Eastview High School decided to close the gate in the north parking lot that allows people to go down to the west student parking lot. This happened right at the end of second quarter on January 27, 2010 and has caused major traffic problems for everyone that travels down 140th street every morning.
The school can do whatever they want to do with the gate. If the gate will be closed from now on, this seems to be a good time for the city of Apple Valley to help the public out with the traffic. Right now there is no turn lane in front of the City building next to the school. This makes the two lane road seem like a one lane road in the morning when the right lane is made up of nearly all students trying to make it to school. This causes traffic jams on that side of the road.
On the other side, that goes by the north lot the traffic is even worse. The left lane is almost always backed up all the way to the Johnny Cake Ridge Road stop light. When traffic is backed up that far, people from the turn lane on Johnny cake that are trying to turn onto 140th, have to go into the right lane and try to merge into the left lane. In the morning it seems like everyone is in a hurry and they don’t want to leave room for you to merge in so traffic ends up stopping in both lanes. The only way to get to the school lot is to speed down the right lane then cut all the way over to the turn lane which is not safe for anyone that’s going down that road.
The solution I would suggest would be for the city to add a turn lane in front of their city building so the other two lanes of traffic could still flow freely. For the other side, the city should at least make the turn lane going into the north lot longer. This way, cars that need to turn can duck off into the turn lane and get out of the peoples way that are trying to go straight, past the school.
Some might argue that this is not needed because this only happens in the morning, or when school is in session. If you have ever tried to get into the school lot in the morning you would realize how unsafe it is. The problem could be solved with a much easier method anyways, Just open the gate again. Traffic would go back to normal and the city wouldn’t have to make changes.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Eric Ritacco editorial drawing
1. Is there a clear point of view? (position)
yes, its is on the high lunch prices
2. Does the Op-Ed state the problem and solution simply?
states the problem but not a solution to it (picture)
3. Does the piece address the counter arguments?
no
4. Is the Op-Ed interesting?
yes
5. Are the paragraphs organized logically?
N/A its a drawing
6. Does each paragraph develop an idea to support the thesis?
N/A Picture
7. Is the writing clear?
yes
1. Is there a clear point of view? (position)
yes, its is on the high lunch prices
2. Does the Op-Ed state the problem and solution simply?
states the problem but not a solution to it (picture)
3. Does the piece address the counter arguments?
no
4. Is the Op-Ed interesting?
yes
5. Are the paragraphs organized logically?
N/A its a drawing
6. Does each paragraph develop an idea to support the thesis?
N/A Picture
7. Is the writing clear?
yes
Lexa Fees editorial
1. Is there a clear point of view? (position)
yes,
2. Does the Op-Ed state the problem and solution simply?
yes
3. Does the piece address the counter arguments?
yes about there being other options
and being cheaper than fast food
4. Is the Op-Ed interesting?
yes
5. Are the paragraphs organized logically?
yes there is an intro, body, and conclusion
6. Does each paragraph develop an idea to support the thesis?
yes
7. Is the writing clear?
yes, it is very understandable
1. Is there a clear point of view? (position)
yes,
2. Does the Op-Ed state the problem and solution simply?
yes
3. Does the piece address the counter arguments?
yes about there being other options
and being cheaper than fast food
4. Is the Op-Ed interesting?
yes
5. Are the paragraphs organized logically?
yes there is an intro, body, and conclusion
6. Does each paragraph develop an idea to support the thesis?
yes
7. Is the writing clear?
yes, it is very understandable
editorial rough draft
Eastview High School decided to close the gate in the north parking lot that allows people to go down to the west student parking lot. This happened right at the end of second quarter on January 27, 2010 and has caused major traffic problems for everyone that travels down 140th street every morning.
The school can do whatever they want to do with the gate. If the gate will be closed from now on, this seems to be a good time for the city of Apple Valley to help the public out with the traffic. Right now there is no turn lane in front of the City building next to the school. This makes the two lane road seem like a one lane road in the morning when the right lane is made up of nearly all students trying to make it to school. This causes traffic jams on that side of the road.
On the other side, that goes by the north lot the traffic is even worse. The left lane is almost always backed up all the way to the Johnny Cake Ridge Road stop light. When traffic is backed up that far, people from the turn lane on Johnny cake that are trying to turn onto 140th, have to go into the right lane and try to merge into the left lane. In the morning it seems like everyone is in a hurry and they don’t want to leave room for you to merge in so traffic ends up stopping in both lanes. The only way to get to the school lot is to speed down the right lane then cut all the way over to the turn lane which is not safe for anyone that going down that road.
The solution I would suggest would be for the city to add a turn lane in front of their city building so the other two lanes of traffic could still flow freely. For the other side, the city should at least make the turn lane going into the north lot longer. This way, cars that need to turn can duck off into the turn lane and get out of the peoples way that are trying to go straight, past the school.
Some might argue that this is not needed because this only happens in the morning, or when school is in session. If you have ever tried to get into the school lot in the morning you would realize how unsafe it is. The problem could be solved with a much easier method anyways, Just open the gate again. Traffic would go back to normal and the city wouldn’t have to make changes.
