A Changing View

Before taking this class I did not know much about Journalism. All I really knew was reporters report whats going on and sometimes they dig to deep and reveal information that maybe should not be said.

At the beginning of this class I was not sure what to expect.  Throughout the class I discovered many things from writing good news stories to what to avoid when reporting/interviewing on an incident that has occurred.
I will have to say that I did not realize what reporters go through when reporting a story. I give them a lot of credit for what they do. There is no way that I would be able to handle the pressures and the rudeness from people.

This class has given me an easier outlook when writing papers that I will take with me to my next classes. When I look back on previous papers I have written for other classes, I think to myself man these are BORING!!! but that's because I did not know really how to jazz it up! I do know and I think its going to benefit me in the long run!!

Online Learing

Nicole Willms

Enterprise Story

            With family, work and other responsibilities many think twice about getting a college education. The ability to take online classes helps those get farther head in life.

Online classes help give people the opportunities to get that much closer to finishing a college degree. Not everyone is available to take classes on campus because of their schedules, whether it is they are working, and have families to take care of or have other responsibilities going on in their lives. Online classes are convenient for most but not everyone can cope with online learning. Kim Lynch, an Anoka Ramsey staff member who works with Education Services said, “Students taking online classes tend to do a little worse with their GPA than students who are in land-based classes. Many reason play into factor here. Some students don’t take the time they need to get work done, online classes seem to be at a more high speed rate and students can’t keep up and some people just are not made to take online classes. Students both online and land-based classed earn As, Bs and Cs, but land-based students tend to earn these grades at a higher percentage.”

There is a higher demand to keep up with the schedule when taking an online class. However it’s not only hard for the students, the teachers have a high responsibility to get the information out there for their students to see and understand. Tesha Christensen, a professor at Anoka Ramsey Community College said, “As a teacher it is very different teaching a seated class versus an online class. When teaching a seated class, the lecture is the most important component. You can build upon your basic material with classroom activities, PowerPoints and movie clips. Online teaching is a whole different arena. Like many Christensen also has a family and things going in her life. So as a teacher she can understand why others decided to take online classes.  Like the students you are alone behind a computer screen. It’s hard as a teacher to understand whether or not your students understand the concepts being given to them. So students have to somewhat teach themselves the information and relay on feedback from other students and myself through a discussion board and assignments.” Christensen also said preparing for an online class tends to take more time than if she were teaching a seated class.

            As a student Melissa Nelson knows firsthand that the negatives out weight the positives when it comes to online learning. Being a mother of two and working full time, she doesn’t have much time to spend in the class room. Nelson said, “If it weren’t for online classes I am not sure that I would be able to get my college degree. I have to work to support my family. I enjoy taking online classes but they are stressful. I have to be on top of things otherwise I run the risk of falling behind and that is never good.” Nelson is not the only student who benefits from the college offering online classes. Bert Sieler is another student who is happy that the college he attends offers online classes. “Even though I find the classroom to be easier to learn in, with less distraction than being at home, I am thankful the school offers online classes. My life is too busy with work and family to attend class during the day or at night. Don’t get me wrong there are classes I take that are in the classroom but I do take a lot of my classes online so I can do them at my pace in the comfort of my home.”

If it weren’t for online classes many people might not be able to get a college education they desire. So who decides what classes are available to students and when? According to Lynch there is no one person that gets to decide what classes are available. There are a variety of things: student demands, low enrollment in land-based classes and connection to four-year programming to name a few. Not all category classes are available online. “If a professor does not feel they can teach the course with quality those classes will not be offered”, said Lynch. Anoka Ramsey continues to do what they can to offer a variety of classes for students. In fact according to Lynch the connection to four-year programs, Anoka Ramsey’s business division was one of the first to offer a large variety of online classes, in part to link to an online bachelor’s degree at Metropolitan State

Things in today’s world are changing more and more and people with or without college degrees are starting to think again about going back to school. They are deciding to go back to school to not only better themselves but also to help their families. Lynch said the college will never stop offering online classes and more are becoming available so she does not foresee any issues with classes not being available for those that need them.

