It was a Friday morning in January, and like many Washington State University students, Chris Schuyler was driving home to Seattle for the weekend. It had snowed heavily the night before, but Schuyler had winter tires on his Geo Tracker so he felt there was nothing to worry about.
“It was a long weekend and I was excited to get home,” said Schuyler. “Winter driving was never a problem before since I had studded tires.”
Schuyler was driving up a steep hill in Pullman when his rear-wheel drive vehicle lost traction and slid off the road into a ditch.
“I could not believe my car had actually gone off the road,” said Schuyler. “It was one of those things you think only happens to other people.”
During the winter season, more local drivers find themselves involved in accidents related to freezing weather conditions. It snows frequently and the roads become very slippery, but drivers are not always more cautious or prepared, said Steve Myers, owner of Myers Auto Rebuild and Towing in Pullman.
“We get really busy during the winter,” said Myers. “Instead of running a week back log we find ourselves scheduling repairs two or three weeks into the future,” he said.
Companies like Myers Auto Rebuild and Towing receive many calls from the police department during the winter to pull vehicles back on the road like the Geo Tracker driven by Schuyler.
Accidents resulting from poor road conditions occur fairly consistently in Pullman, Myers said. If someone slides off the road in a certain area, chances are that person is not the first, he said.
“Slick weather definitely doesn’t hurt the body or towing business,” said Myers. “I’ve been out all night towing cars in bad weather before.”
Drivers often buy winter tires and feel they are entirely safe to drive again, said Myers. However, more caution still needs to be taken in order to avoid becoming an accident victim.
The Washington State Department of Transportation web site offers tips for safe winter driving.
Drivers should keep their headlights on at all times, the web site says. The web site recommends staying off the roads entirely in icy conditions.
If driving cannot be avoided, people should drive slower and give themselves extra time to reach their destination, according to the web site.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Special Leads
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/21/btsc.iran.amanpour/index.html
TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- As I sat down recently with a senior Iranian government official, he urgently waved a column by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times in my face, one about how the United States and Iran need to engage each other.
I think this is a narrative lead because it starts off telling the story of how an interview went between a reporter and an Iranian government official. It continues narrating a story for the next several paragraphs, and eventually has a nut graph because it describes the issue at hand. I think it is written well, except that it is a topic I am not very interested in, so i found it boring and difficult to understand what the story is actually about. I think this type of article should not delay the issue and get right to the point.
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=2889317&page=1
DREXEL HILL, Pa., Feb. 20, 2007 — In the nurse's office at Hillcrest Elementary School in this Philadelphia suburb, nurse Kim Glielmi spends much of her day dealing not with cuts and bruises, but pounds and inches. On the day we visited, the entire kindergarten class was lined up for its mandatory march to the scales.
This is a narrative lead because it tells a story in the fest few paragraphs, as can be seen in the lead. It does not start off telling the reader what the news story actually is or where the news value is. However, I was interested enough to continue reading and I think it did a good job of keeping me reading more into the article.
TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- As I sat down recently with a senior Iranian government official, he urgently waved a column by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times in my face, one about how the United States and Iran need to engage each other.
I think this is a narrative lead because it starts off telling the story of how an interview went between a reporter and an Iranian government official. It continues narrating a story for the next several paragraphs, and eventually has a nut graph because it describes the issue at hand. I think it is written well, except that it is a topic I am not very interested in, so i found it boring and difficult to understand what the story is actually about. I think this type of article should not delay the issue and get right to the point.
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=2889317&page=1
DREXEL HILL, Pa., Feb. 20, 2007 — In the nurse's office at Hillcrest Elementary School in this Philadelphia suburb, nurse Kim Glielmi spends much of her day dealing not with cuts and bruises, but pounds and inches. On the day we visited, the entire kindergarten class was lined up for its mandatory march to the scales.
This is a narrative lead because it tells a story in the fest few paragraphs, as can be seen in the lead. It does not start off telling the reader what the news story actually is or where the news value is. However, I was interested enough to continue reading and I think it did a good job of keeping me reading more into the article.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Hourglass Assignment
Three Washington State University police officers were injured and 22 students arrested after a protest on Friday regarding the possibility of all faculty members being required to take a class in cultural diversity.
