Tall ship HMS Bounty sunk by Sandy

This article is about how the tall ship that visited Portsmouth in August and which appeared in the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie sunk in Hurricane Sandy.  Fourteen crew members were saved by rescue teams however, one man died and another is still missing.  I chose to read this article because I've seen the ship in Portsmouth and in the Pirates movie.  It was a really beautiful ship and it's a shame it sunk and one crew member died and the other is still missing.  Although I wasn't effected by the Hurricane too much (I just had to stay inside and watch movies all day... not too bad!) this article shows the scope of Sandy and how it had devastating effects on other parts of the country.

Eliot man speaks against Church's push to oppose gay marriage

I chose this article because it is about a topic that I am interested in and feel strongly about.  This elderly Eliot man is speaking out against his Church's push to get their attendees to vote 'no' to gay marriage in next week's election.  I give this guy major props!  His church basically told him that if he votes in favor of gay marriage he will be being "unfaithful to the Catholic doctrine".  To this the man said that he didn't think the church had any right to "be the law that governs civil marriage".  I not only agree with this man's assessment but also have a lot of respect for him.  By speaking out he is going against what his church wants which, for some people, can be difficult.  However, he feels that the public should be informed about both sides of this argument before voting and he wants to get his opinion out there.  He is also worried that, with the Church telling people if they favor gay marriage they are going against the Catholic doctrine, that a surge of un-informed voters will line up to the polls.  This article appealed to me because it is controversial and is timely considering the election is next week.

Flood of storm watchers at local beaches 'just ridiculous'

This article is about how people from the seacoast migrated to the local beaches during Hurricane Sandy to see the wrath of Mother Nature.  I chose this article at first because I was one of those crazy storm-watcher people.  My mom and I header to the water to see the waves, feel the wind and see how high the tide was.  It was really amazing to see the effect one storm can have on the ocean.  I had a blast however I can see how this could be a problem for local police officers.  According to the article, when Governor Lynch declared a state of emergency people were still flocking to the coast.  Police officers had difficulty containing the 100+ people on Hampton Beach, especially when they had other things to worry about.  I noticed on the Portsmouth Herald website that the majority of the article pertain to Hurricane Sandy... clearly that's what the readers want!

Lebanon and Syria: Peering into the abyss

In the aftermath of the final presidential debate, I chose to read about some foreign policy issues discussed.  This article is about how the civil war in Syria is slowly stretching into neighboring Lebanon.  I absolutely loved the lead on this piece.  It dragged the reader into the story by describing a car bomb that killed a senior police officer.  The author used powerful words like gutted and murdered to create an exciting, violent scene.  However, the author also introduced some historical background and some current info. into their lead.  Because this piece is from a magazine I noticed that there are less quotes.  Is this typical for a news magazine?

Young, drifting but back

This article was about the influence young voters have on the presidential election and why young voters may prefer one candidate over the other.  This article interested me because, with the election coming up in the next two weeks, I, as a young voter, really have to start cracking down and making a decision about which candidate to vote for.  As a student on a college campus I see how many of my fellow students support President Obama as many did four years ago too.  However, this article said that some young voters are skeptical of Obama and the promises he made in 2008.  Honestly this article didn't sway me one way or the other but it was interesting to see how the younger population may vote.

New garage opponents say existing parking structure unsafe

I chose to read this article because it's something that would directly effect me and something I feel very strongly about.  the city is considering building yet another parking garage in Portsmouth.  Some say that this new garage will have environmental impacts as well as effect local businesses in a negative way.  Other say that the garage is necessary because the current garages are unsafe and draw criminal activity.  I want to know why this garage will be so much safer than the other garages.  It's a parking garage, why will this one be so much more safe than the others?  As a Portsmouth citizen I am against the building of this garage.  I hate how Portsmouth continues to build up and add unnecessary structures.  One of the charms of Portsmouth is the quaint European feel and the views of the surrounding city and Piscataqua River.  These are the reasons tourists are drawn to Portsmouth every time of year, they don't come for parking garages and hotels.  I think Portsmouth would be damaging their image and tourism if they build yet another garage.  Also, as a young woman living in Portsmouth I can honestly say I have never felt unsafe anywhere in the city, including parking garages.  Portsmouth is a city and therefore does have some crime but, overall, it is a very safe city.  I think, if you're smart and understand the potential risks of walking around alone at night, there is no reason to feel as though you are in danger.

