Real Thoughts with Dylan

December 15, 2017

Story #3 (With Audio)

Filed under: Uncategorized — Dylan @ 9:44 am

This is Dylan Ferguson with your Siouxland News Update. In national news; Twitter users react negatively to Keurig’s pulling of advertising from Sean Hannity’s television show. Outrage occurred after the coffee brewer company pulled advertising from the popular Fox News show after host Sean Hannity expressed support towards Roy Moore, who has been accused of sexual misconduct towards multiple underage women in the late 70’s. After the announcement from Keurig, users posted photos and videos of them destroying they machines with the hashtag #boycottkeurig. We spoke with Levi Swan about his opinions of the situation. (Quote) The CEO of Keurig has since apologized for making people choose sides.

In state news, the Iowa Music Education Association Conference is taking place this week. The annual music education conference will be taking place this Thursday, the 16th and runs through Saturday, the 18th at the Sheman Building on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames. Over 50 speakers will be presenting on several topics including band, choir, general music, best practices, and technology. In addition, Dr. Tim Hawkewich will be delivering this year’s keynote speech. Dylan Root, junior Music Education student spoke to Siouxland news about going to the conference. (Quote) In addition to presenters, dozens of vendors will be on-sight with instruments, sheet music, and other music supplies. The conference also coincides with the Iowa All State Music Festival, which also takes place at Iowa State University.

In local news, Morningside’s Greek Life Organizations brought back a long standing tradition. Representatives from Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Alpha Omicron Pi, and Acacia Fraternity brought back the Stand for the Cure fundraiser started by the now defunct fraternity Delta Sigma Phi. The fundraiser entailed representatives from each organization standing on a box for 24 hours per day during the week of Morningside’s homecoming in order to raise money for breast cancer awareness and research. The fundraiser was brought back by Morningside senior and Phi Mu Alpha member Bradley Davis with the help of Morningside’s Greek Council. He spoke to Siouxland News about why he decided to bring the box back. (Quote) By the end of the fundraiser, over $500 was raised for the June E. Nylen Cancer Center here in Sioux City.

That was your Siouxland News Update. I’m Dylan Ferguson.

 

December 14, 2017

Story #4: Profile

Filed under: Uncategorized — Dylan @ 11:41 pm

Tori Anderson: Dog Fanatic

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It’s a sunny afternoon on the Morningside College campus. I find myself walking alongside Tori Anderson after a choir rehearsal over to the cafeteria for dinner. We make casual small talk on our way over, just the general “how was classes today?” or “that rehearsal was brutal” as we normally discuss. Suddenly as I begin to complain about choir, she slaps me on my chest and tells me to hush. She points, and right before our eyes there’s a small corgi getting walked on the campus mall. For the next minute or so the only words coming out of her mouth are “I love you” and “you’re so precious”, as she stared at the dog.

From this point on, it became very clear that Tori was a dog fanatic.

Tori Anderson is a junior Non-Profit Management student at Morningside College from Sioux City. She is a member of the Morningside College Choir, the Vice President of MAC, the secretary of Student Government, and an RA in the Plex. In many ways, her love for dogs has bled into her activities. Examples include her heavy involvement in animal-related MAC events and using images of corgis as name markers on her residents’ doors. Even her laptop and cell phone backgrounds feature golden retriever puppies.

Tori recalls always having a love for dogs. “I’ve always thought dogs and puppies are so cute. They’re almost too precious for us people”. She is so in love with dogs that she has stated that her biggest fear is “finding a dog that doesn’t like me.” While she loves all dogs, she states that her two favorite breeds of dogs are golden retrievers and corgis.

To many people, Tori’s love for dogs is one of her many defining traits. Friend and fellow choir member Eric Wells believes that, “I have never met someone who loves dogs as much as she does, and I think it’s a very wholesome and unique trait”. Others, such as Plex resident Levi Swan, believe that her love is more along of the lines of obsession. “Sure, I get that dogs are cute and all, but I don’t understand why we have to stop and stare at the dog for five minutes anytime we see one.”

Instances such as seeing the corgi on campus are not irregular. As these can happen almost anywhere with any dog. During my time with Tori, we both saw a German Shepherd getting walked around the Sioux City Rose Garden. This time, the dog and the man walking it approached us. Instead of her usual staring and softly saying that she loves the dog, she asks the owner if she could pet it. Sure enough, she gets permission and then spends the next few minutes petting the dog, asking the owner any question you could think of about the dog, and making sure the dog knew that it was precious and that Tori loved it.

When asked about her encounters with dogs, she made it very clear that “I have never seen a dog before that I didn’t love.” While Tori loves many things in her life, such as her family and friends, music, and life itself, it is very clear that her biggest love is for dogs.

 

December 7, 2017

Hoogland Named GPAC All-American

Filed under: Uncategorized — Dylan @ 4:08 pm

December 5th, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sioux City- Sioux Center’s own Nathan Hoogland has been named a member of the GPAC All-American Baseball team.