There were two campus groups and over 200 demonstrators involved with the protest at the monthly Board of Regents meeting. The Students Against Racism were protesting for the additional cultural classes for faculty, while the American Student Organization members were protesting against diversity classes.
The protestors were being loud and disruptive without a permit to hold a rally, and as a result were asked to disperse, said Police Chief R. Barclay Peterson. “There never would have been a problem if they simply would have moved back when we asked them. Instead, both groups decided to gang up against the police,” he said.
One police officer, Andrea Wilson, received a gash on her forehead, Peterson said. James Nelson and Sgt. Jerico Turner were the other police officers injured, receiving bruises from thrown items.
All of those arrested were charged with trespassing on state property for refusing to disperce, and twelve were also charged with resisting arrest. Ten students were charged with assault after they allegedly threw rocks and bottles at the police officers.
The regents did not take action on the new diversity requirement, and will discuss it again at next months meeting to be held May 16th in Regents Hall.
“We will continue protesting until the regents vote to mandate faculty training,” said Jonathan Walterson, president of Students Against Racism. “We’re done negotiating with them. Now it is time to cause trouble,” he said.
Walterson said there will be more rallies, not only at the next meeting but before then.
Brian Allen, a senior biology student and president of the American Student Organization, said his group will continue protesting as well. “Our faculty do not need additional training in diversity. Many of our faculty aren’t even from this country,” he said.
“It Just got out of hand,” said Peterson. The protest started at the fountain at Central Mall around noon with one group chanting “no more racism” and the other saying “stop diversity,” he said.
The students then marched towards Regents Hall at about 1:15 p.m., the location of the meeting, and were disrupting classes when they were asked to disperse, he said.
About 60 officers were present by 1:20 p.m. because the demonstrators were too loud and rowdy, said Peterson.
The protestors were then met by officers and ordered to disperse near the Liberal Arts Building. By 1:25, the demonstration was at its worst, Peterson said. The protestors started shouting directly at the police and began throwing things at them, he added.
This is when the three officers were injured, Peterson said.
By 1:30, most of the protestors began to back off, and those who did not were arrested, ending the demonstration, he said.
The Protest delayed the beginning of the afternoon session of the regents meeting, and the meeting resumed at about 2 p.m., said Peterson.
There were two campus groups and over 200 demonstrators involved with the protest at the monthly Board of Regents meeting. The Students Against Racism were protesting for the additional cultural classes for faculty, while the American Student Organization members were protesting against diversity classes.
The protestors were being loud and disruptive without a permit to hold a rally, and as a result were asked to disperse, said Police Chief R. Barclay Peterson. “There never would have been a problem if they simply would have moved back when we asked them. Instead, both groups decided to gang up against the police,” he said.
One police officer, Andrea Wilson, received a gash on her forehead, Peterson said. James Nelson and Sgt. Jerico Turner were the other police officers injured, receiving bruises from thrown items.
All of those arrested were charged with trespassing on state property for refusing to disperce, and twelve were also charged with resisting arrest. Ten students were charged with assault after they allegedly threw rocks and bottles at the police officers.
The regents did not take action on the new diversity requirement, and will discuss it again at next months meeting to be held May 16th in Regents Hall.
“We will continue protesting until the regents vote to mandate faculty training,” said Jonathan Walterson, president of Students Against Racism. “We’re done negotiating with them. Now it is time to cause trouble,” he said.
Walterson said there will be more rallies, not only at the next meeting but before then.
Brian Allen, a senior biology student and president of the American Student Organization, said his group will continue protesting as well. “Our faculty do not need additional training in diversity. Many of our faculty aren’t even from this country,” he said.
“It Just got out of hand,” said Peterson. The protest started at the fountain at Central Mall around noon with one group chanting “no more racism” and the other saying “stop diversity,” he said.
The students then marched towards Regents Hall at about 1:15 p.m., the location of the meeting, and were disrupting classes when they were asked to disperse, he said.
About 60 officers were present by 1:20 p.m. because the demonstrators were too loud and rowdy, said Peterson.
The protestors were then met by officers and ordered to disperse near the Liberal Arts Building. By 1:25, the demonstration was at its worst, Peterson said. The protestors started shouting directly at the police and began throwing things at them, he added.