The school can do whatever they want to do with the gate. If the gate will be closed from now on, this seems to be a good time for the city of Apple Valley to help the public out with the traffic. Right now there is no turn lane in front of the City building next to the school. This makes the two lane road seem like a one lane road in the morning when the right lane is made up of nearly all students trying to make it to school. This causes traffic jams on that side of the road.
On the other side, that goes by the north lot the traffic is even worse. The left lane is almost always backed up all the way to the Johnny Cake Ridge Road stop light. When traffic is backed up that far, people from the turn lane on Johnny cake that are trying to turn onto 140th, have to go into the right lane and try to merge into the left lane. In the morning it seems like everyone is in a hurry and they don’t want to leave room for you to merge in so traffic ends up stopping in both lanes. The only way to get to the school lot is to speed down the right lane then cut all the way over to the turn lane which is not safe for anyone that going down that road.
The solution I would suggest would be for the city to add a turn lane in front of their city building so the other two lanes of traffic could still flow freely. For the other side, the city should at least make the turn lane going into the north lot longer. This way, cars that need to turn can duck off into the turn lane and get out of the peoples way that are trying to go straight, past the school.
Some might argue that this is not needed because this only happens in the morning, or when school is in session. If you have ever tried to get into the school lot in the morning you would realize how unsafe it is. The problem could be solved with a much easier method anyways, Just open the gate again. Traffic would go back to normal and the city wouldn’t have to make changes.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
prewriting answers
1.Making 140th street wider to accommodate adding a turn lane and lengthening the existing ones.
2.Make turn lanes better so the traffic flow id better in the morning in front of the school
3. have the city repaint the lines at least, and add a turn lane in front of the city office.
4.it's safer, less congested traffic in the mornings and afternoons, less time waiting in long lines, easier access to the school.
5. by talking about how hard it is just getting into the school lot in the mornings.
6. hopefully get enough people to agree to make the city change the roads so they are as safe as possible
2.Make turn lanes better so the traffic flow id better in the morning in front of the school
3. have the city repaint the lines at least, and add a turn lane in front of the city office.
4.it's safer, less congested traffic in the mornings and afternoons, less time waiting in long lines, easier access to the school.
5. by talking about how hard it is just getting into the school lot in the mornings.
6. hopefully get enough people to agree to make the city change the roads so they are as safe as possible
Monday, March 15, 2010
Feature Story
My uncle Mark had just recently gotten married in Mexico. He married a very nice woman that had two kids of her own. That did not faze my uncle because he too had two kids of his own and being there cousin, I know they are two very wild and crazy children so adding two mild and well mannered kids would be no big deal. My uncle’s kid’s names are Cole (nine) and Alexis (seven), and Kerry’s kids names are Ashley (twelve) and Tucker (six). The new marriage between their families’s seemed to fit together seamlessly. The kids played with each other and fought with each other just like real brothers and sisters. Everything was going good for everyone in the family.
The first holiday with the new members of the family was Thanksgiving and everything turned out great. Everybody welcomed them and accepted them as if they were always a part of our family. There never really seemed to a weird family difference situation that came up whether it was about traditions, customs or anything. When Christmas came around the entire family gathered at my Aunt Mary’s house as we do for every Christmas Eve. All the kids get a name of one other cousin and buy them a gift for Christmas. That year we had two more names to buy for. You could tell Ashley and Tucker were still shy around their new family members. When it was their turn to open a present everything changed though. Their shyness turned to joy as they opened a present that they had long waited for.
Several Months had passed since I had seen or talked to our new family members. It was summer now. My family and I have a camper in Pine City, MN that we go to nearly every weekend in the summer. It’s not what you think it is. It’s not some old rotten piece of trash trailer that we made livable. It’s a 38 foot trailer that has everything a house does. It even has two TV’s and a full kitchen and bathroom.
We often invite other people who have trailer to come camping with us and see how nice it is up there. One of the couples my parents wanted to come up was Mark and Kerry along with the kids. They also have a nice camper that will fit everyone in their family comfortably. May parents and my aunt and uncle went golfing on the golf course that is inside the campground while the kids went swimming in the pool right next to the campground office.
All of my cousins had just gotten brand new bikes so they were very excited to go biking down by the lake. Tucker the youngest of my cousins was still just a little boy and was thrilled when he could ride his new bright yellow bike with matching training wheels. I remember Tucker coming back to camp crying. He wasn’t crying because he scraped his leg, but because he couldn’t ride his bike. He had to give it a rest while his leg healed up.
The next week school started. I was in seventh grade and still getting used to having to do something every day. I just got home from my second day of school and was just looking forward to relaxing just like I did the whole summer. When my dad got home from work I could tell something was wrong. He didn’t say hello when he walked into the house or anything, all he was just stand in the kitchen with a sad look on his face. I walked in the kitchen and asked him what was wrong. He said “Tucker is sick. He was picked up from school today and brought to the hospital because he said his stomach hurt.” I was trying to figure out what it could have been. Maybe he just ate something bad or just had an upset stomach. My dad then told me “Tucker has a disease called Hepatoblastoma. It’s a very rare disease found in kids and it may not be curable.” Hepatoblastoma is an uncommon malignant liver neoplasm occurring in infants and children and composed of tissue resembling fetal or mature liver cells or bile ducts. It’s like a cancer from what I could understand of it.