Hoogland is a Junior Mass Communications student at Morningside College and 2015 Sioux Center High School graduate.

This season, Hoogland has maintained a .682 batting average, scored over 400 home runs, scored 372 RBIs, and has maintained an on base percentage of 1.254.

He currently holds national records for his number of homeruns, RBIs, and his batting average this semester.

“This has been something I have always been dreaming of since I was a young boy on the tee-ball field,” Hoogland commented. While this is a huge accomplishment, he has remained extremely humble.

For more information on Hoogland’s honors, please call (712)-555-1898.

Explosion at the Mega City Mall

Filed under: Uncategorized — Dylan @ 11:06 am

Fire and hysteria loomed over the mall today as a large explosion occurred at the Mega City Mall Food Court this morning. The explosion occurred nearby Dairy Queen at around 9:50 am., around ten minutes before the mall actually opened.

Two people were killed and around 100 others were injured in the explosion.

The Mega City Police Department and investigative teams from Central City, Astro City, and Starling City are currently investigating the incident. There has been no word on how the explosion happened or who was responsible for the blast. Security camera footage of the incident has been found, but has not been reviewed.

Engles Perez, the on duty mall detective, recalled the hysteria. “I was standing behind a wall over by the food court, eating a donut, when suddenly I heard this bang and felt some heat. On my way out I got a little burned, but I didn’t get treatment because I was a man and didn’t need it.” Perez believes that the explosion was intentional, as he reports that three of the fast food restaurants in the food court were locked in a bitter rivalry. “McDonald’s and Dairy Queen have been fierce rivals for quite some time now. Recently Subway got into this rivalry and I think from there the pot boiled over.”

Two off duty police officers were in the mall at the time of the incident. Officer Aleigha Carlson was by Scheel’s when the explosion occured. “I just suddenly heard this explosion, and it was my instinct to help those still in the mall out.” The other officer in the mall, Nathan Hoogland, reported that, “I saw some “suspicious looking people” over by the food court. I went to inform mall security and the explosion occurred.  My immediate reaction was to leave the mall and tell officers arriving what had happened.”

The mall has released a statement on the matter. “Our hearts and thoughts go out to those who were injured today, and to their families. MCM will be closed while we assist law enforcement’s investigation of this tragic event.” The MCPD has reported that the mall will remain closed for the rest of the week. No updates on the conditions of the injured have been reported.

November 28, 2017

Joey Volquartsen Anecdote

Filed under: Uncategorized — Dylan @ 11:26 am

In order to survive a role in a theater production, one must remain ambitious. Joey Volquartsen proved her ambition with not only one role, but three roles at one time during her high school career.

In the summer after her senior year of high school, she auditioned for a local production of the musical “Bye Bye Birdie”. She was able to attain a role in the chorus, but wanted more. She was told that she had talent, but lacked the experience needed to succeed. Because of this, she decided to audition for two more shows, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”, and “Hello Dolly”. These auditions proved to be successful, as she earned leading roles in both shows.

This left Joey with a tough decision to make. Which role would she choose? She noticed that each show occurred in a different month in the summer, and because of this she decided to take all three roles. In a normal day, she would head to Red Oak, IA in the morning to rehearse for one show, take a 45 minute drive south to Clarinda for rehearsals in the afternoon for the second show, and travel another 30 minutes northeast from Clarinda to make it to Corning for evening rehearsals for the last show.

While she was able to maintain doing the three roles at once, there were many times during rehearsal where one role would bleed into the other. “I remember during one rehearsal I forgot which show I was doing and spoke in a lisp like I do for one show, even though it wasn’t the right show for it.” Other than small mishaps like that, Joey successfully acted in all three roles that summer and gained the experience she sought out.

 

November 21, 2017

Walmart at 2 am.

Filed under: Uncategorized — Dylan @ 10:59 am

Typically, I go to Walmart either on weekend afternoons or weekday evenings around 7 pm, and each time I go it is insanely busy and is filled with people of all ages and from all walks of life. There have been occasional times where I’ve been to Walmart late at night, but this was with friends at home because in small town Iowa, there isn’t much else to do but go be a hooligan at the local Walmart. I have never been to a Walmart late at night during a weekday in a moderate city, so I knew this would be a new experience for me.

I walked into Walmart, and it seemed like the apocalypse hit. There wasn’t a single person at first glance, not even a greeter like you’d expect at Walmart. From what I was able to see, there was only one checker at the checkouts, and they were on the complete opposite end of the store. I venture through the store to pick up the bread, milk, and string cheese like I intended to do, but I decided I would roam around the store to see if I could find anyone else in the store that did not work for Walmart. It was almost a surreal experience hearing the echoing of George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” that I typically hear along with so many voices, yet this time it was the music alone.

After about five minutes of roaming, I decided to get the stuff I needed and get out of there. When I finally got to the one checker that was up front, I decided to ask her about the typical late shift at Walmart. She told me that, “What you see right now is typically how it is. Typically I will only see about a handful of customers every hour until the morning.”

