Category: News Reporting

Homecoming!

Columbia Missourian, Journalism, Missourian, Mizzou, Multimedia J2150, News Reporting

I wrote a brief about all the Homecoming events this weekend. This will be Mizzou’s 101st Homecoming and there will be a spirit rally featuring indie band Imagine Dragons, a pancake breakfast, the Homecoming parade, the game of course and more. I’m excited for it even though I have to march at 6:15 am on Saturday and it will be less than 50 degrees all weekend. I’ve had a ton of midterms and preparation for homecoming, I’m excited to be a part of it and excited for it to be over. There will also be house decorations in Greektown, my sorority’s theme is the Mayans because the theme is “Homecoming and the Eras.” It has been a lot of work but this will be a Homecoming to remember!

Writing about someone’s life

Columbia Missourian, Journalism, Missourian, Mizzou, News Reporting

I wrote my first Missourian life story last week and I thought it would be a rather daunting and difficult task, but it was easy for me. Missourian life stories are a little different that a regular obituary. The Missourian has a regular obituary for a person who has died, but the Missourian life story gives readers a better impression of the person’s life and memories of family members and friends.

I wrote it about Kenneth Ray Tompkins. Mr. Tompkins was from the small town of Fruita, Colorado and attended McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas and majored in physics. He then earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder. He married Janice mock his junior year at McPherson and she told me many fond memories about him.

She said when they lived in Phoenix Arizona for Mr. Tompkin’s job she would sit on the California beach and wait for him and their three year old son to come back from snorkeling or scuba diving. She said in their Phoenix home that they had tropical plants in their backyard and had 46 squirrel monkeys in a cage. She said there was ivy, grape vines, palmtrees, a bird of paradise, a pool and more. They then moved back to Mr. Tompkins hometown where he started a construction business. When there was a financial crisis in the town they moved to Columbia because they had family nearby and liked the area.

Their son Mike and his wife now run Tompkins construction. Mike said he is now teaching the skills he learned from his dad to his son in regards to wood work, construction, values and perseverence. Mike and Mr. Tompkins wife said he was a big influence on their lives and have many fond memories.

I learned a lot of interesting things about life stories while writing Mr. Tompkin’s obituary. I already know that death is a part of life, but even without meeting Mr. Tompkins I got some insight of his personality and family memories without ever talking to him. Normally things like this are morbid and a time for remembrance, but I thought it was enjoyable to learn this person’s influence on other people’s lives and the impact he has left for his loved ones and people of the community.

Petting puppies on the job!

Columbia Missourian, Journalism, Missourian, Mizzou, News Reporting

I had a story a few weeks ago when I was on a weekend shift about the Paws in the Park Expo at Stephens Lake Park. It was my first event I covered. I was nervous at first because I didn’t know what to expect, but it ended up being just fine. I talked to some of the owners of dogs who were going to do the Mutt Strutt Fun Run and I talked to the volunteers of the event and of Columbia Second Chance. I learned a lot of things about dogs and cats and I learned some interesting stories from some of the owners. Since I haven’t seen my own dog in two months it was nice to be able to pet some of the dogs up for adoption in the tents. I also saw some cats in another tent; the kittens were so cute! I had a fun time writing this story because I picked something I knew would be interesting and I learned a lot.

High-oleic oil our answer for less trans fat?

News Reporting

I am writing a story about the new soybean lab called the MidAmerica Research Center at Bay Farm which is on Rangeline in Columbia, Mo. I talked to the CEO of the Missouri Soybean Association and he said on of the center’s goals is to find ways to alter the traits and gene alleles of soybeans to make the the feed for animals and preservatives for people healthier.

One of the center’s tactics is changing traits in high-oleic oil. High-oleic oil is high in monounsaturated fats which is healthier for preserving food than what was used in the past, trans fats.

Dale Ledwig, the CEO of the MSA said “the facility will change the fatty acid to make the high-oleic oil not have to hydrogenate. Changing the fatty acid changes the percentage of carbon bonds and makes the oil more stable and healthier.”

The monounsaturated fat in high-oleic oil lowers LDL cholesterol, which is the bad kind of cholesterol people intake. It therefore raises the HDL cholesterol, which is the good kind of cholesterol. Both these things lower the risk for heart disease, heart attacks and stroke.

To find out more about high-oleic oil click here or HERE for more information.

