Journal Entry

The Minnesota Twins gave their fans what they wanted Monday evening in arguably the most anticipated season in their history, a win in their brand new outdoor stadium. The Twins topped the Red Sox 5-2 in the home opener with Jason Kubel making history by hitting the first home run in the new ballpark.

http://www.kare11.com/sports/sports_article.aspx?storyid=847997&catid=24

Journal Entry

The Minnesota Twins kept on battling late Monday night, but fell to the Angels of Anaheim 6-3. The Twins opening day starter Scott Baker struggled to find his rhythm and gave up four runs in just 4 2/3 innings. Nick Blackburn will take the mound tonight in game two of the three game series.

http://www.kare11.com/sports/sports_article.aspx?storyid=847590&catid=24

Journal Entry

Formal successful dealership owner Denny Hecker was jailed Tuesday morning for failing to provide financial information in the divorce case with his second wife. Hecker was taken to Hennepin County Jail this morning and was due back in court this afternoon.

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=847178

Interview With Jim Biederman

“I’m more introverted than extraverted, so it’s a little ironic that it feels natural to me to be in front of a class of 60 students every day,” says Jim Biederman, a psychology teacher at Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC). Biederman has been teaching psychology full-time since 1993, and had never stepped foot in Minnesota before his interview for the psychology job at ARCC 17-years ago.

Biederman has lived in Minneapolis, Minn. For the past 16 years, and has been with his partner for 12 years. He originally grew up in St. Louis area, and moved further north to attend graduate school at Northern Illinois University. As a kid, Biederman enjoyed being outside as much as he could and loved to climb trees and ride his bike. He says his parents also influenced him to be active in the scouts, and his church youth group.

For as long as Biederman has been teaching psychology, he had never even considered teaching until he was in graduate school, where he majored in clinical psychology. His training in graduate school focused on research, training, and clinical skills. After he had finished his Master’s Degree, he had the opportunity to teach his own undergraduate classes. “I still remember walking into class on my first day and feeling very natural standing in front of the class. I was nervous, but it seemed like I knew instinctively what to do,” says Biederman.

During his first semester of college he took a general psychology class and knew then that he loved psychology, but didn’t declare it his major until his junior year of college. He completed his MA in clinical psychology, and also completed all of the requirements for his PhD except for his dissertation. “It would be nice to have completed my PhD since I did almost all of the work, but I tend not to dwell on the past with regrets,” said Biederman. Biederman says his favorite part of psychology is studying the brain. He thinks psychologists are figuring out the first 5% of how the brain really works.

The first 17 years of teaching at the college level have “quickly gone by,” says Biederman. 10 years from now he plans to still be teaching at ARCC, but hopes to have a bigger office by then. He would like to have more courses offered to teach, though even if they don’t, doesn’t expect to ever get bored of the material he teaches now. “That’s one of the nicest things about my job,” He says. “There aren’t many things a person can do for 25 years or more and never get bored.” Once the toll of teaching takes over and it’s time to retire, he says that after 30-plus winters, he’d be more than ready to move to a warmer climate.

Minnesota Native Mauer Stays Put

After nearly three months of phone calls, emails, and meetings, the Minnesota Twins have signed their stud catcher Joe Mauer to an 8-year $184 Million deal. In his contract is also a no-trade clause meaning Mauer will be in a Twins uniform until 2018. "I'm just thrilled to do this for the rest of my career," said Mauer.


http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/88870397.html?page=1&c=y

Story #5

The Anoka Ramsey Community College (ARCC) welcomed feature artist Abigail Allan yesterday to explain and present the Great River Gallery Art Show. Allan’s work is definitely unique, and is loved by a large audience. The presentation took place in ARCC’s Riverview Room with a PowerPoint display of Allan’s work and pictures of artists who have inspired her and why. The Riverview Room was the setting for a number of guests. People came pouring in near the beginning of the presentation and audience members were even standing in the doorway wanting to hear Allan’s intriguing views on her artwork, and on life.

