Writing for the Mass Media 7.4

7.4
The town of Prosper's monthly budget and employment rate could be seriously affected with the shutdown of the town's main tax revenue source, United Coal Co.'s Mine No. 3, scheduled for the week of March 17.

Mine No. 3 was a deep shaft coal mine that employed over 1,000 people from Prosper and surrounding cities. As well as being a major source of employment, the mine's tax revenue helped raise Prosper's monthly budget from $40,000 to $300,000 since 1980.

"With the mine closed, our revenue is just about gone." Mayor Lester Jenkins said.

The town council will meet March 1 to discuss a new budget. According to city clerk Wilma Foster, the town budget could be cut back to $60,000 a month at the start of the fiscal year. The tighter budget will still cover "essential services" such as police, city utilities and the new ballpark Foster said.

The closure was announced Feb. 27 by the United Coal Co. The company says that the  mine was shut down due to a significant drop in the demand for coal. This drop stems from a shutdown of manufacturing across America.

"We hope to see an increase in demand, but until we do, the mine will remain sealed," Wilson Standridge the president of the United Coal Co. said.

Mine No. 3 has been open since 1901 and has the deepest shaft in the state. The mine was commonly known as "Hellpit" to the locals. According to councilman Ed Barnes, the revenue from the mine has helped Prosper build city hall and the town park without debt.






 Summary: United Coal Co.'s Mine No. 3 will be shutdown indefinitely beginning the week of Mar. 17. The mine was a chief source of revenue and employment for the town of Prosper and surrounding cities.


Comments: Excellent Job! Perfect, felt like I was reading a story right off CNN's website!

Writing for the Mass Media 5.9, 5.10

5.9
1. Who: Duane LaChance pipe fitter, Gross Engineers,
    What: Third degree burns suffered, touched wrench to power line carrying 15,000 volts
    Where: Petal Municipal Power plant. 222 Power Dr.
    When: 3 p.m. Feb 20.
  Gross Engineer employee touches 15,000 volt wrench to power line at Petal Municipal Power Plant Feb. 10, employee now in intensive care at Methodist Hospital suffering from third degree burns.

2. Who: Peter McCartney
    What: In Hospital for surgery to throat
    Where: Riverside Hospital
    When: Surgery scheduled for tomorrow
    Why: Voice was at a whisper after a capacity crowd performance.
Rock singer scheduled for exploratory throat surgery Feb. 20 when voice is reduced to whisper following capacity concert at Bennett Auditorium.

3. Who: Hattiesburg board of education,
    What: meeting, low attendance, dress code, milk.
    Where: Hattiesburg
    When: Feb 20
    Why: Discuss attendance, make new rules.
Hattiesburg Board of Education imposes stricter dress code, laments enrollment decrease and accepts milk provider bid.

5.10
1. Who:John Dumont, George Johnson, TWA jet passengers
    What: Plane crash, five killed,
    Where: Takeoff at Kennedy International Airport
    When:Thursday night (Feb, 20)
Trans World Airlines jet crashes on takeoff at Kennedy International Airport, five of the 45 people aboard were killed.

2. Who: Norman Meeman pulitzer prize winner, English students, audience
    What: Spoke about writing
    Where: Room 111 of William Oxley Thomson Memorial Library,
    When:4:30 p.m. Sunday
   "You can't be a great writer by imitating the styles of prize-winning authors," says Pulitzer Prize winning author during talk to 67 at William Oxley Thomson Memorial Library.
 
3. Who: Clement Crabtree, 32 winners, Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.
    What: George Washington Honor Medal award,
    When: last week, Feb 10-14
    Where: Pennsylvania
    Horticulture professor advocating sending patriotic seed packets around the world among 32 George Washington Honor Medal winners honored in Pennsylvania the week of Feb. 10-17.

Writing for the Mass Media 5.8

1.  Who: Air Force major Rufus N. Hebernowksi
     What: Aircraft Crash, Man killed
     When: Feb. 19, 12 p.m.
     Where:  Super Shopping Mall
 Air Force major killed when jet plane he was piloting crashed at Super Shopping Mall Feb. 19 12 p.m., 15 cars were destroyed, no one else injured.

2.  Who: City Council
     What: 10 percent city property tax increase
     When: Feb. 19, effect next month
     Where: city council meeting
     Why: to pay to double city park size
     How: taxes raised about $50 yearly
February 19 City Council meeting results in 10 percent property taxes raise that will be used to expand city park, the tax will go into effect next month.

