Riley's blog

The New York Times recently released an article about the changing image of Charlotte, North Carolina. The shooting of Keith Lamont has put the back in the headlines. The shooting caused riots that claimed the life of another innocent civilian.

Charlotte was most prominently in the news following the police shooting of college student Jonathan Ferrell. Much like the events of this week, the 2013 shooting also caused riots among the population. Since the first night of the recent protests Charlotte mayor Jennifer Roberts has enacted a city-wide curfew. The National Guard has also been dispatched to protect the commercial areas of the city.

This article was not as I expected it to be. The headline, Fatal Shooting by Police Shakes Charlotte’s Self-Image, seemed to promise recent news of the shooting. However, the article mostly covered the background of the Charlotte. It featured recent political tension and the growth of city commerce since the 1960’s.

The article was informative, and I do recommend it, but it is not as the headline suggests. It did however explain the status of everyone that they interviewed. This made it easier to understand the different viewpoints of several city demographics.

Recent police shootings in Charlotte, North Carolina caused riots within the city and shockwaves nationwide. The shootings brought back memories of other notorious police shootings in recent years. I went on a search to find a student who was affected by nationwide police shootings.

“I have pretty negative feelings about police shootings,” said Morningside student Calvin Buchanan. I found Buchanan behind the book rental desk near the Spoonholder Cafe. He was more than willing to give his thoughts on these recent events.

“People in gangs with guns in the big cities get shot everyday,” says Buchanan, ” but these shootings happen too often.” He became slightly agitated by the idea, becoming angry thinking of police attacks. He believes compliant citizens don’t deserve to die. ” There are other ways to stop a possible criminal. Use a taser, or non-fatal shot.”

A New York Times article recently covered Hilary Clinton’s new agenda, to attract voters drifting toward the third-party. The Democrats are noticing that people do not favor Donald Trump, but they also will not vote for her.

The majority of voters drifting to the third-party are young and college educated voters. The Clinton campaign has sent officials such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and former Vice President Al Gore to help win the vote. They do not believe these candidates to be a threat, but they believe a vote for a third-party is like a vote for Donald Trump.

I’m not sure if this article is bias. The New York Times seems to be getting their information from the source of their story, the Democratic Party. However, although Democrats are the topic of interest, the Republican Party believes a vote for a third-party is a vote for Hilary Clinton. That thought crossed my mind right before I read it on the page, buried deep in the article.

While this article is mostly subjective, it covered an important goal. Everything I questioned from the headline was answered in the lead and the second graf. As I have come to expect from the New York Times, this is a quality article.

A local man was killed at 11 a.m Thursday after a collision on Highway 20. Moyer Quick, 65, was killed when his vehicle collided with a truck driven by Randy Radin, 17. Three survivors were transported by ambulance to Marian Health Center.

Radin was reported to be in critical condition upon arrival to the hospital. Dorothy Quick and Maxine Steuerwald were the two remaining survivors to be transported. Dorothy is reported in “good” condition while Maxine was described as “fair”.

Patrolman Patric Stewart said both vehicles were traveling west when the accident occurred. Quick had attempted to pass Radin but struck his vehicle as he was completing the pass. The accident is still under investigation.

Update– Sept. 27th

“Randy Radin passed away at 8:17 this morning,” reported the county Sheriff. He was not artificially kept alive, but he never regained consciousness after the accident. He had been taken to the intensive care unit upon arrival at the hospital. He remained there for two weeks before dying.

“The autopsy on Moyer Quick has revealed a different cause of death,” the original cause of death was attributed to the car accident, “Moyer Quick died of heart failure. It is unknown if it occurred before or after the accident.” Dorothy Quick and Maxine Steuerwald remain in good condition after being released shortly after the accident.

In paper #1, I put the most amount of effort into pacing my story. I tried to make it seem like the story was fluid and moved from graf to graf with ease. I wish I put more effort into finding interesting articles. I feel like the story could have been better if I used stronger arguments and quotes from different articles.

The most difficult part of making this article was finding information. At a certain point, most information seemed redundant, so this limited the depth of my story without being redundant or being off topic.

Donald Trump is in attack mode, again. He has recently given speeches and released new ads attacking Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton for commenting that half of Trump supporters are “deplorable.” The Clinton comments were made during a meeting at an LGBT event in New York.

USA Today reported that Clinton furthered her comments on Donald Trump and his supporters by saying, “He has given voice to their websites that used to only have 11,000 people — now have 11 million. He tweets and retweets their offensive, hateful, mean-spirited rhetoric.

Secretary Clinton immediately faced backlash after her Friday night comments. She released a statement saying, “last night I was ‘grossly generalistic,’” and “I regret saying ‘half’ — that was wrong.”