Press Release- Rascal Flatts

Topping the charts with yet another crowd pleasing single, “Why Wait”, from their newest album Nothing Like This, released November 16^th. Rascal Flatts continues pleasing their fans and country radio. “ Our goal is to be better than yesterday”  is a qoute the band lives by to make sure we are giving the fans what they want and to improve ourselves as individuals and as a band, said Jay DeMarcus. The band led by vocalist Gary LeVox, guitarist Jon Don Ronney and multi-instrumentalist Jay DeMarcus plan on hitting the road with their Nothing Like This Tour with the first stop being at one of country musics biggest events, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn. As one of  most successful tourning bands in country music, Rascal Flatts plans to boost up their performances on stage to provide a concert with pyrotechnics and a party atmosphere that fans will enjoy. Tickets are now on sale for the 2011 tour dates. To check out tour dates and locations please visit www.countrymusicontour.com/rascal-flatts-concert-tour-tickets/ for more information.

I'm a Survivor, I'm Not Going to Give Up

Nicole Willms

Story #7

       

     Have you known anyone to have cancer? How about survive it? Jennifer Spalding, a 43-year-old, native of Roseville, Minn., did just that.

            Coming from a family where cancer is not predominate, Spalding did not think she would have anything to worry about. Spalding was wrong to think something was not going to happen to her. On March 4^th, 2005 Spalding’s life would forever be changed. She went in for her yearly physical with her Doctor. During the exam her Doctor noticed a lump in her left breast. He was not sure whether or not it was cancer or just a swollen lymph node, the doctor sent Spalding to have a biopsy. Spalding said “I was nervous put did not think it was going to be anything. I give myself daily checks and I have never felt anything before.” It was 2:00pm March 3rd, 2005; Spalding was on her way to have the biopsy. After the biopsy was done Spalding was allowed to head home and was told her doctor would call with the results. “I have not mentioned anything to my family besides my husband Todd, I did not want my boys to have to get worked up and it turn out to be nothing.” 24 hours have passed and on March 4^th, 2005, Spalding got the call, it was the call that would change the rest of her life. She heard the words cancer come out of her doctor’s mouth and she froze. “I was not sure what to say or do; I did not think something like this was going to happen to me. I was a healthy 43-year-old woman. How was I going to tell my family I had cancer? How were they going to take it,” said Spalding. Later that evening Spalding gave the news to her family and friends not sure what to expect. She knew it was going to be hard for everyone but she was determined to fight this disease. Spalding said, “My family means the world to me, I am not going to let this disease take me away from them. I have way too much I want to conquer yet in my life.”

            For the next year Spalding would go through various rounds of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Spalding said, “This was the worst year of my life. Both the radiation therapy and chemotherapy made me very sick. I could do nothing but go home and lay in bed. I was always sick to my stomach. It was hard for me to even eat. I would end up losing 55 pounds during my treatments. This was very hard for me as I am an outgoing person who loves being busy.” Not only was Spalding sick because of the treatments but her complex would forever be changed. One of the side effects to chemotherapy is losing your hair and Spalding endured that. She would lose chunks of her hair at a time whether it was when she was in the shower or just coming her hair. Spalding finally realized it was time to shave the remaining hairs off her head. “It was hard for me to say goodbye to the rest of my hair knowing I was going to be stuck wearing scarves for the next several months until my hair grew back.” So on the day Spalding decided to shave her head her oldest son Jason asked her if it would be ok for him to do it. Still to this day Spalding is unsure as to why her son wanted to shave her head but she was delighted he wanted to be apart to this memorable day. In fact after Spalding’s head got shaved a few of her sons decided to shave their heads as well so she could feel more comfortable with herself.