Michelle Obama to speak at UNH on Tuesday

It's actually very coincidental I found this story on Seacoast online because I was just on Facebook and someone posted that the first lady would be visiting UNH on Tuesday.  I think it is so cool to attend a school in a swing state, like NH, because we get so much political attention.  Especially being in college, politicians seem to really focus in on the younger generation, encouraging them to vote.  It's very exciting being on a college campus as a first time voter and as a journalist.  It seems that, during an election year, there is always a story to write about.  Whether it's that debate or this speaker or so and so's smear campaign, there's always some political buzz floating around.  One thing I was wonder though was how can a journalist or a publication make sure their paper isn't biased when one group seems to be focused on the area.  I've noticed that democrats seem to be visiting the UNH area more than any other political group.  As a journalist it's easy to go to these democratic speeches but isn't that only reporting on one side of the presidential race?  How can a newspaper not be biased when only democratic or republican speakers are coming to the area?  Or is that an issue at all?

Delegates switched to appease Ron Paul backers

This is actually a blog post I read by Joe Battenfeld on the Boston Herald website.  I thought it would be cool to read something by a person I met... and it was!  Reading Joe Battenfeld's piece was really interesting because I was kind of analyzing his piece using the advice he gave us on reporting politics.  He followed all of his advice, which was good.  His post was not opinionated at all and just gave the facts to the audience, which was something he was telling our class to do.  He kept reiterating the idea that we shouldn't make our leads (or any part of our story really) too biased or else some readers may not finish reading your story.  One major difference I noticed between this and a regular news story was that the blog post was very short, only a couple paragraphs, but those paragraphs were jam packed full of information.

Grateful for Greeters

This article I read came from the Portsmouth Herald.  I actually saw it on the cover when I was walking around the grocery store today and I figured I'd find out the story behind the picture.  As it turns out, the article was about the Pease Greeters who go to Pease Airforce Base and give soldiers leaving and returning their well wishes.  I found this article interesting because I overheard someone talking the other day about how they'd like to start/join a Pease Greeter club at UNH.  Judging from the happy quotes and smiling faces in the pictures, the soldiers certainly enjoy the extra support from the greeters and a club like that would be a great thing to start up.  Although I originally read this article for the cover photo I really liked the lead of this article too.  It started with more of a description of a soldier being greeted by the Pease Greeters then turned into what the Pease Greeters do and how they work.  I thought the lead was very effective because it drew you in with great descriptions then proceeded to tell you what the article was actually about.

Portsmouth police investigate car with link to missing Colorado girl investigation

As per usual, I like to blog about a story from my hometown.  This article was a bit bigger than I was expecting and, indeed, bigger than usual for Portsmouth.  This story is about how a car was found that has a loose link to a murder investigation in Colorado involving the disappearance of a 10 year old girl on Oct. 5. The car was linked to the case and was also seen in Dexter, ME a few days ago.  I chose this article because, let's be honest, nothing this exciting ever happens in Portsmouth so this is pretty interesting.  This was also written differently than the other articles I read because it was much more to the point and brief.  I thought this was effective because, after reading the title, I just wanted the facts and to know what was going on.  I didn't want that descriptive, creative-writing nonsense, which is not like me at all!

Obituary: Nguyen Chi Thien

I love reading good obituaries.  They're like little stories but they're about REAL people who did REALLY awesome things in their life.  Some are inspiring and make me realize how much someone can do in their life and how much someone is capable of with a dash of determination and a tablespoon of passion.  Nguyen Chi Thien was a Vitenamese poet who was in and out of jails for years because, in 1979, he broke into the British embassy in Vietnam and literally threw his poems at the ambassador.  He wrote poetry all while in jail and actually won some awards, which he heard about through the walls of his various prisons.  I loved this obituary because it was full of descriptions and vivid portraits of the landscape and Thien's actions.  This was a very funny and heartfelt piece and showed me the potential obits have to make really good stories.