Top 50 bed bug cities: According to Orkin

News Reporting

A media contact from Orkin Pest Control told me about the top 50 bed bug cities in the U.S. from January to December 2011. St. Louis and Kansas city did not make the cut, but Chicago my home city did unfortunately. So here they are:

Abby Aspesos of Orkin said bed bug business is up 33.6 percent from last year, according to their parent Company Rollins Inc. Rollins is home to Orkin, LLC., HomeTeam Pest Defense, Western Pest Services, Orkin Canada, The Industrial Fumigant Company, Waltham Services, Crane Pest Control and TruTec. Knowing this information is important because not only are bed bugs a pest problem for Columbia, Mo, but they are a current problem nationally and internationally. This is what I want to include in my story because it is important to have a worldwide scope on issues like this and to make the public more aware of this fact.

Going on the same track finding a new path

News Reporting

Instead of doing day of deadlines I am learning how to work on long term projects. I believe deadlines can be difficult because of the time frame, but having longer term stories has given me a chance to explore different ideas. The stories I am working on now have all the “inside the box” details, but I’m starting to branch out. Instead of just having statistics I’m trying to find people who are directly involved in these issues and including visuals. I’m thinking about creating graphics because I am a visual learner, and I think that can help others understand as well. Also, with talking to multiple sources, I don’t ask the same questions anymore. I have been asking more in depth questions and thinking of different angles for my stories. I think that is important because    readers can go elsewhere for similar stories with just facts, but my goal is to have different perspectives on the same story.

For example, for my bed bugs story, I am looking into finding someone who has had bed bugs and see if it has been a major problem for them. My other tactic was to do a feature on the canine units they use to sniff out bed bugs. That might make for an interesting side bar because a lot of people might not know that canine units for bed bugs even existed. I talked to Preston Tucker, an inspector for Rottler Pest and Lawn Solutions, and he said they have one of the two K-9 units that inspect for bed bugs in the state of Missouri.

Using different angles for stories can be helpful because not only does it make the story interesting for me, but also for the readers!

Noticing the press at football games

News Reporting

In my third year as a member in Marching Mizzou, I’ve started to notice different things on and around the field. Since I am in colorguard, I do not play an instrument, therefore, I can look around more at the football game versus at sheet music. I’ve always noticed journalists and photographers at the games, but now I am starting to see them differently. Since I can step into their shoes I notice the things they do to get a good shot and am thinking about how they have to be swift with everything they do. Because the games are so fast-paced I can see how difficult that can be. I also think after the game, as a habit, what would the headline be for the story? And what moment of the game do they choose to make the cover photo? It makes me really appreciate sports writers and the pressure they have to deal with. It is interesting after a few years being able to look at the games from a different perspective and playing two different roles at the games.

Learning Columbia’s History

News Reporting

During my orientation assignment I talked to Jenifer Flink who is the executive director and curator of the Boone County Historical Society. She told me a lot about Boone County and Missouri’s history. She told me that the Lenior and Nifong family helped found Boone County and came here by covered wagon. Flink said that the Lenior-Nifong family’s farm site is now the Maplewood House. She said in 1818 the Gordon family—another founding family—lived in Gordon Manor where modern day Stephens Lake Park is located. Flink said that the house burned down and the Gordon family gave the land to Boone County. Flink said in 1820 Boone County was founded and in 1821 Missouri became a state.

Two great athletic facilities nearby

News Reporting

I went to the ARC (Activity and Recreational Center) for my orientation assignment and I saw that they had a really nice pool. It looked like a nice facility, and they are celebrating their 10 year anniversary in October. I think it would be interesting to find out how many people in Columbia pay for the Mizzou rec center versus the ARC and to see what differences the two have from one another. I think doing a story comparing the two might be a good idea. Traveling around Columbia has been interesting because not only have I gotten lost a bunch, but I get to see the more suburban, neighborhood parts of Columbia versus the same few stretches of roads and highways I see.

Bed bugs were bat bugs?

News Reporting

I interviewed Dr. Richard Houseman associate professor of urban entomology in the college of agriculture. We talked of course about none other than bed bugs. I thought it was a beneficial interview because I was able to learn more about the origins of them and how they spread. Houseman said that they started out in caves feeding on bats but once humans starting living in caves they evolved to feed on them. I also learned that another way to get bed bugs besides traveling is through buying used furniture. He said that if the furniture is stored in a warehouse there is potentially other furniture infested. Even if someone buys new furniture it can be infested if they use the same truck that carried an infested couch, etc. I also learned that bed bugs evolved through natural selection, where they adapted to feed on human blood and be able to be immune to certain pesticides. He also said that bat bugs and bed bugs look very similar but they both prefer different blood.