News Comment #6

September 27, 2016

Recently, a healthy baby was born to parents at a Mexican clinic after what is known as a mitochondrial transfer. In layman’s terms, this is called a three parent baby. This procedure is controversial in many parts of the world and is banned in the United States because it takes genetic material from a donor as well as the couple who are trying to conceive. Through this process, doctors hope to avoid flaws in either parent’s mitochondria that can cause serious illnesses in their offspring.

The couple in question had given birth to two other children who died at very young ages because of Leigh’s disease, where the child eventually stops moving and breathing. No other attempts at mitochondrial transfer have been successful, which makes this a huge milestone in medical history, though many doctors are angry this procedure has taken so long to accomplish as the research was done over twenty years ago. However, many medical professionals are still hoping that this will make the procedure more accessible in the countries who have banned or been divided on the procedure in the past.

I believe this story is very newsworthy, especially for people who have been struggling with infertility or want to have a healthy baby but have been cautious because of the chances of their baby being born with a serious illness. As the article said, this is groundbreaking work for the medical world and can open up a whole new world of possibilities. I believe the audience is mainly people who are looking to conceive, but the general public or those interested in medicine are also targeted because of the rarity of the story.

The lead is effective because it brings interest to a procedure regular people outside of medicine may never have heard of before and lays out most of the facts in those first two sentences. The story is definitely written from the perspective of a person who thinks the procedure should be accepted, as there are little to no opposing opinions about the birth of this baby through mitochondrial transfer. What could be added are some quotes from the other point of view and some of the paragraphs could be switched around for better flow, because they switch from science to the couple and then back to science which can make the story seem choppy at points. All in all, it’s a well thought out article, but could possibly use more quotes and ideas from the opposing side to bring in more interest.

The link to the original story can be found here.

Scavenger Hunt-The Best Song

September 22, 2016

When first asked the question, “What song or artist would you recommend to someone?”, Jess replied with a general sense of awkwardness and “Just any song?”

When Jess first saw me, she seemed a little guarded, not sure what to think. She was dressed in all black clothes including her shoes, and had a black backpack on her shoulders. The only pop of color on her was a small blue bunny key-chain attached to her backpack. Jess stood only a little taller than my 5’6 frame. She hadn’t been making much eye contact with anybody and had just swept her dark brown hair out of her eyes when I almost blocked her path to ask her this seemingly random question. After introducing myself, she seemed a little more friendly, smiling and trying her best to find a song that was profound, and came up with a song by Disturbed called “The Sound of Silence”.

Now anyone who listened to the radio at all this summer will probably have heard this song, and I felt inclined to ask her if she thought it was better than the Simon and Garfunkel version. She said the Disturbed version was ultimately better, saying “It’s just really cool and nice to listen to. It’s more of a soothing song, so I think people would like it when they want to relax.”

This isn’t Jess’ typical musical choice. She told me she often listens to orchestral music when studying and that it’s more relaxing than other types of music.

After this odd request, Jess wished me luck and continued on the path towards the cafeteria, walking a little slower than before, more aware of her surroundings.

News Comment #5

September 20, 2016

After the recent bombing and bomb threats in New York and New Jersey, the police have a suspect: Ahmad Rahami. Found asleep in a bar doorway, Rahami became wounded in a gun fight with police before they took him into custody. Rahami ran a chicken restaurant with his family which neighbors complained about multiple times after the establishment attracted loud and disruptive customers at all hours of the day. Despite this, the neighbors and customers of the restaurant say he was easygoing and kind until he made a trip to the Middle East a few years back. When he returned he was married, wore more traditional Muslim clothing, and had a more serious demeanor, which confused some neighbors because of the sudden change. Rahami was not in the family restaurant at the time of the bombings.

 

This story is newsworthy because it provides useful insight into who could potentially be behind the bombings and give people some closure with what happened. The audience is primarily the people who were in the area affected but I think it could also apply to most Americans who are following this story. The lead isn’t a standard, just the facts kind of lead, but uses some creativity to introduce Rahami as an ordinary person, not some alienated criminal. I believe this makes the story more effective for people to understand.

 

While this story presents Rahami as a regular person, the author also seems to take some leaps in conclusions about how Rahami is guilty and repeats information that makes him look worse to cement it in people’s minds that he is to blame, whether or not that is true yet. The author could have taken out several paragraphs about Rahami’s personal life that don’t seem as important to the story, like the fact that his family was supposedly bankrupt. They also could have removed the repeated phrases taken from neighbors of Rahami, because as the article is relatively short, the people should remember the quotes and not have to be reminded in the middle of what was said at the beginning. Overall, the story could have been revised once more before being posted.

This morning, two local men are dead and two women are in good condition after the collision of two cars two miles east of Sioux City on Hwy. 20.

One of the men who died, Moyer Quick, was driving with his wife Dorothy and daughter in law, Maxine Steuerwald, when he collided with a truck driven by the other casualty, Randy Radin, a 17 year old from Sioux City.