A couple days later I saw my uncle and he seemed to be handling it very well but there was still a nervous tone in his voice. He said that Kerry was really shaken up about the whole deal. We asked if we could go visit tucker and Kerry but Mark said it would not be a good idea yet. Tucker started to go through treatment which for him was chemotherapy. He lost all of his hair and became very pale. It was sad to see. Everybody in the family got a little teary eyed when ever Tucker came up in conversation.
Mark and Kerry were struggling to keep up with bills from all of tuckers treatments and were falling behind. My dad wanted to help them somehow. He came up with an idea to have a benefit to raise money for tuckers cause.
For many months my parents and all of my other aunts and uncles got together and planned the whole thing. The benefit was held at Old Chicago’s party room at the end of January. We had gotten many companies to donate money and some even donated some really nice silent auction items. The items we got ranged from hockey sticks signed by the Colorado Avalanche hockey team as well as a hockey stick signed by Dave Christian a member of the 1980 Olympic USA hockey team to paintings and handmade knives from friends of ours or others.
For entertainment we had our band play. The band had many members including me, my mom and dad, my dad’s cousin and friend, Kerry’s dad and my friend Mike along with 3 other people that would fill in every once in a while. We played everything from 50’s music all the way up to today’s popular music. We also had a comedian perform. When the whole benefit was done with, over fifteen hundred people showed up and we raised over fifteen thousand dollars to help pay for bills and whatever else Mark, Kerry and Tucker needed to help them through their hard times.
A few months later life went on as normal. Tucker was still going through treatment and hanging in there. One day again when I got home from school, I was informed that Tucker had passed away. He was only seven years old. The growth in his abdomen was just too much for his body to handle. I didn’t know how to take it. I had never lost a family member before, at least not while I was old enough to understand what happened. I just took the information in and thought about what is going to change now.
When we got to the wake to see tucker, we finally saw Kerry she was in great pain. I went up to her and gave her a big hug. She was crying, but still managed to say that everything is going to be ok. When we when in the room with Tucker I just stared at my little cousin. Again I didn’t even know what to do or think. I noticed the growth he had. It made him look as if he had a little beer belly. Everyone sat down listened to the speakers talk about Tuckers short life and how great it was. When they started to play music that’s when it finally hit me. I had just lost a family member. I had barely gotten to know him in the short time that his mom was married to my uncle.
This time around, the holidays were not as cheerful. Memories of Tucker were still very apparent in everyone’s mind and it was easy to tell. Everyone was a little more quiet thinking about how there is one less person at Christmas this year.
The first holiday with the new members of the family was Thanksgiving and everything turned out great. Everybody welcomed them and accepted them as if they were always a part of our family. There never really seemed to a weird family difference situation that came up whether it was about traditions, customs or anything. When Christmas came around the entire family gathered at my Aunt Mary’s house as we do for every Christmas Eve. All the kids get a name of one other cousin and buy them a gift for Christmas. That year we had two more names to buy for. You could tell Ashley and Tucker were still shy around their new family members. When it was their turn to open a present everything changed though. Their shyness turned to joy as they opened a present that they had long waited for.
Several Months had passed since I had seen or talked to our new family members. It was summer now. My family and I have a camper in Pine City, MN that we go to nearly every weekend in the summer. It’s not what you think it is. It’s not some old rotten piece of trash trailer that we made livable. It’s a 38 foot trailer that has everything a house does. It even has two TV’s and a full kitchen and bathroom.
We often invite other people who have trailer to come camping with us and see how nice it is up there. One of the couples my parents wanted to come up was Mark and Kerry along with the kids. They also have a nice camper that will fit everyone in their family comfortably. May parents and my aunt and uncle went golfing on the golf course that is inside the campground while the kids went swimming in the pool right next to the campground office.
All of my cousins had just gotten brand new bikes so they were very excited to go biking down by the lake. Tucker the youngest of my cousins was still just a little boy and was thrilled when he could ride his new bright yellow bike with matching training wheels. I remember Tucker coming back to camp crying. He wasn’t crying because he scraped his leg, but because he couldn’t ride his bike. He had to give it a rest while his leg healed up.
The next week school started. I was in seventh grade and still getting used to having to do something every day. I just got home from my second day of school and was just looking forward to relaxing just like I did the whole summer. When my dad got home from work I could tell something was wrong. He didn’t say hello when he walked into the house or anything, all he was just stand in the kitchen with a sad look on his face. I walked in the kitchen and asked him what was wrong. He said “Tucker is sick. He was picked up from school today and brought to the hospital because he said his stomach hurt.” I was trying to figure out what it could have been. Maybe he just ate something bad or just had an upset stomach. My dad then told me “Tucker has a disease called Hepatoblastoma. It’s a very rare disease found in kids and it may not be curable.” Hepatoblastoma is an uncommon malignant liver neoplasm occurring in infants and children and composed of tissue resembling fetal or mature liver cells or bile ducts. It’s like a cancer from what I could understand of it.
A couple days later I saw my uncle and he seemed to be handling it very well but there was still a nervous tone in his voice. He said that Kerry was really shaken up about the whole deal. We asked if we could go visit tucker and Kerry but Mark said it would not be a good idea yet. Tucker started to go through treatment which for him was chemotherapy. He lost all of his hair and became very pale. It was sad to see. Everybody in the family got a little teary eyed when ever Tucker came up in conversation.