Allan was born in Minneapolis and new even as a young child that she wanted to do something great with her life. When Allan was young, she loved to watch the discovery channel and nature shows. These shows began to fuel Allan’s creativity and she began making clay sculptures. Her dad was also a huge influence as he was also an artist. He had his own studio in their house and set up an area for Allan so she could do her sculpture work right next to him. As Allan got older, she began to develop a deep passion for science and genetics, as well as a more passionate love for art. This love for both science and art is what Allan’s work is all about. Allan attended Alfred University in New York where she obtained her Bachelors of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Art and Design, as well as minors in both biology and art history. She now teaches at Minneapolis College of Art and Design however quite ironically. Growing up the 70s and 80s Allan was in an age of rebellion. “I thought teachers were the enemy,” said Allan in her presentation.

Through Allan’s education she developed a love for what are called “Indicator Species.” Indicator Species are creatures that are most susceptible to genetic deformities due to things like pollution, animals such as birds, bees, and frogs. This knowledge that Allan learned is now what her art mainly consists of. Sculptures and paintings of frogs with two heads and more than four legs flood Allan’s collection. “My work is a visual expression of the fragility of living things inspired by the world’s biological forms: the wide range of color, vulnerability, variety, extensive detail, and humanity expressed within all life,” says Allan.

The college hour event was a great success with a substantial turn out. Her work is definitely unique but that’s what makes it so great. She has traveled all over the United States displaying her work in many galleries across Minnesota. “I could have never been where I am today without the support I’ve received from my family and Friends,” said Allan. If you would like to see the Great River Gallery Art Show it will be running at the Coon Rapids campus of ARCC until April 5th. Her work can also be viewed at www.abbiaallan.com

Another Body Found at Mall of America

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- A man's body was found just after 8 p.m. last night after being believed to have fallen from the seventh story of the west parking ramp. Last week, another man died jumping off the east parking ramp trying to flee police. It is not known if this was a suicide attempt, and the two cases seem to have no ties to one another.

Interview Story Josh Gloe

Josh Gloe may only be a student in high school, but his drive to succeed, and his ambition would make you think otherwise. Gloe is a PSEO student attending classes at the Coon Rapids campus of Anoka-Ramsey Community College. At the current moment Gloe says he would like to attend Bemidji State University and double-major in marketing and mass communications. “I have always been interested in the mass media and recently have been interested in marketing as well,” says Gloe. When he isn’t attending classes or getting his school work done, Gloe enjoys hanging with friends, and listening to music.

Gloe sounds like the average 17-year-old high school student working hard to get off to college, where is the ambition you ask? Gloe devotes a lot of his time to graphic design and working on his website he created called “Project:Informed,” a forum website where members can have debates and discussions about any topic they chose. Members can post messages and even make their own profiles. When asked how he got into graphic design Gloe said, “My dad is a graphic designer, so he was obviously a big inspiration for me to give graphic design a try.” Gloe created the website a few months ago and has already begun to see much success. He currently has 30 members on his site and gets hundreds of guests each day. Project:Informed was even featured on the website “Proboards,” another forum website that has millions of users. “This increased our traffic dramatically,” said Gloe. With the relatively quick success of his website, Gloe hopes of one day turning Project:Informed into an online business and begin pursuing his dream as an entrepreneur.

To add to the list of activities Gloe partakes in, he’s also a featured writer on “Twinsmix.com,” a forum website for the Minnesota Twins. Gloe considers himself a big Twins fan, and saw the ad for the writing spot on Craigslist. He submitted a sample article to the website and soon after, they offered him the feature writer spot. He can now write articles on the site whenever he feels. “It is a good way to build up my resume,” says Gloe.

Missing Boy Found Ok

A boy that had been missing for over 20 hours was found unharmed and in good condition today in Richfield. The 10-year-old boy was last seen around 6:30 p.m. Monday evening near Chicago Ave. in South Minneapolis and was never reported missing under suspicious circumstances. The boy did have underlying health issues and had no winter coat, so it was definitely a cause for concern.

Man's Life Worth $130

The North Point Inn was the scene of a robbery and a brutal murder yesterday morning just minutes before 9 A.M. Kevin Blohm, a cook at the restaurant, suffered two stab wounds, one to his hand, and a large wound to his chest ending his life.