This is when the three officers were injured, Peterson said.
By 1:30, most of the protestors began to back off, and those who did not were arrested, ending the demonstration, he said.
The Protest delayed the beginning of the afternoon session of the regents meeting, and the meeting resumed at about 2 p.m., said Peterson.
Article 1 Revision
Using common sense and working together with police are keys to preventing and solving property crimes during the school year, said Chris Tennant, the Pullman Police Department commander.
In a small college town like Pullman, property crimes can often be called opportunity crimes due to the lack of students taking preventive measures, said Tennant. For example, if the opportunity to steal something presents itself with little risk of being caught, students are more likely to commit that crime, he said.
According to statistics provided by the Pullman Police Department, there were over 30 reports of theft in December 2006, including four automobile theft reports. The report also lists 14 burglaries or home intrusions and 17 hit-and-run vehicle incidents.
“These crimes often result from a lack of common sense,” said Commander Chris Tennant. “Don’t leave your wallet sitting on the car dashboard, and lock your doors. Locks actually work and can deter a potential burglar from your house.” This takes away easy opportunities for someone to commit a crime against you, said Tennant.
Many of the crime reports come after someone throws a party at their house, said Tennant. “The owners throw a party, sell cups and alcohol, and eventually there are random people over who rob them blind.” Thinking ahead could have easily solved this problem, he said.
People need to realize that they can always be a victim, Tennant said. Doing this helps people recognize crime opportunities and prevent them from happening.
However some crimes can occur even when the victims are careful. Student Nicholas Kane lives on College Hill, and has to park his car on the street. Two weeks after buying new snow tires for his truck, he woke up to find two of them had been slashed.
“I was really angry because I knew the person got away with it, and I had to buy my own snow tires,” said Kane. “It was a situation of bad luck where I had to pay for another person’s crime.”
Crime solving is a partnership between the community and the police department, said Chris Tennant. “If you find yourself the victim of a crime, the first thing you need to do is actually report it.”
For example, students like Kane often do not report crimes because they assume that nothing can be done, said Tennant. In Kane’s case, the police may not always find the culprit, but they can do things like put more patrols in the area to prevent it from happening again.
“Looking back on it, I should have reported it to the police,” said Kane. “Over the next couple days about three more cars on my street had their tires slashed as well, and I’m guessing they could be related,” he said. “If I had called police maybe they would have been prevented, so hopefully one of the other victims reported it.”
Taking simple steps such as locking your doors, making smart decisions, and always reporting crimes to the police can really make a difference in the amount of crimes that occur in Pullman, said Tennant.
In a small college town like Pullman, property crimes can often be called opportunity crimes due to the lack of students taking preventive measures, said Tennant. For example, if the opportunity to steal something presents itself with little risk of being caught, students are more likely to commit that crime, he said.
According to statistics provided by the Pullman Police Department, there were over 30 reports of theft in December 2006, including four automobile theft reports. The report also lists 14 burglaries or home intrusions and 17 hit-and-run vehicle incidents.
“These crimes often result from a lack of common sense,” said Commander Chris Tennant. “Don’t leave your wallet sitting on the car dashboard, and lock your doors. Locks actually work and can deter a potential burglar from your house.” This takes away easy opportunities for someone to commit a crime against you, said Tennant.
Many of the crime reports come after someone throws a party at their house, said Tennant. “The owners throw a party, sell cups and alcohol, and eventually there are random people over who rob them blind.” Thinking ahead could have easily solved this problem, he said.
People need to realize that they can always be a victim, Tennant said. Doing this helps people recognize crime opportunities and prevent them from happening.
However some crimes can occur even when the victims are careful. Student Nicholas Kane lives on College Hill, and has to park his car on the street. Two weeks after buying new snow tires for his truck, he woke up to find two of them had been slashed.
“I was really angry because I knew the person got away with it, and I had to buy my own snow tires,” said Kane. “It was a situation of bad luck where I had to pay for another person’s crime.”
Crime solving is a partnership between the community and the police department, said Chris Tennant. “If you find yourself the victim of a crime, the first thing you need to do is actually report it.”