Mark and Kerry were struggling to keep up with bills from all of tuckers treatments and were falling behind. My dad wanted to help them somehow. He came up with an idea to have a benefit to raise money for tuckers cause.
For many months my parents and all of my other aunts and uncles got together and planned the whole thing. The benefit was held at Old Chicago’s party room at the end of January. We had gotten many companies to donate money and some even donated some really nice silent auction items. The items we got ranged from hockey sticks signed by the Colorado Avalanche hockey team as well as a hockey stick signed by Dave Christian a member of the 1980 Olympic USA hockey team to paintings and handmade knives from friends of ours or others.
For entertainment we had our band play. The band had many members including me, my mom and dad, my dad’s cousin and friend, Kerry’s dad and my friend Mike along with 3 other people that would fill in every once in a while. We played everything from 50’s music all the way up to today’s popular music. We also had a comedian perform. When the whole benefit was done with, over fifteen hundred people showed up and we raised over fifteen thousand dollars to help pay for bills and whatever else Mark, Kerry and Tucker needed to help them through their hard times.
A few months later life went on as normal. Tucker was still going through treatment and hanging in there. One day again when I got home from school, I was informed that Tucker had passed away. He was only seven years old. The growth in his abdomen was just too much for his body to handle. I didn’t know how to take it. I had never lost a family member before, at least not while I was old enough to understand what happened. I just took the information in and thought about what is going to change now.
When we got to the wake to see tucker, we finally saw Kerry she was in great pain. I went up to her and gave her a big hug. She was crying, but still managed to say that everything is going to be ok. When we when in the room with Tucker I just stared at my little cousin. Again I didn’t even know what to do or think. I noticed the growth he had. It made him look as if he had a little beer belly. Everyone sat down listened to the speakers talk about Tuckers short life and how great it was. When they started to play music that’s when it finally hit me. I had just lost a family member. I had barely gotten to know him in the short time that his mom was married to my uncle.
This time around, the holidays were not as cheerful. Memories of Tucker were still very apparent in everyone’s mind and it was easy to tell. Everyone was a little more quiet thinking about how there is one less person at Christmas this year.
Augustine Dann
1. you could tell more of your instructors stories to make the whole thing longer and they are interesting to hear about.
2. I think you have enough sources
3. the story could start out a little slower, maybe why you decided to do BCT in the first place, or what you want to get out of it then go more into your original story.
4.the rest seems good just make it longer and it should be fine
1. you could tell more of your instructors stories to make the whole thing longer and they are interesting to hear about.
2. I think you have enough sources
3. the story could start out a little slower, maybe why you decided to do BCT in the first place, or what you want to get out of it then go more into your original story.
4.the rest seems good just make it longer and it should be fine
Thursday, March 11, 2010
feature story
My uncle Mark had just recently gotten married in Mexico. He married a very nice woman that had two kids of her own. That did not faze my uncle because he too had two kids of his own and being there cousin, I know they are two very wild and crazy children so adding two mild and well mannered kids would be no big deal. My uncle’s kid’s names are Cole (9) and Alexis (7), and Kerry’s kids names are Ashley (12) and Tucker (6). The new marriage between their families’s seemed to fit together seamlessly. The kids played with each other and fought with each other just like real brothers and sisters. Everything was going good for everyone in the family.
The first holiday with the new members of the family was Thanks giving and everything turned out great. Everybody welcomed them and accepted them as if they were always a part of our family. There never really seemed to a weird family difference situation that came up whether it was about traditions or customs or anything. When Christmas came around the entire family gather at my Aunt Mary’s house as we do for every Christmas Eve. All the kids get a name of one other cousin and buy them a gift for Christmas. That year we had two more names to buy for. You could tell Ashley and Tucker were still shy around their new family members. When it was their turn to open a present everything changed though. Their shyness turned to joy as they open a present that they had long waited for.
Several Months had passed since I had seen or talked to our new family members. It was summer now. My family and I have a camper in Pine City, MN that we go to nearly every weekend in the summer. It not what you think it is. It’s not some old rotten piece of trash trailer that we made livable. It’s a 38 foot trailer that has everything a house does. It even has two TV’s and a full kitchen and bathroom.
We often invite other people who have trailer to come camping with us and see how nice it is up there. One of the couples my parents wanted to come up was Mark and Kerry along with the kids. They too have a nice camper that will fit everyone in their family comfortably. May parents and my aunt and uncle went golfing on the golf course that is inside the campground while the kids went swimming in the pool right next to the campground office.
All of my cousins had just gotten brand new bikes so they were very excited to biking down by the lake. Tucker the youngest of my cousin was still just a little boy and was thrilled when he could ride his new bright yellow bike with matching training wheels. I remember Tucker coming back to camp crying. He was crying because his scraped his leg, but because he couldn’t ride his bike for a little bit while his leg hurt too much to move.