Trump’s latest ad is only the third of his campaign. The recent and corresponding apology from Mrs. Clinton did not satisfy the Republican Candidate. The New York Times reports, “The apology was not enough for Mr. Trump, who demanded to the thousands in the room that Mrs. Clinton retract her comments in full and apologize.”

“The Trump Campaign is putting $2 million behind the 30-second ad, which will air in Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Florida,” reports USA Today. These are constant battleground states in Presidential and are equally as important for each candidate. The Trump Campaign is hoping these ads will turn polls in his favor.

These comments come just days after the candidates participated in a controversial NBC forum event. Mrs. Clinton appeared to be on the defensive throughout the event, while Mr. Trump responded to question with vague answers.

Donald Trump said in press conferences that his supporters are “patriotic Americans who want their jobs and their families protected.” He also referenced his own good health.

Mr. Trump made questionable and infuriating comments during the Republican primary as well as in the general election. However, since a change of staff, Trump’s constant attacks have been far and few in between. His recent statements during the NBC forum garnered criticism for their vagueness.

The change in the Trump Campaign came after a long string of attacks against civilians and fellow Republicans. After much dissent from the GOP, Trump reorganized his plans while remaining in tune with global and national news. He has also made steps to further change his image. He was praised for his diplomatic approach to a meeting with President Pena last earlier this month.

Mrs. Clinton recently announced a slower approach to her campaign. Friday’s comments caused the Secretary Clinton to limit further discussion after the apology. Her recent Pneumonia diagnosis also caused her to postpone a trip to California.

A recent ABC News poll is showing some lag for Clinton supporters, which may have an impact on Election Day. Although the race is tightening and the polls are narrow The Washington Post reports that, “heading toward the first presidential debate on Sept. 26, Trump still appears to have the more challenging route to victory.”

With the first debate less than three weeks away, now is a critical time for both candidates. A large majority of polls show Secretary Clinton to have a lead over Mr. Trump, but only by a small margin. There have been no recent polls, but the events of the weekend may cause a shift in opinion.

Cat Saved from Breaking Tree

Firefighters rushed to the rescue of a cat stuck in a tree at 102 11th Ave. Firefighter Bob Harwood climbed 50 feet int the Oak tree to rescue the small calico. Harwood and the cat fell 15 feet after a lower branch broke from the tree. The cat was retrieved uninjured while Harwood received a broken leg.

Harwood is resting well at St. Luke’s Hospital. The cat belongs to Suzanne and Samantha Decker, daughters of Charlie and Kim Decker.

Fire a Form of Protest at East High

Ten disgruntled students of East High School received suspension for repeatedly pulling the school fire alarm last Wednesday. The ten students were protesting the punishment of five other students, who were suspended for smoking Marijuana in the school parking lot. The cannabis suspension may have also caused a food fight that closed the cafeteria on Tuesday.

Principal Laura Vibelius commented that there was general unrest in the school, stating, “not so much unrest because of suspension, but because of summer vacation being so near. She also stated that she see “no continuation” of these events in the future.

Fallen Gas Truck Endangers Families

A Texaco truck overturned on the outskirts of town, causing gas floods for two blocks around 48th Street and Correctionville Road. Four families were evacuated from their homes because of dangerous sewer line gas. The flood remained a serious issue until the gas was flushed away.

Vehicles were rerouted through side streets as the gas covered nearby roads and ditches. The fire department was able to flush away the eliminate and flush away the gas in two hours. Fire Chief Charles Hochandel stated, ” the firemen followed catastrophe and hazmat procedures set up beforehand for just such an occurrence.”

Iowa Highway Patrol effectively banned the use on hand-held radar guns yesterday in Des Moines. Spokesman Adam Smith announced that trooper concerns of cancer led to the gun ban. 70 radar guns will be taken out of service, while troopers will continue to use cruiser mounted radar transmitters

“The feeling here is to err on the side of caution until more is known about the issue,” Smith says. “The whole situation is under review.” The ban follows complaints from three municipal officers who are seeking workman’s compensation claims from cancer they have developed. The ban is only a precaution while studies are still being conducted for possible links to cancer.

Donald Trump visited Mexico on Wednesday, followed by a highly publicized immigration speech that night in Phoenix. The New York Times reported that Trump’s diplomatic rhetoric of the day did not match his fiery speech at night. They report he seemed diplomatic and civil during his meeting with President Pena of Mexico, but during his speech in Arizona, he returned to bullying and chastising Mexicans.

Trump has had a less-than-stable relationship with The New York Times in the past. This may lead to questioning of the article’s objectivity. I find that it is a quality source of information on this subject. They offered praise for Trump’s diplomacy with Pena, but never directly criticized his immigration speech. However, their disapproval may be inferred by their critique. The visit is a critical event for the Trump campaign, so it needs accurate reporting. The most accurate report will only come through objectivity, so  The New York Times has successfully put personal feelings aside and completed quality reporting of an important Trump landmark.