Nina Cortez, the restaurants bookkeeper, began getting the restaurant ready for the day’s lunch rush along with Blohm. She began counting the previous day’s revenue in her office when she saw a man walk around the corner carrying a knife. When asked what happened next Cortez said, “I started screaming and kicking. My chair was on rollers, and when I started kicking, it fell. I fell on the floor, and he reached across my desk and grabbed $130 in $5 bills.” According to Cortez the man had an accomplice. “I heard a man say, “Get that money out of there.” Then someone tried to open the door to my office, but I’d locked it. Three or Four minutes later, the police were there.”

After the events took place in Cortez’s office and the man took off, Cortez and the police walked into the hallway where they found Blohm. “It was awful,” Cortez said. “There was blood on the walls and floor. Kevin was lying on the floor, dead.” When asked if she had any idea why the man had stabbed Mr. Blohm , Cortez responded, “Kevin might have gotten in his way or tried to stop him or recognized him or something. I don’t know. I didn’t see it, I don’t know anything else.”

Cortez described the man to be around 6 feet tall, in his early 20s, medium built. He was wearing blue jeans, a blue plaid button-up shirt, and blue tennis shoes. Police are currently investigating and looking for the two suspects.

Shots Ring Out At A School Near Columbine

A school just a few miles from Columbine High School rang out in a number of gunshots today as two students were shot but are expected to survive, authorities said. A student said he was about 10 feet away when the gunman asked the two students if they attended this school, when they replied "yes", he shot them. Authorities have not released the names of the students and believe the gunman has no connection to the school.

http://www.startribune.com/nation/85102677.html?page=1&c=y

Obituary

Kyle Lovin, a very well-known sports journalist in the city of Chicago, died of natural causes yesterday. He was 72. "He died doing what he loved to do," said his wife Ariana Jaime. "He never missed a story, or a game." The night prior to Kyle's death, the team he produced sports columns for, the Chicago Cubs, ended there 173 year drought by finally winning the World Series. "I'm so thankful that he got to see the team he was so passionate about for his whole life win baseball's greatest game," said his sister Kendra Lovin.

Kyle grew up in the small town of North Branch, Minn. with his parents Bob and Kelly Lovin. He was very outgoing as a child, and loved to make everyone laugh. Throughout his school years, his passion for sports drove him to make a career out of it. He graduated high school in North Branch and moved to Blaine, Minn. where he began taking journalism classes at Anoka Ramsey Community College.

He met his wife Ariana soon after and they lived together with his father. Kyle then attended the University of Minnesota where he majored in Journalism and soon after his graduation was offered a job by the Chicago Tribune as a sports writer. Kyle is survived by his wife Ariana, his two children Conzeula and Hector, and his Sister Kendra. The funeral will be held from 1 PM - 6 PM at Weber-Hurd Funeral Home in Chilicothie, Ill.

College Student's Body Found In Mississippi

LA CROSSE, WIS.-- A body pulled from the Mississippi River is that of a 21-year-old Western Technical college student who had been missing for days, La Crosse authorities reported. The student was said to had been at a wedding the night prior to his disappearance.

http://www.startribune.com/local/84477872.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUsT

Budget Issues Quickly Become Immigration Debate

“You’re putting the lives of the people of this county in jeopardy,” said Anoka County Sheriff Gus Dicesari as his request to increase the sheriff’s department’s budget was denied Tuesday by county commissioners. Dicesari accused the commissioners of “shortchanging” the sheriff’s department to save money. Dicesari requested a budget increase that would allow him to provide his department with eight new police cruisers and five additional deputies costing approximately $580,000. Sheriff Dicesari went on to say, “It is getting too costly to maintain the older vehicles and they spend too much time in the repair shop. You commissioners eliminated the equipment budgets for my department this year and now I can’t buy anything. This is the first time in my 27 years as sheriff that the county hasn’t’ allocated money to the sheriff’s department to buy equipment.”

Commission President Anne Chen however disagreed saying that “the county does not have the money to buy new police cruisers and five new sheriff’s deputies.” Chen went on to say that the county already spent $30 million of the $127 million budget to build a new prison to help with the overcrowding and the increased cost of fuel and healthcare had already tapped in to the budget.

