According to the Associated Press (AP), Ahmadinejad urged young girls to marry at 16 in his "lastest rejection" of Iran's family planning program. He criticized the program as "ungodly" and a Western ideal.

Monsters and Critics reported that although the average age for boys and girls to get married in Iran is 26 and 24 respectively, he thinks it should change to 20 and 16.

The AP said after Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005, he has been working to increase the country's population, which is currently at 75 million, and a third of that are between 15 and 30 years old.

Monsters and Critics said that experts think the age is not a problem in when one should marry, but that high unemployment amongst that young age group is because they make up 70 percent of Iran's population. High real estate prices and rent is unaffordable too for young people.

The AP reported in July Ahmadinejad set in a place a policy to stimulate the population with financial incentives for every new child that was born. However, critics of his policy say that this will only further unemployment.

Monsters and Critics also adds that due to social restrictions, with men and women being completely seperated from eachother, it is hard for them to meet and get to know one another. Currently, the "resulting problems" have led to increasing divorce rates.

In the Star Tribune article, the numbers show the readers how many customers of Xcel were out of power, how many crews they have out to fix this damage, and how many different repair jobs that needed to be done. In the Fox 9 News article, it shows basically the same thing as the Star Tribune article, but adds another element to the story by showing how dangerous the storm was when it reported on the number of car accidents and injuries sustained during the storm.

The amount of statistics and numbers used in the story wasn't an overwhelming amount, but the number of people without power was an overwhelming number because obviously that is a significant amount of people, making this story appearing in the national news section on Google.

The reporter got their numbers from officials with Xcel Energy as well as officials with the State Patrol. I do not think the reporters could have used math to crunch out the numbers in the case of this story, because it would have been too many customers to count by themselves. It was easier for them, and made the story more effective to get the numbers right from the proper sources.

Both stories effectively told how badly this snow storm has impacted the metro area by using numbers in an efficient and relevant way.