All three of the injured people were taken by ambulance to Marian Health Center, where Dorothy and Maxine were released the next day after they were kept for observation. Radin was on life support in the intensive care unit for almost two weeks until 8:17 this morning, September 27, when he died as a result of the crash. He was an organ donor.

After an autopsy, it was revealed that Moyer Quick died of heart failure sometime during the accident.

According to Iowa Highway Patrolman Patric Stewart, both vehicles were driving in a westerly direction when the rear-end of Quick’s vehicle struck Radin as he was passing. This sent both vehicles into the ditch, where Quick’s vehicle rolled over once.

The accident, while still under investigation, happened under cloudy skies with rain in the forecast. The road was clear and dry.

 

Article #1 Reflection

September 15, 2016

The part of the process I put the most effort into for Article #1 was collecting all the information for the story and finding detailed quotes. I wish I had spent more time on the format of the article itself and figuring out how to make the story flow better. I revised the story twice, but could have used more time editing.

The most difficult part of writing this article was deciding what to put in the headline and lead to make them interesting but informative and the next important things for the beginning paragraphs. I’m used to other types of writing where you give the background story first, so it was an adjustment trying to figure out how to get the best information first. I’m not used to summarizing in the beginning, it almost feels like I’m giving too much away.

Article #1

September 14, 2016

Native American Protests Result In Temporary Shutdown of Pipeline Construction

A North Dakota Tribes’ protests over an oil pipeline being built through their land has resulted in a temporary shutdown of construction.

The building process has been scrutinized for violating several different treaties and laws, including the Treaty of Fort Laramie and the National Historic Preservation Act.

The construction company has been encouraged by the government to voluntarily pause all construction of the pipeline in the forty miles around Lake Oahe, even after Judge James Boasberg denied the tribe’s request for a temporary stop in construction on Friday. This lake area is currently the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s source of drinking water and location of sacred cultural and burial sites. This pipeline project costs $3.8 billion and crosses four states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois.

The protests themselves have been the main reasoning behind the push for a stop in construction. Since the start, around 37 people have been arrested for preventing arrest, disorderly conduct, and criminal trespass. It has been reported that people were holding knives and hatchets, as well as attaching themselves to construction equipment. Pepper spray and dog bite injuries have been reported among protesters and security guards. There have been several celebrity appearances as well, resulting in charges being filed against Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein after she vandalized a bulldozer. The National Guard was brought in over the weekend to help redirect traffic around the protests and help keep the peace while waiting for the verdict.

Since the start of the conflict, Energy Transfer Partners have sued the tribe for illegal disruption of construction, while the tribe has sued back, stating they hadn’t been properly consulted before the building process began. The company has stated they reached out to several different tribes extensively before construction started and says the tribe canceled a meeting with them about construction on the section of land in question.

The Corps also has written evidence that the Standing Rock Sioux tribe was unable to point to sites that would be damaged by construction. A tribal history expert later said that they found several rock displays and patterns that could indicate marked burial sites.

The tribe’s cultural expert, Tim Mentz Sr., told the court that the tribe believes there are human remains in the area and many want the opportunity to rebury the dead. As he told Fox News, “The elders say that reburying can help deal with the loss and hurt of disturbing these graves.”

In the judge’s rulings on Friday, it was found that there were many missed attempts at communication between the tribe and the company. For the most part the tribe refused to engage in meetings with the company about construction, which is part of why the judge denied the request by the tribe to stop building.

National Association of Manufacturers CEO Jay Timmons, told The Washington Post that he wants discussions about the pipeline to be “peaceful, respectful, and productive,” but also thinks it’s time for the administration to “put its political agenda aside.”

This isn’t the first time the tribe has faced issues with companies wanting to build on their land.  Fifty years ago the Army Corps of Engineers built the Oahe Dam, which resulted in uprooted cemeteries, relocated families, and lands swamped with water that the tribe had previously used as a food source and area for transportation. Many of these families have been compensated by the company for their losses, but these same families fear that the building of the pipeline will bring more destruction to their land and destroy their source of drinking water should there be a leak or spill.

So far, it isn’t clear how long the pause in construction will last, but protesters have made it clear that they will continue to push for a complete shutdown of construction in the area.

David Archambault II, chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, has only good things to say about the decision, telling The New York Times, “When there’s a wrong that keeps continuing to happen, it’s O.K. to stand up against that wrong. That’s all we did. I’m just so thankful that agencies are starting to listen.”

