Tag: Missourian

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.

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!

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.

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.

When I was working on my orientation assignment I went to the State Historical Society of Missouri and they had an exhibit about Thomas Hart Benton. I talked to the security guard, Kevin Walsh, and he told me a lot of interesting information. He told me that his paintings were political cartoons in 1941-42 about if Nazi’s invaded the U.S. entitled “The Year of Peril.” He said they were ironic in a gruesome way. He said it was the largest propaganda campaign ever and the exhibit has the whole original set because he personally gave them to the museum because he was a native of Missouri. When I looked at the paintings I thought they were shocking but interesting. I, of course, thought they were well done but were thought provoking. I think that was their purpose and they serve it well. Walsh said that when kids come to the exhibit on field trips it is “nice for kids to have a real learning experience.” He said that they recognize war and appreciate the art. When I was that age I don’t think I would notice the violence but appreciate the paintings.

In my research, I discovered in the Missourian archives an article that said a bill was passed regarding bed bugs in February of this year by Sen. Kevin Engler of Missouri. The article said the legislation is, “requiring tenants in multi-family homes to report any bedbugs they see to their landlord within 48 hours. The landlord would then have up to three weeks to inspect the rental unit and get rid of the tiny insects. Landlords would not be responsible for any bedbug damage to a tenant’s property unless they knew about the pests and chose to do nothing.”

It also said that this legislation came to pass because bed bugs were  and are becoming a pest in Missouri. I think this is important because people should recognize that bed bugs are neither a myth nor a problem just for other countries anymore. They are coming to not only the U.S. but Columbia, Mo. It is important to know what to do if you are stuck in a “pesty” situation and won’t have to worry because you and your exterminator will have it covered.