The next week school started. I was in seventh grade and still getting used to having to do something every day. I just got home from my second day of school and was just looking forward to relaxing just like I did the whole summer. When my dad got home from work I could tell something was wrong. He didn’t say hello when he walked or anything, all he was just stand in the kitchen with a sad look on his face. I walked in the kitchen and asked him what was wrong. He said “Tucker is sick. He was picked up from school today and brought to the hospital because he said his stomach hurt.” I was trying to figure out what it could have been. Maybe he just ate something bad or just had an upset stomach. My dad then told me “Tucker has a disease called Hepatoblastoma. It’s a very rare disease found in kids and it may not be curable.” Hepatoblastoma is an uncommon malignant liver neoplasm occurring in infants and children and composed of tissue resembling fetal or mature liver cells or bile ducts. It’s like a cancer from what I could understand of it.
A couple days later I saw my uncle and he seemed to be handling it very well but there was still a nervous tone in his voice. He said that Kerry was really shaken up about the whole deal. We asked if we could go visit tucker and Kerry but mark said it would not be a good idea yet. Tucker started to go through treatment which for him was chemotherapy. He lost all of his hair and became very pale. It was sad to see. Everybody in the family got a little teary eyed when ever tucker came up in conversation.
Mark and Kerry were struggling to keep up with bills from all of tuckers treatments and were falling behind. My dad wanted to help them somehow. He came up with an idea to have a benefit to raise money for tuckers cause.
For many months my parents and all of my other aunts and uncles got together and planned the whole thing. The benefit was held at Old Chicago’s party room at the end of January. We had gotten many companies to donate money and some even donated some really nice silent auction items. The items we got ranged from hockey sticks signed by the Colorado Avalanche hockey team as well as a hockey stick signed by Dave Christian a member of the 1980 Olympic USA hockey team to paintings and handmade knives from friends of ours or others.
For entertainment we had our band play. The band had many members including me, my mom and dad, my dad’s cousin and friend, Kerry’s dad and my friend Mike along with 3 other people that would fill in every once in a while. We played everything from 50’s music all the way up to today’s popular music. We also had a comedian perform. When the whole benefit was done with, over fifteen hundred people showed up and we raised over fifteen thousand dollars to help pay for bills and whatever else Mark, Kerry and Tucker needed to help them through their hard times.
A few months later life went on as normal. Tucker was still going through treatment and hanging in there. One day again when I got home from school, I was informed that tucker had passed away. He was only seven years old. The growth in his abdomen was just too much for his body to handle. I didn’t know how to take it. I had never lost a family member before, at least not while I was old enough to understand what happened. I just took the information in and thought about what is going to change now.
When we got to the wake we finally saw Kerry she was in great pain. I went up to her and gave her a big hug. She was crying, but still managed to say that everything is going to be OK. When we when in the room with Tucker I just stared at my little cousin. Again I didn’t even know what to do or think. I noticed the growth he had. It made him look as if he had a little beer belly. Everyone sat down listened to the speakers talk about Tuckers short life and how great it was. When they started to play music that’s when it finally hit me. I had just lost a family member. I had barely gotten to know him in the short time that his mom was married to my uncle.
This time around, the holidays were not as cheerful. Memories of Tucker were still very apparent in everyone’s mind and it was easy to tell. Everyone was a little quieter thinking about how there is one less person at Christmas this year.
The first holiday with the new members of the family was Thanks giving and everything turned out great. Everybody welcomed them and accepted them as if they were always a part of our family. There never really seemed to a weird family difference situation that came up whether it was about traditions or customs or anything. When Christmas came around the entire family gather at my Aunt Mary’s house as we do for every Christmas Eve. All the kids get a name of one other cousin and buy them a gift for Christmas. That year we had two more names to buy for. You could tell Ashley and Tucker were still shy around their new family members. When it was their turn to open a present everything changed though. Their shyness turned to joy as they open a present that they had long waited for.
Several Months had passed since I had seen or talked to our new family members. It was summer now. My family and I have a camper in Pine City, MN that we go to nearly every weekend in the summer. It not what you think it is. It’s not some old rotten piece of trash trailer that we made livable. It’s a 38 foot trailer that has everything a house does. It even has two TV’s and a full kitchen and bathroom.
We often invite other people who have trailer to come camping with us and see how nice it is up there. One of the couples my parents wanted to come up was Mark and Kerry along with the kids. They too have a nice camper that will fit everyone in their family comfortably. May parents and my aunt and uncle went golfing on the golf course that is inside the campground while the kids went swimming in the pool right next to the campground office.
All of my cousins had just gotten brand new bikes so they were very excited to biking down by the lake. Tucker the youngest of my cousin was still just a little boy and was thrilled when he could ride his new bright yellow bike with matching training wheels. I remember Tucker coming back to camp crying. He was crying because his scraped his leg, but because he couldn’t ride his bike for a little bit while his leg hurt too much to move.
The next week school started. I was in seventh grade and still getting used to having to do something every day. I just got home from my second day of school and was just looking forward to relaxing just like I did the whole summer. When my dad got home from work I could tell something was wrong. He didn’t say hello when he walked or anything, all he was just stand in the kitchen with a sad look on his face. I walked in the kitchen and asked him what was wrong. He said “Tucker is sick. He was picked up from school today and brought to the hospital because he said his stomach hurt.” I was trying to figure out what it could have been. Maybe he just ate something bad or just had an upset stomach. My dad then told me “Tucker has a disease called Hepatoblastoma. It’s a very rare disease found in kids and it may not be curable.” Hepatoblastoma is an uncommon malignant liver neoplasm occurring in infants and children and composed of tissue resembling fetal or mature liver cells or bile ducts. It’s like a cancer from what I could understand of it.