The Excluded Middle: Moderates under pressure

     This article is about how moderates in the U.S are currently being criticized from both parties because of their so-so commitment to choosing a party.  I found this article interesting on several levels.
     One: the article was kind of like a profile of one prominent moderate in congress, John Barrow.  The article started with talking about Barrow and the decision's he's made and legislature he's voted for and voted against.  Then, the article took a turn and related Barrow to the over-arching issue here which is moderates in general and how they are being criticized.  I liked this approach because it showed the reader a personal account of how people make decisions and the effects their decisions have on them then relating that person to a group of people to show how there's a problem.
     Two: I also thought this article was interesting because, as I was reading I was thinking, "Hey, this Barrow guy sounds pretty cool.  He can work with democrats and republicans and doesn't really ally himself with one side or another".  I thought that this was a nice outlook on politics because, especially in an election season, I think people get too caught up on which side they're on or being loyal to their party that they overlook important issues that others have to say.  Barrow (although he says he is a democrat) agrees with some of what democrats say and some of what republicans say, I feel this makes for a more well-rounded politician because he's looking at the whole picture instead of just one side.  And yet, Barrow (and people like him) are being criticized for not choosing a side and for being more open-minded, hmmmm, it just doesn't seem right to me.

School Board Story

It’s finally Saturday.  The curtains are drawn to keep out the nagging sunlight.  The pillows are still warm and the room echoes with the snores of sleeping teenagers.  Suddenly, an incessant buzzing.

For these students, Saturday morning spent in dreaming bliss will be ruined by a new policy which will require them to pack their backpacks and go back to school. 

The rule, proposed by School Board member Tim Steele at Monday’s School Board meeting will require students who have disciplinary issues at school during the week to attend an extra Saturday morning session. 

Steele’s goal is to minimize in school suspensions during the week by threatening students with their worst fear: Saturday school.  “I hope the threat of Saturday classes will make students think twice before breaking the school rules” said Steele. 

In school suspensions are given out automatically to students caught smoking in or outside of Portsmouth High School.  Students who miss class time due to these suspensions are not allowed to make up the missed work.  Steele’s new program would ensure students miss no class time. 

 As reassuring as this thought is, parents are not so gung-ho for this new policy.  Peggy Bacon, a parent, does not approve of this idea.  “I work six days a week- including Saturday morning- and it’s bad enough to get my son off to school Monday through Friday.  Why should I have to worry about Saturday as well?”

In addition to added challenges for parents the policy will cause taxpayers to pay more.  The proposed policy would require a budget of $3,000 per year for staffing.  “The parents are going to pay for it”, said Bacon, “in higher taxes as well as in ruined Saturdays”.     

Other residents have different opinions.  Bob Farley of 64 Elm St. said that this new policy will require parents to take more responsibility for their children.  “Maybe it’s time the parents of America were made to take a little responsibility for their kids… That’s the whole problem- parents aren’t teaching their kids any discipline, so the kids have no respect for rules” said Farley.

INCOMPLETE!!!

Incorrect french signs at beach prove to be faux pas

I thought this story was hilarious.  Signs at Hampton Beach were confusing French-Canadian tourists because the sign was supposed to say "If you're in trouble, wave for assistance" but, in French read "If you need help, ocean wave".  I thought this was really funny just because the sign is so far from being correct.  At the same time however, I can see how it would be considered a hazard because tourists who speak french cannot read the warning signs.  I assume that this could be a liability issue and the beach is saying this is an embarrassment and does not make NH look too good.  Regardless, I still think it's a pretty funny mistake!

Colorado police announce break in missing girl case

I found this story on Google News and chose to write about it because I haven't really read any crime stories yet.  Although I don't really know the background story to this piece I found the general structure of the piece interesting.  This crime story was very different because it was mostly just facts with barely any descriptions.  The story was short and to the point and very informative.  It was different from the other story I read but it was also good because it was short, to the point and informed the reader about what was going on in few words.

America's election: Everything to Play for

I chose to read this article as a follow up to the presidential debate on Wednesday.  I watched the debate but, honestly, a lot of the economical/financial/tax-y stuff went way over my head.  I wish I understood it more because I think they're very important topics and I feel like, as a voter and journalism student, they're topics I should be informed about.  But anyway, the reason I chose to read this article was to (hopefully) clear some things up.  Although this article did clarify some things, it did a better job at clarifying what the debate meant for the candidates and how far they both have to go before election day.  Something I noticed from this article was that there were not that many quotes.  I didn't think this was a major drawback because the article did a really good job at describing what the candidates said but it was something interesting I noticed.

Train Story Leads

An elderly man narrowly escaped being rammed by the Amtrak Downeaster early this morning when a heroic police officer rammed his car off the tracks.

OR

A heroic police captain rescued an unconscious elderly man from almost certain death when she rammed his car off the train tracks early this morning.