For example, students like Kane often do not report crimes because they assume that nothing can be done, said Tennant. In Kane’s case, the police may not always find the culprit, but they can do things like put more patrols in the area to prevent it from happening again.
“Looking back on it, I should have reported it to the police,” said Kane. “Over the next couple days about three more cars on my street had their tires slashed as well, and I’m guessing they could be related,” he said. “If I had called police maybe they would have been prevented, so hopefully one of the other victims reported it.”
Taking simple steps such as locking your doors, making smart decisions, and always reporting crimes to the police can really make a difference in the amount of crimes that occur in Pullman, said Tennant.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
2nd Day Lead
There are still no suspects or leads as the parents of a 4-year-old girl plea for her safe return after she went missing from her crib 24-hours ago.
Police have visited every home in a six-block radius around the Norton’s house in the past day, asking if they might have seen or heard anything about the girl, Angela Melissa Norton.
"We are begging anyone who might have seen our daughter to please call the police or us,” Maria L. Norton told reporters today. “She has never been away from home without us, and we are certain that she must be terrified not to be in her own home.”
Police have visited every home in a six-block radius around the Norton’s house in the past day, asking if they might have seen or heard anything about the girl, Angela Melissa Norton.
"We are begging anyone who might have seen our daughter to please call the police or us,” Maria L. Norton told reporters today. “She has never been away from home without us, and we are certain that she must be terrified not to be in her own home.”
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Story #1 First Draft
Using common sense and working together with police are keys to preventing and solving property crimes during the school year, said Chris Tennant, the Pullman Police Department Commander.
In a small college town like Pullman, property crimes can often be called opportunity crimes due to the lack of students taking preventive measures, said Tennant. For example, if the opportunity to steal something presents itself with little risk of being caught, students are more likely to commit that crime, he said.
According to statistics provided by the Pullman Police Department, there were over 30 reports of theft in December 2006, including four automobile theft reports. The report also lists 14 burglaries or home intrusions and 17 hit-and-run vehicle incidents.
“These crimes often result from a lack of common sense,” said Commander Chris Tennant. “Don’t leave your wallet sitting on the car dashboard, and lock your doors. Locks actually work and can deter a potential burglar from your house.” This takes away easy opportunities for someone to commit a crime against you, said Tennant.
Many of the crime reports come after someone throws a party at their house, said Tennant. “The owners throw a party, sell cups and alcohol, and eventually there are random people over who rob them blind.” Thinking ahead could have easily solved this problem, he said.
People need to realize that they can always be a victim, Tennant said. Doing this helps people recognize crime opportunities and prevent them from happening.
However some crimes can occur even when the victims are careful. Student Nicholas Kane lives on College Hill, and has to park his car on the street. Two weeks after buying new snow tires for his truck, he woke up to find two of them had been slashed.
“I was really angry because I knew the person got away with it, and I had to buy my own snow tires,” said Kane. “It was a situation of bad luck where I had to pay for another person’s crime.”
Crime solving is a partnership between the community and the police department, said Chris Tennant. “If you find yourself the victim of a crime, the first thing you need to do is actually report it.”
For example, students like Nicholas Kane may wake up and find that their tires have been slashed, and rather than report it, they assume nothing can be done and ignore it, said Tennant. The police may not always find out who slashed the tires, but they can do things like put more patrols in the area to prevent it from happening again.
“Looking back on it, I should have reported it to the police,” said Kane. “Over the next couple days about three more cars on my street had their tires slashed as well, and I’m guessing they could be related,” he said. “If I had called police maybe they would have been prevented, so hopefully one of the other victims reported it.”
Taking simple steps such as locking your doors, making smart decisions, and always reporting crimes to the police can really make a difference in the amount of crimes that occur in Pullman, said Tennant.
In a small college town like Pullman, property crimes can often be called opportunity crimes due to the lack of students taking preventive measures, said Tennant. For example, if the opportunity to steal something presents itself with little risk of being caught, students are more likely to commit that crime, he said.
According to statistics provided by the Pullman Police Department, there were over 30 reports of theft in December 2006, including four automobile theft reports. The report also lists 14 burglaries or home intrusions and 17 hit-and-run vehicle incidents.