3.  Who: University president for finance, all faculty
     What: 15 percent pay raise for all faculty.
     When: Announced at press conference, effective in the fall.
     Where: Announced on front steps of administration building.
     Why: No pay raise for the faculty in two years.
     How: Increased revenue from state.
University finance president announces 15 percent pay raise in the fall semester for all university faculty, raise enabled by increased state funding.

4.  Who: 200 Journalism Students
     What: Students discussed University's 10 percent tuition raise, decide to boycott journalism classes, held business meeting.
     When: 12 p.m. Feb. 19
     Where: Journalism student association meeting
     Why: To discuss issues, report finances, organize boycott protesting tuition raise.
Journalism Student Association meeting results in journalism class boycott protesting university tuition raise, 200 students attended.

CNA #5

Olympic Snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis Adopts One of Sochi’s Stray Dogs

Although she did not win a medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Lindsey Jacobellis still made the news by adopting a stray dog she found in Sochi. The many stray dogs in Sochi have been a health and animal rights concern. Jacobellis appears to have met the Sochi dog two weeks before her snowboarding competition. Source.

Son of God Will Not Feature The Obama Lookalike Satan When it Hits Theaters

In an effort to focus on the title role, Producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s upcoming film—Son of God—will not hold footage of the character Satan. Some think this is also to avoid the controversy of apparent similarities between the actor who plays Satan and President Barack Obama. The film is to be released by 20^th Century Fox on Feb. 20. Source.

Violinist Vanessa-Mae completes giant slalom run

Vanessa-Mae got to fulfill a dream, improve her skiing and contribute to her favorite charities all by competing in the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Although a professional violinist, Mae was able to compete for Thailand in the giant slalom run. Mae considered it an honor to compete with the Olympic skiers even though she finished a distant last in the competition. Source.

Interview with an edge coordinator with Pioneers

Q: Who founded your organization?
A: Business man Ted Fletcher founded Pioneers in 1979. It was originally called the World Outreach Fellowship.
Q: Why was your organization founded?
A: Fletcher felt God was calling him to reach the people groups in the world that had no access to the gospel. He applied to over 27 mission boards but was rejected by all of them for various reasons including denomination, vision and resource complications. So, Fletcher stepped out in faith and founded Pioneers with his wife Peggy.
Q: Why did you get involved with Pioneers?
A: Jane* got involved with Pioneers she went on an internship in Indonesia with Pioneers while she was in college. She felt God was calling her into full time ministry with Pioneers.
Q: What are Pioneers goals and values?
Pioneers has eight core values that it bases its ministry on. First is their passion for God. Second is reaching the unreached people groups of the world for the gospel. Thirdly Pioneers seeks to found and back Church-planting movements. Fourth is to build an ethos of Grace in the communities that they reach. Fifth is partnering with the indigenous local church. The sixth core value is being team centered. Seventh is the value of being Innovative and Flexible. Finally is the value of participatory servant leadership.
Q: If Pioneers was given $500,000 how would it be used?
A: Pioneers is a non-profit organization relying solely on Grants, donations and members raising their own funds. Any extra funds would be used to help send team to the unreached and to help start churches where the gospel has not been before.
Q: Are the people being reached receptive to the Gospel?
A: It depends on the area. Everywhere people are being touched by the power of the gospel. However, regions where it is illegal to be a christian there is obvious resistance and persecution for team members. In Afghanistan, a martyred Christian was quoted to have said that it was as if they were "chucking rocks out of the soil one by one so that a seed could be planted."
Q: What is your favorite aspect of working with Pioneers?
A: Jane's favorite aspect of working with Pioneers was seeing the unreached receive the hope and power of the gospel. She also loved to witness the power of prayer that carried Pioneers along since its founding.
Q: How do you see God working here?
A: There are less and less unreached people groups and regions because of the work of Pioneers. The ministry is growing and hopes to expand its international leadership as well as use more indigenous workers to plant churches.
Q: How can Christians pray for Pioneers?
A: For the continued and smooth internationalization of church planting. For the teams to grow in their bonds with each other and God. For unity and the same passion for reaching the lost. Finally, prayer is needed for more long term laborers in the field.
*names changed for security purposes

CNA # 4

Girl, 10, crashes mom's SUV into Denver DMV office (Impact, Bizarre)

A 10-year-old girl crashed into a Denver, Colo. DMV office in her mother's car. The girl put the car into gear while she and her sister were waiting for their mother to come out of the DMV. No one was injured. Source.