The debate heated up intensely when Dicesari supporters Anita Shenuski and Raymond Laybourne began to blame the budget issues on immigration and stated Anoka County should spend more money on the sheriff’s department and law enforcement than programs for migrant workers who come to Anoka County to work. “We never had these problems until we started letting migrants come to this county to work,” Shenuski said. “They take away jobs from decent people and work for next to nothing, we need to protect our people from them.”

Chen quickly denied that immigration was the real issue. “Those people who come here to work are decent, hardworking people being employed at jobs that local residents don’t want to do. They add a great deal to the local economy and they pay taxes. You are being a hypocrite when you try to blame those people for everything.”

As the arguing and intense debating quieted Chen told Sheriff Dicesari that he would have to make do this year with what they had. County commissioners voted 5-2 against the sheriff’s much demanded request.

Bank Robber Grateful To Be Caught

A 29 year old Missouri man “thanks” police for catching him after stealing more than $7000 in mid November of last year. He entered a guilty plea today on two counts of bank robbery. He faces up to 40 years in prison when sentenced.

http://www.startribune.com/local/83972452.html?elr=KArks:DCiUnP::DE8c7PiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

First Day at ARCC

My first day at Anoka Ramsey makes for a rather boring journal entry. I honestly don't really remember too much about it. My first class of the day was English at 8:00 a.m. which was quite early for a morning class. I remember our instructor was surprised that so many people were taking such an early class. I also took a sociology class which I loved, and a math class that I did not enjoy so much. Math is definitely not my forte. Unfortunately embarrassing events or cliché things that happen on your first day of school were nonexistent. Makes for quite a boring journal entry wouldn’t you say?

Snowy Conditions Cause Tragedy

The driver of an SUV was hit and killed late Monday morning by a semitrailer, authorities reported. The snowy conditions made it difficult to see and caused a semi to hit the SUV. Margaret C. Salzwedel, 47, of Lakefield was thrown from her vehicle and died at the scene.

http://www.startribune.com/local/83344267.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

Story #1

Fire chief Tony Sullivan of Blaine described Interstate 790 as a "war zone" this morning as two people were killed and 20 others injured after two tractor trailers collided causing a devastating pile-up. The 2 trailers traveling north bound collided around 6:45 a.m. shutting down the north and south bound lanes entirely. One of the four trailers involved was carrying diesel fuel and "luckily," said Sgt. Albert Wei managed to stay upright. Fire fighters had to cut off the roofs of several cars in order to save those trapped inside. Sullivan stated that of the 20 people injured, four sustained life-threatening injuries, and two were airlifted to Memorial Hospital in Statesville via "Life Flight." Sullivan said that in the 18 years he's been fire chief, he'd never seen anything this tragic. As of 10 a.m. Interstate 790 was still shut down in both directions and traffic was being detoured through Interstate 690. Wei said he has no time-table for when the Interstate will re-open.

"Going Green" Becoming a Problem for Couples

Therapists say they are seeing a significant increase in disagreements over the extent to which their partners or family members should go to help the planet. While no physical study has been done, therapists say these arguments can be very toxic to a relationship being that it is such a moral issue.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/science/earth/18family.html?em

"Do's" and "Do Not's" of News Leads

Grasping the correct structure of leads has been a more difficult process than I initially thought. In the first assignment, I found the trouble for me was writing in complete sentences. When I read my leads out loud they sounded really interesting and well written, but when I received the graded version I then realized they were written very poorly and incomplete. I have no doubt that with time I'll be able to get a good hold on writing effective leads.

As I mentioned the big downfall for me in the first lead assignment was writing in complete sentences. It is very easy to get lazy and try to sound convincing and interesting by saying things like, "Police estimate over $8,000 in total losses," which is not a complete sentence. That is definitely a do not.
From what I've learned so far the biggest "do" would be getting the articles most interesting aspects into the lead in a manner that is most effective and interesting. Make sure you are informing the reader of what's to come without packing the lead full of unnecessary information.

While we all progress in this class I feel most of us should have no problem in writing great leads. I again look forward to hearing from all of you and reading what you all have to say.

~Kyle Lovin