A couple days later I saw my uncle and he seemed to be handling it very well but there was still a nervous tone in his voice. He said that Kerry was really shaken up about the whole deal. We asked if we could go visit tucker and Kerry but mark said it would not be a good idea yet. Tucker started to go through treatment which for him was chemotherapy. He lost all of his hair and became very pale. It was sad to see. Everybody in the family got a little teary eyed when ever tucker came up in conversation.
Mark and Kerry were struggling to keep up with bills from all of tuckers treatments and were falling behind. My dad wanted to help them somehow. He came up with an idea to have a benefit to raise money for tuckers cause.
For many months my parents and all of my other aunts and uncles got together and planned the whole thing. The benefit was held at Old Chicago’s party room at the end of January. We had gotten many companies to donate money and some even donated some really nice silent auction items. The items we got ranged from hockey sticks signed by the Colorado Avalanche hockey team as well as a hockey stick signed by Dave Christian a member of the 1980 Olympic USA hockey team to paintings and handmade knives from friends of ours or others.
For entertainment we had our band play. The band had many members including me, my mom and dad, my dad’s cousin and friend, Kerry’s dad and my friend Mike along with 3 other people that would fill in every once in a while. We played everything from 50’s music all the way up to today’s popular music. We also had a comedian perform. When the whole benefit was done with, over fifteen hundred people showed up and we raised over fifteen thousand dollars to help pay for bills and whatever else Mark, Kerry and Tucker needed to help them through their hard times.
A few months later life went on as normal. Tucker was still going through treatment and hanging in there. One day again when I got home from school, I was informed that tucker had passed away. He was only seven years old. The growth in his abdomen was just too much for his body to handle. I didn’t know how to take it. I had never lost a family member before, at least not while I was old enough to understand what happened. I just took the information in and thought about what is going to change now.
When we got to the wake we finally saw Kerry she was in great pain. I went up to her and gave her a big hug. She was crying, but still managed to say that everything is going to be OK. When we when in the room with Tucker I just stared at my little cousin. Again I didn’t even know what to do or think. I noticed the growth he had. It made him look as if he had a little beer belly. Everyone sat down listened to the speakers talk about Tuckers short life and how great it was. When they started to play music that’s when it finally hit me. I had just lost a family member. I had barely gotten to know him in the short time that his mom was married to my uncle.
This time around, the holidays were not as cheerful. Memories of Tucker were still very apparent in everyone’s mind and it was easy to tell. Everyone was a little quieter thinking about how there is one less person at Christmas this year.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
feature story topic
topic: Cousin Tuckers cancer struggle
angle: Toll its taken the family
not actually interviewing people but am using other people in the story
angle: Toll its taken the family
not actually interviewing people but am using other people in the story
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Hard News Final Draft
The city of Apple Valley closed the ice rinks for the season this past weekend, leaving people upset and unsure of their reasoning for the premature closing of the rinks.
The City of Apple Valley has its own way to close rinks every year. They pick a date that usually ends up around the middle of February. The people that use these rinks do not like the way they are currently doing this and believe there is a better way. They want it to stay open because the weather is still cold in the month of February and is still usually cold enough through much of March. DJ, a student Eastview High School, adjacent to the Teen Center rink, thinks the closing time should be based on attendance. “I think they should go by attendance. If people are still willing to go play hockey, the rinks should stay open as long as possible. The skating season is short enough as is. They could probably even open the rinks up earlier as well.” The rink attendants do keep track of the amount of people who show up every day, but the city does not use that data in their closing decision. Mark Brennan along with most of the other people that use the rinks, think the rinks should be open until the ice is physically too soft to skate on so they have the most possible time to skate during the long boring winter in Minnesota.
Varun Tarapore works for the city as a rink attendant. He says the way the city determines when to close, is by how much money the city has in its budget to pay for operating expenses. He also added that he does not mind it closing either “I get sick of it since I have to work almost every day once the college kids leave after winter break, and besides I have already gotten enough ice time in for the season.” When asked how the city could generate money for the rink budget DJ said, “The city has money, it’s our taxes. Where are those going?”Good question. Mark Brennan another student at Eastview mentioned the rinks could try to gather donations to stay open longer from the people that use the rinks or if a company would like to sponsor a rink in order to keep it operating. The problem with this method would be that they may not make enough money to make a difference. Considering that most of the people that use community ice rinks are kids, that is probably a good assumption that they won’t make enough money. Varun believes the only way the city would be able to keep the rinks open longer would be to exit the bad recession we are in. There is simply not enough money in the budget to keep everything that is a part of the city running and pay for the expenses such as rink attendant’s wages, water for resurfacing, and electricity for the lights for playing at night.
There is a problem with how the city shuts the rinks down, but how will it be solved? If the city cannot afford to keep them open there may be no chance to change how it is done. The city probably does not think of its community ice rinks as a major problem they have to deal with and it’s likely to be very low on their priority list. Either way there will be people that are unsatisfied. Whether it is unhappy pond hockey players that want to play on well groomed ice, or it will be the workers that consist of mostly high school and college kids that will be upset because they will have to work more often and have lees free time.