Glitch prompts Shell station in northern Illinois to sell gas for a penny a gallon (Bizarre, Impact)

Gas was selling for only a penny a gallon at a northern Illinois gas station on Feb. 9. The low price was due to an error in the computer system at the station. The emergency shut off switch was used to reset the system and deter customers from the already backed up station. Source.

California homeowner foils home invasion attempt by firing shotgun, police say (Conflict, Currency)

After observing two men on her property, a Californian women fired her shotgun to ward the men away. The men had broken in to a house nearby before attempting to burgle the shotgun owner's house. The women attests that she was simply attempting to demonstrate that she was not "a sitting duck" to the trespassers. Source.

 

Writing for the Mass Media 3.6, 3.7 and 3.8

3.6
1. The first rutabaga eating contest was canceled because of adverse weather.
2. It's not all right to drink an excess of beer before going to the football game.
3. As Einstein said, "all knowledge is relative."
4. The state Capitol of Louisiana is located at 3722 Dagwood road.
5.  The mayor refused to go along with the city council vote. "I dissent," he stated.
6. Madonna certainly has a flair for fashion, she always wears expensive outfits.
7. The bomb destroyed Sen. Kitsmoot's birdcage.
8. My bright green Chevrolet, which is in the garage, needs a new transmission.
9. Knopke's hilarious joke elicited laughter from the Midville city council.
10. Jones laid on the floor waiting for the job interview to begin.
11. Horowitz, an ethics major, vowed never to compromise his principles.
12. At the end of the book report, Haynes cited the World Book as a source.

3.7
1. The 25-year-old man wept as he left Hattiesburg, Miss.
2. Nov. 10 will mark our anniversary.
3. Do not park the car on Rodeo Drive. Instead, park it at 12 Davies St.
4. They spent $130 to buy a new set of nose rings.
5. Smoots moved to the North because the people there were so nice.
6. At 7 p.m., the rodeo will begin in the town square.
7. On Sunday, terrorists blew up their home at 123 Melrose St.
8. Twenty-two seamstresses were needed to mend the prom dresses.
9. About 5 percent of the professors have lost their hair.
10. After 2 feet of snow fell at his home in Columbus, Ohio, Jones decided to leave.
11. Holly Smith bet $50 that her brother weighed more than a 1964 Chevrolet.
12. Guy Reel, the governor of California, set his trailer on fir Sept. 1.
13. A fire began at 3325 McDonald drive when an oven full of rutabagas exploded.
14. During the 1970s, everyone wore bell-bottom blue jeans to church.

3.8
1. In August 1985, Davies rented a rutabaga stand in Augusta, Ga.
2. Pomerantz tied the beehive to Sen. Gramm's cowboy hat.
3. About 1,200 Easter rabbits were killed int the explosion at Big Dave's Bunny Warehouse, which is located at 2522 Hackensack drive.
4. In the 1980s, Davies left the Midwest and moved to Loire Valley in France.
5. Smoots brought two cups of coffee to the governor.
6. About 8 percent of the cantaloupes had been stuffed with rutabagas.
7. Jones bet $40 that his roommate had hidden his sandwich.
8. The three university professors shared a house at 613 25th Ave.
9. After 2 feet of snow fell at his home in Columbus, Ohio, Davies decided to leave the Midwest and move to the South.
10. On Dec. 11, all classes will be canceled.
11. On Friday morning, the mayor skipped her aerobics class.
12. Davies drove 2 million miles in his old Toyota Corolla before it blew up.
13. Dr. Kildare said he had filed a malpractice suit against Marcus Welby.
14. At 8 p.m., Gov. Jim Guy Tucker of Arkansas will give a short speech in front of the Gorgas Library.

CNA #3

Sochi 2014 ski and snowboard cross course revealed 

The Ski and Snowboard cross course that will be used in the 2014 winter Olympics has been shown to the public. This International Ski Federation promises exciting challenges for competitors. The course will shared by both Skiers and snowboarders but there is one section that will be split to cater to the individual needs of the two sports. Source.

Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch makes historic space walk 

The Olympic Torch relay took an the unprecedented course when it lead to outer space. The unlit torch was passed by all the members inside the International Space Station before it was passed from Russians Oleg Kotov to Sergey Ryaza outside. The torch will travel back to earth with cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin Source.

Discover the twelve new winter sports events for Sochi 2014!

There will be twelve Olympic events added to the schedule at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. These new events include Women's ski jumping,Snowboard parallel slalom, snowboard slopestyle, ski slopestyle, ski halfpipe, lunge team relay, figure skating team event and biathlon mixed relay. The introduction of these events increases the number of Olympic sports where men and women compete side by side. Source.