Overall, I think going to Walmart at a late hour is a very lonely and slightly creepy experience, especially when you’re used to the typical business of Walmart that one would expect when they go there during the day.

November 13, 2017

Story #3 Script

Filed under: Uncategorized — Dylan @ 11:29 pm

This is Dylan Ferguson with your Siouxland News Update. In national news; Twitter users react negatively to Keurig’s pulling of advertising from Sean Hannity’s television show. Outrage occurred after the coffee brewer company pulled advertising from the popular Fox News show after host Sean Hannity expressed support towards Roy Moore, who has been accused of sexual misconduct towards multiple underage women in the late 70’s. After the announcement from Keurig, users posted photos and videos of them destroying they machines with the hashtag #boycottkeurig. We spoke with Levi Swan about his opinions of the situation. (Quote) The CEO of Keurig has since apologized for making people choose sides.

In state news, the Iowa Music Education Association Conference is taking place this week. The annual music education conference will be taking place this Thursday, the 16th and runs through Saturday, the 18th at the Sheman Building on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames. Over 50 speakers will be presenting on several topics including band, choir, general music, best practices, and technology. In addition, Dr. Tim Hawkewich will be delivering this year’s keynote speech. Dylan Root, junior Music Education student spoke to Siouxland news about going to the conference. (Quote) In addition to presenters, dozens of vendors will be on-sight with instruments, sheet music, and other music supplies. The conference also coincides with the Iowa All State Music Festival, which also takes place at Iowa State University.

In local news, Morningside’s Greek Life Organizations brought back a long standing tradition. Representatives from Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Alpha Omicron Pi, and Acacia Fraternity brought back the Stand for the Cure fundraiser started by the now defunct fraternity Delta Sigma Phi. The fundraiser entailed representatives from each organization standing on a box for 24 hours per day during the week of Morningside’s homecoming in order to raise money for breast cancer awareness and research. The fundraiser was brought back by Morningside senior and Phi Mu Alpha member Bradley Davis with the help of Morningside’s Greek Council. He spoke to Siouxland News about why he decided to bring the box back. (Quote) By the end of the fundraiser, over $500 was raised for the June E. Nylen Cancer Center here in Sioux City.

That was your Siouxland News Update. I’m Dylan Ferguson.

November 2, 2017

Emma Watson Speech

Filed under: Uncategorized — Dylan @ 11:28 am

Yesterday, actress and gender equality activist Emma Watson gave a speech at the One Young World Summit in Ottawa, Canada. One Young World is an English non-profit organization dedicated to gathering young leaders to develop solutions to today’s most pressing issues. Her speech talked about the importance of gender equality and her actions towards achieving gender equality.  “I feel that gender equality is as important as any other goals that we are here to discuss,” Watson told attendees of the summit and those about to receive scholarships for their work.

NOT FINISHED

October 24, 2017

Shooting

Filed under: Uncategorized — Dylan @ 11:17 am

A beautiful wedding ended in gunfire yesterday afternoon.

Yesterday, Richard Brunson shot his newly wedded wife, Laurette Kenny Brunson with a .22-caliber handgun. The incident occurred at 5 pm at the couple’s home, where the wedding and the reception took place. Sargent Mann of the Sioux City Police Department reported that, “it happened after she threw a plate of wedding reception macaroni salad at him.” Neighbor Walter Corse heard the incident from his home. ” I heard the sound of the shot, or I think I did. It was like a pop pop pop. Then the son came out yelling she’s been shot and can’t breathe.”

The police were called, but by time they arrived, the groom was gone. His whereabouts are still unknown, a neighbor reported that he ran off with no shirt and no shoes. Laurette Brunson is in St. Lukes Hospital where she is currently in satisfactory condition. She refused to comment on the situation.

October 17, 2017

Scavenger Hunt

Filed under: Uncategorized — Dylan @ 10:43 am

Story by Dylan Ferguson. Presented by Mason Knaub

Those suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder may soon have a new way to open up about their symptoms.

Researchers from USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies are working on a new Artificial Intelligence named Ellie which is designed to engage patients in interviews. Patients sit in a room alone, where the AI communicates with the patient through a television screen. It is capable of asking patients basic questions such as, “Where are you from?” to questions pertaining to their symptoms such as, “How easy is it for you to get a good night’s sleep?”

Patients are not just talking to a television screen, as not only is Ellie capable of giving subtle sympathetic gestures such as a smile or a nod, but knows when to give those gestures. Through this, Ellie is capable of building rapport and encourage patients to open up about their symptoms. The AI also uses a machine eye in order to pick up on the patient’s body language and facial cues in order to provide effective feedback.

To test the AI, the Institute recruited soldiers who recently returned from Afghanistan. According to the magazine WIRED, the Institute reported that, “In the end, test subjects reported significantly more symptoms in their interviews with Ellie than they did with their official Post-Deployment Health Assessment.” Researchers hope that Ellie and other virtual therapists can be used in Clinical Psychology in the future.

 

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