Story 1

Two people were killed, and 20 others were injured after a devastating automobile accident along Interstate 790 in Cottage Grove this morning, police reported. Fire Chief Tony Sullivan stated that among the persons injured, four had life threatening injuries, including two who needed to be airlifted by Cottage Grove’s Life Flight helicopter to a trauma center in Statesville. Sullivan stated that when he arrived on the scene it resembled a war zone, with bodies laying all over the road, people covered in blood sitting next to their cars, emergency workers running from place to place trying to help the injured, and sirens wailing in the distance as more fire trucks and ambulances were hurrying to the scene. Sullivan went on to say that it was the worst thing he ever saw in his 18 years of experience with the fire department. Police believe the accident began when two tractor-trailers collided in the northbound lanes of the highway at 6:45 a.m., causing a chain reaction of other automobiles colliding. A total of four tractor- trailers and 14 cars were involved in the crash, according to Sgt. Albert Wei of the Cottage Grove police department. Firefighters had to cut the roofs off three of the cars to free the drivers and passengers that were inside. No major damage was done to the tractor-trailers involved, including one tanker hauling diesel fuel which managed to remain upright to prevent dumping the fuel and possibly catching fire, which would have further disrupted an already chaotic scene. Interstate 790 was shut down entirely after the crash and remained that way at 10 a.m. Wei said he had no idea how long it would stay that way. The usual Interstate 790 traffic was diverted to Interstate 690, on the eastern side of the city, backing up traffic for three hours.

News Summary #2

A 50-year-old man was found dying at La Quinta Hotel in St. Paul Thursday. The police had been responding to a disturbance call at the hotel where a party had been in progress in one of the rooms. The man, who's name has not been released to the public, suffered from a head injury when police found him and died Friday. Suspects have been arrested but no formal charges have been pressed as of yet.

http://www.twincities.com/stpaul/ci_14250985

The do's and don'ts (writing leads)

I am not very proficent in writing leads but I have learned to use the most vital (and attention grabbing) information available. By using the most pertinent, or unusual attention within a lead, you will bring the reader into the story. It is these first couple of sentences of a news story where a reader will decide to continue with the story or to move on. I know from personal experience that when I read a news story, if I am not interested in the story with the first 2 or 3 lines, I am through and moving on.

As far as don'ts in writing leads, I have learned that I should not use an overabundance of info. If I overwell the lead with statistics or just dry information the rest of the story is lost and there is not much room for development.

News Summary

Headline: White Bear Lake Hockey Coach Arrested in St. Paul prostitution sting



Police arrested the White Bear Lake Area High School’s girl’s hockey head coach last Tuesday after he responded to an advertisement posted on the internet soliciting sex for money as part of an undercover sting operation.
David Sperling, 45, has been placed on administrative leave by White Bear Public Schools after being informed of the charges against him.


http://www.twincities.com/ci_14217609?nclick_check=1

This is my blog.

I am Michael. I enjoy writing immensely. I have considered myself a writer for quite sometime. I am currently full-time at ARCC and have trasferred to the Coon Rapids campus this semester. During the fall '09 semester I was a staff writer for the InkSpot Newspaper on the Cambridge Campus. Mostly, I focused on opinion columns but also wrote news stories and features. I am full of opinion so I assume you will get alot of that from me on this blog. Good luck to everyone and happy readings!