The City of Apple Valley has its own way to close rinks every year. They pick a date that usually ends up around the middle of February. The people that use these rinks do not like the way they are currently doing this and believe there is a better way. They want it to stay open because the weather is still cold in the month of February and is still usually cold enough through much of March. DJ, a student Eastview High School, adjacent to the Teen Center rink, thinks the closing time should be based on attendance. “I think they should go by attendance. If people are still willing to go play hockey, the rinks should stay open as long as possible. The skating season is short enough as is. They could probably even open the rinks up earlier as well.” The rink attendants do keep track of the amount of people who show up every day, but the city does not use that data in their closing decision. Mark Brennan along with most of the other people that use the rinks, think the rinks should be open until the ice is physically too soft to skate on so they have the most possible time to skate during the long boring winter in Minnesota.
Varun Tarapore works for the city as a rink attendant. He says the way the city determines when to close, is by how much money the city has in its budget to pay for operating expenses. He also added that he does not mind it closing either “I get sick of it since I have to work almost every day once the college kids leave after winter break, and besides I have already gotten enough ice time in for the season.” When asked how the city could generate money for the rink budget DJ said, “The city has money, it’s our taxes. Where are those going?”Good question. Mark Brennan another student at Eastview mentioned the rinks could try to gather donations to stay open longer from the people that use the rinks or if a company would like to sponsor a rink in order to keep it operating. The problem with this method would be that they may not make enough money to make a difference. Considering that most of the people that use community ice rinks are kids, that is probably a good assumption that they won’t make enough money. Varun believes the only way the city would be able to keep the rinks open longer would be to exit the bad recession we are in. There is simply not enough money in the budget to keep everything that is a part of the city running and pay for the expenses such as rink attendant’s wages, water for resurfacing, and electricity for the lights for playing at night.
There is a problem with how the city shuts the rinks down, but how will it be solved? If the city cannot afford to keep them open there may be no chance to change how it is done. The city probably does not think of its community ice rinks as a major problem they have to deal with and it’s likely to be very low on their priority list. Either way there will be people that are unsatisfied. Whether it is unhappy pond hockey players that want to play on well groomed ice, or it will be the workers that consist of mostly high school and college kids that will be upset because they will have to work more often and have lees free time.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
hard news story
The city of Apple Valley closed the ice rinks for the season this past weekend, leaving people upset and unsure of their reasoning for the premature closing of the rinks.
The City of Apple Valley has its own way to close rinks every year. They pick a date that usually ends up around the middle of February. The people that use these rinks do not like the way they currently are doing this and believe there is a better way, because the weather is still cold in the month of February and is still usually cold enough through much of March. DJ, a student at the adjacent Eastview High School thinks the closing time should be based on attendance. “I think they should go by attendance. If people are still willing to go play hockey, the rinks should stay open as long as possible. The skating season is short enough as is. They could probably even open the rinks up earlier as well.” The rink attendants do keep track of the amount of people who show up every day, but the city does not use that data in their closing decision. Mark Brennan along with most of the other people that use the rinks, think the rinks should be open until the ice is physically too soft to skate on so they have the most possible time to skate during the long boring winter in Minnesota.
Varun Tarapore works for the city as a rink attendant. He says the way the city determines when to close, is by how much money the city has in its budget to pay for operating expenses. He also added that he does not mind it closing either “I get sick of it since I have to work almost every day once the college kids leave after winter break, and besides I have already gotten enough ice time in for the season.” When asked how the city could generate money for the rink budget DJ said, “The city has money, it’s our taxes. Where are those going?”Good question. Mark Brennan another student at Eastview mentioned the rinks could try to gather donations to stay open longer from the people that use the rinks or if a company would like to sponsor a rink in order to keep it operating. The problem with this method would be that they may not make enough money to make a difference. Considering that most of the people that use community ice rinks are kids, that is probably a good assumption that they won’t make enough money. Varun believes the only way the city would be able to keep the rinks open longer would be to exit the bad recession we are in. There is simply not enough money in the budget to keep everything that is a part of the city running and pay for the expenses such as rink attendant’s wages, water for resurfacing, and electricity for the lights for playing at night.
There is a problem with how the city shuts the rinks down, but how will it be solved? If the city cannot afford to keep them open there may be no chance to change how it is done. The city probably does not think of its community ice rinks as a major problem they have to deal and it’s like to be very low on their priority list on what to change. Either way there will be people that are unsatisfied. Whether it is unhappy pond hockey players that want to play on well groomed ice, or it will be the workers that consist of mostly high school and college kids that will be upset because they will have to work more often and have lees free time.
The City of Apple Valley has its own way to close rinks every year. They pick a date that usually ends up around the middle of February. The people that use these rinks do not like the way they currently are doing this and believe there is a better way, because the weather is still cold in the month of February and is still usually cold enough through much of March. DJ, a student at the adjacent Eastview High School thinks the closing time should be based on attendance. “I think they should go by attendance. If people are still willing to go play hockey, the rinks should stay open as long as possible. The skating season is short enough as is. They could probably even open the rinks up earlier as well.” The rink attendants do keep track of the amount of people who show up every day, but the city does not use that data in their closing decision. Mark Brennan along with most of the other people that use the rinks, think the rinks should be open until the ice is physically too soft to skate on so they have the most possible time to skate during the long boring winter in Minnesota.