News Comment #4

September 13, 2016

A New York man, Mr. Gonzales-Mugaburu, is in jail after allegations of sexually abusing five of the boys he was a foster parent to and endangering the well-being of two others. He had taken in around a hundred other children by the time he was accused of abuse, but there had been issues with other boys telling social workers of the problems they faced while under his care, specifically 30-40 different complaints against Gonzales-Mugaburu. While these charges were being investigated, other social workers were still giving him money for the children who were no longer under his care and allowed him to adopt others. These charges were eventually dropped against him, mostly because the boys in question had mental handicaps, but when several other boys who weren’t mentally handicapped came forward with the same allegations, authorities decided to take Gonzales-Mugaburu in. During questioning, he seemed agitated, calling one boy a pathological liar and told officials he was deeply upset by these accusations. His home has now been closed to all foster children. With all of this information found against Gonzales, officials are looking into reform with out-of-state foster care, as many institutions fail to become familiar with the whole case or follow up at all, leaving children in homes that may not be a good fit for that child.

This article is newsworthy because often children in foster homes are more prone to abuse than other categories of children. These kids eventually grow up and many have psychological problems because of their experiences, and with this article, more awareness can be brought to the conditions of foster homes and how to improve the system. I believe the audience here is families, particularly couples who are considering adoption or those who have given their children up to the foster system. While this article is newsworthy, the lead is confusing. It says nothing about the man who is being charged until the third paragraph and a majority of the article is about him. The lead should have held information about his arrest instead of describing the adoption website that is only mentioned for a few paragraphs of the entire article. Even with a weak lead however, this article did a good job of including all the facts and putting quotes in from both sides of the story, making it more objective.

 

Lead Exercise #2

September 11, 2016

Firefighter Injured During Cat Rescue

Earlier this week a firefighter broke their leg while trying to rescue a cat from a tree at 102 11th Ave.

Firefighter Bob Harwood responded to the scene, climbing 50 feet up an oak tree to rescue the cat. During the attempt, a dead limb broke, causing Harwood to drop the last 15 feet and break his left leg.

The cat belonged to Suzanne and Samantha Decker, the twin daughters of Charlie and Kim Decker. Harwood was admitted to St. Luke’s Hospital where he is doing just fine, as is the cat, who landed on top of Bob during the fall.

 

Students Protest Suspension Of Fellow Classmates, Ends In Food Fight

Last Wednesday, three false alarms resulted in week-long suspensions of ten upperclassmen at East High who were protesting students being suspended for smoking marijuana at school.

The false alarms seem to be the work of some disgruntled students who are protesting the Monday week-long suspension of five students who were caught smoking marijuana in the school parking lot.

On Tuesday, a food fight closed their cafeteria, leading to feelings of unrest but East High Principal Laura Vibelius thinks it’s “Not so much unrest because of suspensions, but because of summer vacation being so near.” She thinks there won’t be a continuation of these “incidents” in the near future.

 

Texaco Gasoline Truck Overturned, Four Families Evacuated

A Texaco gasoline truck overturned yesterday, resulting in gas flooding into sewer lines for two blocks and ended in the mandatory evacuation of four families because of sewer-line gas.

The truck overturned on the outskirts of town, on 48th Street and Correctionville Road. The gas flooded into the sewer lines as well as the streets and ditches. Cars had to be rerouted through side streets, and the situation remained serious for two hours until the gas could be flushed away.

Fire Chief Charles Hochandel was confident in his team’s control of the situation saying, “The firemen followed catastrophe and hazmat procedures set up beforehand for just such an occurrence.”

The Iowa Highway Patrol has decided as of yesterday to ban troopers from carrying hand-held radar guns because of a possible cancer risk.

According to recent research, long term exposure to the radiation waves from radar guns could develop cancer. Seventy radar guns have since been taken out of service while further studies are conducted on the links between cancer and these guns.

According to Adam Smith, “The feeling here is to err on the side of caution until more is known about the issue. The whole situation is under review.”

This movement, supposedly the first of its kind, comes two months after complaints were filed by three different officers stating they developed cancer because of these devices.

Observation Exercise

September 7, 2016

Through the glass doors there is an expanse of tiled floors, potted plants, and various different sizes of tables and chairs. A small fireplace made of gray tile and wood can be found in the corner, along with a large rotating globe. People who are sitting at the higher tables are mostly sitting in groups, with the occasional older adult sitting by themselves. All of these individuals have a phone or computer that they stare at for several minutes before engaging in quiet conversations with their seatmates. All faces are relatively somber and focused.

Besides the spaces taken up by computers and notebooks, many of these people who filter through the area have purchased drinks, food, or candy from the two women running the small café near the entrance. These two women hold their own conversations about their day and warmly greet each person who approaches their counter.

Towards the back of the large room, the ceilings become higher, the floor becomes carpet, and the people sit in smaller armchairs or low tables. These individuals are by themselves and have no food or drink, just notebooks and computers spread across the long tables or over the floor. If the people in the front of the room seemed focused, these people are on a whole other level. They don’t stop to talk to others and seem almost entranced by their computer screens. The whole room lends an air of coziness and calm, with intermittent bursts of laughter and the hum of quiet whispers.