            Being a breast cancer survivor has forever changed Spalding’s life. She is incredibly grateful to all her family and friends that stood by her and helped get her through this horrible disease. She lives every day to the fullest. Spalding said “I try and not let the little things get to me; I try and stay as positive as I can because I believe that’s how I battled this cancer.”

            Spalding is going on six years of being cancer free, she continues getting checked every six months to make sure nothing has come back along with getting yearly mammograms. Even though she is cancer free Spalding keeps involved with the breast cancer society. She has done the three day/60 mile breast cancer walk two years in a row along with the breast cancer walk on Mothers Day. When asked why she involves herself in these certain fundraisers she respond, “I want to help find a cure for this horrible disease. Too many women are losing their lives at such young ages. I do not want families to have to deal with the loss of a loved one. Every bit helps get closer to the cure and I want to know that I helped out the most I can.”

First Generation Teacher

  

          From big city to little town, Patrick Shal grew up in both worlds. Shal was born in Oak Park, Ill, a suburb of Chicago but moved to the small town of Cammack, Ind., when he was nine. The oldest of three children, Shal would spend the next 14 years of his life attending school and teaching.

            Shal decision to become a teacher was made when he was in high school, although he did not become a teacher right away. Shal worked in other areas such as human services,  restaurant business and banking. Shal was laid off when he was working for US Bancorp where he was a business analyst and that’s when he decided it was time to head back to school and become a teacher. Shal was asked why he became a teacher he said, “Because my years in high school were so favorable, I wanted to make students feel the way I did when it came to school.” Shal is not the only teacher in the family, both his younger sisters teach. His sister Julia, now retired, was a high school math teacher in Ind., while his sister Jenny teaches kindergarten in Geo. He did not come from a family of teachers; in fact  Shal  said his parents never graduated high school. So Shal and his sisters are first generation teachers.  Shal did his undergraduate studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, he stayed in Indiana for a little while teaching English at Bishop Noll Institute. From there he decided to move to Minnesota and do graduate studies at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.  Here Shal completed his Masters in English.

            When asked what he enjoys about teaching Shal said, “My interaction with the students and my ability to see them grow intellectually. Being a teacher has allowed for me to meet all kinds of people and I have created many friendships.” Shal teaches both online and in the classroom at Anoka Ramsey Community College. He enjoys teaching face to face rather than online because he gets to know the students better. Although he understands not everyone can experience the classroom because of their busy schedules he tries to make his online classes as informative and personal like he would if he were teaching in the classroom.

            When not teaching and has extra time, Shal enjoys playing the clarinet. He also has a guitar that he doesn’t get to use much because he lacks time for practice. In addition to his musical interest Shal likes to collect modern first editions from authors he enjoys. Even though his work does not get published much Shal enjoys writing poetry as well.

Springbrook Nature Center: Birding Banding

Nicole Willms

Story #5

            I arrived at the Springbrook Nature Center, located in Fridley, Minn, not knowing what to expect but was looking forward to learning about bird banding. As I pulled into the parking lot I could not believe the amount of cars that were parked. I thought to myself “there is no way all these cars are here for this”, I was wrong; there were quite a few people inside the Center getting ready to help learn and handle the birds!

Springbrook is home to many different types of birds that land in the boundaries of the Nature Center for example, the Snowy Owl, Spotted Sandpiper, Eastern Blue Bird and the Bald Eagle. As I entered the Nature Center I walked into the room where people were listening, talking and handling the birds. Ron Refsnider, a retiree from the United States Fish and Wildlife Services, was the fellow in the front of the room speaking. Ron has been volunteering for the Nature Center for 20 years and it’s his responsibility to gather all the information on the birds and put it into the National Data Base for others to see.