Varun Tarapore works for the city as a rink attendant. He says the way the city determines when to close, is by how much money the city has in its budget to pay for operating expenses. He also added that he does not mind it closing either “I get sick of it since I have to work almost every day once the college kids leave after winter break, and besides I have already gotten enough ice time in for the season.” When asked how the city could generate money for the rink budget DJ said, “The city has money, it’s our taxes. Where are those going?”Good question. Mark Brennan another student at Eastview mentioned the rinks could try to gather donations to stay open longer from the people that use the rinks or if a company would like to sponsor a rink in order to keep it operating. The problem with this method would be that they may not make enough money to make a difference. Considering that most of the people that use community ice rinks are kids, that is probably a good assumption that they won’t make enough money. Varun believes the only way the city would be able to keep the rinks open longer would be to exit the bad recession we are in. There is simply not enough money in the budget to keep everything that is a part of the city running and pay for the expenses such as rink attendant’s wages, water for resurfacing, and electricity for the lights for playing at night.
There is a problem with how the city shuts the rinks down, but how will it be solved? If the city cannot afford to keep them open there may be no chance to change how it is done. The city probably does not think of its community ice rinks as a major problem they have to deal and it’s like to be very low on their priority list on what to change. Either way there will be people that are unsatisfied. Whether it is unhappy pond hockey players that want to play on well groomed ice, or it will be the workers that consist of mostly high school and college kids that will be upset because they will have to work more often and have lees free time.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Varun:
1. How does the city determine when to shut rinks down?
well, after they run out of the money in the budget for running expenses
2. How do you think the city should determine when to close the rinks?
once it's too warm for the ice to stay good
3. What do you think about the rinks closing so early when it is still cold out?
i don't care, i got enough ice time
4. How could the city get money to fund the rinks for a longer time?
i think we need to get out of the recession first
5. As a rink attendant would you be willing to work a longer skating season and why?
Probably not. I get sick of it since I have to work almost everyday once the college kids leave after winter break.
DJ
1. do you think picking a predetermining date is the best way to decide the closing time, and why?
no because you cant tell what the weather will be like 3 weeks in advance
2. How do you think the city should determine when to close the rinks?
I think they should go by the attendance. if people are still going to play hockey the rinks should stay open
3. What do you think about the rinks closing so early when it is still cold out?
I think it crap, there is no reason to close them when the ice is still skatable
4. How could the city get money to fund the rinks for a longer time?
The city has money, its our taxes. Where are those going?
5. should the city give up on the ice right when it gets too warm, or should they wait a couple days to see if cold weather is gone for the season.
they should use the baseball 3 strike system. if there is three instances where the rinks need to be closed due to weather than it is acceptable to close them.
Mark-
1. How do you think the city should determine when to close the rinks?
When the ice is too soft to skate on
2. What do you think about the rinks closing so early when it is still cold out?
I am pissed off about it.
3.do you think picking a predetermining date is the best way to decide the closing time?
no because the chances are that in February when they close the rinks normally, the temperature will still be cold enough
4. How could the city get money to fund the rinks for a longer time?
They could resurface the ice every other day instead of every day to cut back on expenses.
5. do you think people that use the rinks would be willing to donate money to keep the rinks open longer and why?
I think some people would donate, but not enough money would be generated to make a difference.
1. How does the city determine when to shut rinks down?
well, after they run out of the money in the budget for running expenses
2. How do you think the city should determine when to close the rinks?
once it's too warm for the ice to stay good
3. What do you think about the rinks closing so early when it is still cold out?
i don't care, i got enough ice time
4. How could the city get money to fund the rinks for a longer time?
i think we need to get out of the recession first
5. As a rink attendant would you be willing to work a longer skating season and why?
Probably not. I get sick of it since I have to work almost everyday once the college kids leave after winter break.
DJ
1. do you think picking a predetermining date is the best way to decide the closing time, and why?
no because you cant tell what the weather will be like 3 weeks in advance
2. How do you think the city should determine when to close the rinks?
I think they should go by the attendance. if people are still going to play hockey the rinks should stay open
3. What do you think about the rinks closing so early when it is still cold out?
I think it crap, there is no reason to close them when the ice is still skatable
4. How could the city get money to fund the rinks for a longer time?
The city has money, its our taxes. Where are those going?
5. should the city give up on the ice right when it gets too warm, or should they wait a couple days to see if cold weather is gone for the season.
they should use the baseball 3 strike system. if there is three instances where the rinks need to be closed due to weather than it is acceptable to close them.
Mark-
1. How do you think the city should determine when to close the rinks?
When the ice is too soft to skate on
2. What do you think about the rinks closing so early when it is still cold out?
I am pissed off about it.
3.do you think picking a predetermining date is the best way to decide the closing time?
no because the chances are that in February when they close the rinks normally, the temperature will still be cold enough
4. How could the city get money to fund the rinks for a longer time?
They could resurface the ice every other day instead of every day to cut back on expenses.
5. do you think people that use the rinks would be willing to donate money to keep the rinks open longer and why?
I think some people would donate, but not enough money would be generated to make a difference.
Monday, March 1, 2010
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