“These crimes often result from a lack of common sense,” said Commander Chris Tennant. “Don’t leave your wallet sitting on the car dashboard, and lock your doors. Locks actually work and can deter a potential burglar from your house.” This takes away easy opportunities for someone to commit a crime against you, said Tennant.
Many of the crime reports come after someone throws a party at their house, said Tennant. “The owners throw a party, sell cups and alcohol, and eventually there are random people over who rob them blind.” Thinking ahead could have easily solved this problem, he said.
People need to realize that they can always be a victim, Tennant said. Doing this helps people recognize crime opportunities and prevent them from happening.
However some crimes can occur even when the victims are careful. Student Nicholas Kane lives on College Hill, and has to park his car on the street. Two weeks after buying new snow tires for his truck, he woke up to find two of them had been slashed.
“I was really angry because I knew the person got away with it, and I had to buy my own snow tires,” said Kane. “It was a situation of bad luck where I had to pay for another person’s crime.”
Crime solving is a partnership between the community and the police department, said Chris Tennant. “If you find yourself the victim of a crime, the first thing you need to do is actually report it.”
For example, students like Nicholas Kane may wake up and find that their tires have been slashed, and rather than report it, they assume nothing can be done and ignore it, said Tennant. The police may not always find out who slashed the tires, but they can do things like put more patrols in the area to prevent it from happening again.
“Looking back on it, I should have reported it to the police,” said Kane. “Over the next couple days about three more cars on my street had their tires slashed as well, and I’m guessing they could be related,” he said. “If I had called police maybe they would have been prevented, so hopefully one of the other victims reported it.”
Taking simple steps such as locking your doors, making smart decisions, and always reporting crimes to the police can really make a difference in the amount of crimes that occur in Pullman, said Tennant.
Re-ordering exercise
The Iraqi government said Sunday it could attack American and British bases in the Persian Gulf that are used to launch airstrikes against Iraq.
“We, by help from God and support from the sons of our glorious Arab nation, including true and sincere nationals … in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, have the ability to attack the soldiers and means of aggression from whatever region,” Iraqi television said, quoting a statement from President Saddam Hussein and senior leaders.
The statement came amid a simmering war of nerves with the United States and Britain over “no-fly” zones imposed in northern and southern Iraq. Iraq does not recognize the zones and has vowed to fire at any plane that violates its airspace.
“Once again … we draw the attention of the rulers of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and tell them you are getting involved now in a vicious and aggressive war that the people of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have no interest in,” the statement said.
The statement did not specify what type of action Iraq would take against the U.S. and British bases.
The United States has accused Iraq of more than 90 violations of the no-fly zones since mid-December. It said U.S. and British forces have retaliated by attacking more than 40 Iraqi targets.
Both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have opened their air bases to U.S. and British planes that patrol the no-fly zones.
The zones were set up by the United States, Britain and France after the 1991 Persian Gulf War to prevent the Iraqi air force from attacking rebels in the north and south.
The Iraqi statement was issued following a meeting Saddam held with three senior aides. It again warned Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to distance themselves from the United States.
“We, by help from God and support from the sons of our glorious Arab nation, including true and sincere nationals … in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, have the ability to attack the soldiers and means of aggression from whatever region,” Iraqi television said, quoting a statement from President Saddam Hussein and senior leaders.
The statement came amid a simmering war of nerves with the United States and Britain over “no-fly” zones imposed in northern and southern Iraq. Iraq does not recognize the zones and has vowed to fire at any plane that violates its airspace.
“Once again … we draw the attention of the rulers of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and tell them you are getting involved now in a vicious and aggressive war that the people of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have no interest in,” the statement said.
The statement did not specify what type of action Iraq would take against the U.S. and British bases.
The United States has accused Iraq of more than 90 violations of the no-fly zones since mid-December. It said U.S. and British forces have retaliated by attacking more than 40 Iraqi targets.
Both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have opened their air bases to U.S. and British planes that patrol the no-fly zones.
The zones were set up by the United States, Britain and France after the 1991 Persian Gulf War to prevent the Iraqi air force from attacking rebels in the north and south.
The Iraqi statement was issued following a meeting Saddam held with three senior aides. It again warned Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to distance themselves from the United States.
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