Story #1

The police department is not done investing a bad accident that happened on Interstate 790 this morning at 6:45 a.m. between two tractor trailers when they collided, which started a train reaction. A total of four tractor-trailers and fourteen cars were involved according to Sgt. Albert Wei. One of the trailers was a tanker hauling diesel fuel which Wei said was very lucky it didn’t roll over and dump fuel and catch on fire. The driver was hit but he managed to control it so it didn’t explode. The driver of the truck wasn’t injured, but 2 people were killed and twenty others were injured and taken in to the hospital. Of the twenty four of them were seriously hurt, possibly even life threatening. Tony Sullivan, the fire chief, said that he had to cut the roofs off three of the cars to free the drivers and passengers with the help of firefighters from five nearby towns. Also the “Life Flight” helicopter from Memorial Hospital was also called to the scene to fly two of the most injured to the trauma center 50 miles away in Statesville.

Sullivan said that the scene looked like a war zone with bodies lying along the road, people covered with blood, emergency workers running from one place to another trying to help; and sirens wailing in the distance. He has been working with the fire department for almost 19 years and he said that he hadn’t seen anything like this before. This huge accident cause quite the headache for rush hour traffic since the people who normally take interstate 790 had to take I-690. This ended up backing up traffic for 3 hours on I-690 as well. Wei said that the accident, which occurred in the northbound lanes, closed the entire highway going both directions. At 10 a.m. the interstate was still closed and Wei said that he had no idea when it would reopen.

Nancy Kerrigan's father dies

The brother of figure skater Nancy Kerrigan's is accused of murdering their 70 year old father in his Massachusetts home. After Mark (son) and Danial (father) got into a violent argument over a phone call Mark said that he put his hands around his father's neck and he just fell to the floor. After cops arrested Mark from his home in Boston, MA he plead not guilty to all charges, despite cruetial evidence.

Danial's wife says he died of a heart attack and there was nothing suspicious about his death. After looking at Marks extensive criminal record he was put in jail until he made bail in 2007. Sources say he is very distraught over his fathers death and is seeking treatment for Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder and seeing a psychiatrist.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2010-01-25-kerrigan-death_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

The Do's and Don't of Leads

I have learned a lot of things about what makes a lead good or bad, however there are still many things I need to learn or could improve on. One of the "Dos" in creating a good lead, I have learned is to make it short and to the point. When your lead begins repeating itself or getting to wordy, this is when you run the risk of creating a bad lead which is a big "don't". You need to keep it interesting, and something that will make the viewer continue reading.

Also you want to make sure your lead is easy enough for a fifth grader to follow. You need to make sure your lead is clear and concise. So you don't want to go nuts with your thesaurus on this because bigger words can have the effect to turn readers away.

These are a few of the things I have learned thus far, this is just the beginning there is much more to learn.

Journal Entry #1

The price to stay connected using your cell phone has been a constant incline until recent events. The two leading cell phone carriers, AT&T and Verizon have announced dramatic price cuts. Verizon being the first to announce that they were going to drop there prices almost in half; AT&T following not to far behind. The recent changes are the result of a struggling economy. However, not everyone gets to see the effects of this plan in their pockets. Only subscribers with an unlimited plan will be able to save money when this goes into effect. The only question left is if this will spill over into the rest of the markets, particularly into the world of smart phones.

Introduction

Hello my name is Courtney Thompson. I am currently in my second year at anoka ramsey and am planning to make this my last year. I will be transering to Austraila to study abroad in New Castle for one semester. When I return I hope to be accepted in to the University of Minnesotas broadcast journalism program. I feel journalism is very important to keep people informed and updated on all aspects of their area and our world. I hope to one day be a news anchor for either a local such as channel 5 or national station like Good Morning America. I hope to get as much out of this class as possible in order to further my education.