I was eager to start learning what bird banding was about. Bird banding refers to the capturing of birds and placing a band on their legs to help them determine their mating occurrences, to see whether or not they come back after flying south for the winter, to help determine disease or changes in the birds. The volunteers that help are people within the community, bird lovers and employees from the Nature Center.  The volunteers help capture these birds and bring them into the Nature Center for Ron to check. Ron checks out the feathers shape, length, color, sex, height, weight, length, eye color and the legs of the birds.

 Many of the birds we saw had been captured many times over the last 5 years. It was interesting to see the information collected from previous captures and how they have changed so much in a short period. Some of the volunteers said the reason behind bird banding is to help see how various things such as weather, disease and hibernation affect the birds.

 After the information is entered into the system, they proceed to take the birds back outside and release them. The capturing of the birds is harmless; the Center has several metal enclosed traps set out along with several tall net like traps. Once the bird has gone into the trap, they take a cloth bag and put the bird inside and transport it back to Ron. People go out every 30-45 minutes to check and see if they have trapped any birds. The group of volunteers figured that the traps were light because of the changing in the seasons. The volunteers said the prime time for bird catching is June and July because of the warmer temperatures and the birds will migrate south before winter starts.

             

The Minnesota State Fair

The Great Minnesota Get Together

A Minnesota native embarks on the adventures the great Minnesota State Fair brings to her life. The Minnesota State Fair has been around since 1859. The site for the fair changed annually with stops in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Winona and Red Wing. It was not until the early 1870’s and early 1880’s when a group of civic groups worked to get a permanent spot. The Ramsey County Commissioners decided to donate their 210 acre farm land to the state. The fairgrounds has grown from 210 to 320 acres over the last 151 years and has missed opening five times due to the civil war, scheduling conflicts with the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, war time fuel shortage and the polio epidemic. The early years of the fair were dominated by agricultural exhibits and competitions, reflecting its original purpose of encouraging farming in the state. While agriculture is still the main focus of the fair, the activities have broadened to include large scale entertainment, technological and industrial exhibits, education and its long list of food stands.

Ashley Brueske, a Minnesota native, grew up attending the fair yearly and she enjoyed the music and seeing the horses. One of her first memories when she was six years-old, was going on the Bumblebee ride at the Kidway. She had all kinds of pictures of herself on this ride and bumblebees were her grandma’s favorite. I asked Ashley what makes the fair so exciting to her and she replied, “it’s a tradition my family has plus I get my dad’s full attention.” The fair is two weeks long and Ashley said she attends the fair twice. Since her parents are divorced, she goes once with each parent. When going to the fair, Ashley tries to do something different every time she goes to build memories with each parent. They start out at the same pronto-pup stand each year. “It’s a must have” says Ashley, that’s the one thing she needs to have right away when she enters the fair. Ashley hopes when she begins to start her family, they will continue this tradition. She hopes her family will enjoy the fair just as much as she does.

The Great Minnesota Get Together Interview!!

Interview was done with Ashley Brueske

      Q: What are your first memories of the fair?

                  A: -Uhm, first memories would have to be going with my mom, dad, sister, and
gramma when I was probably about 6 and going on the little bumble bee ride
in the KidWay. I remember this because bumblebees were my grams favorite
animal.. Plus, There was always pictures of us on that ride at her house.

      Q:What makes the fair so exciting for you?

                                    A: -The fair is exciting because it is one day a year that I know my dad will
spend with me. Its a tradition, and one of the only tradtitions my family
has.

          Q: When you go to the fair, is there are particular order of what you do first ( eat, shop, see animals, etc?)

                                    A: -The first thing we do is go get a proto-pup from the same stand near the
side enterance. Then, its generally headed towards buildings and the
midway. (:

          Q: The fair is a few weeks long; during those weeks how many times do u usually go to the fair?

                                    A: -I use to go only once, but now that my parents are divorces, I go twice,
once with each. Yeah, its basically a repeat each time.

           Q: If you go multiples times to the fair, do you do the same things each time you go?

                                    A: because I go several times I try and spilt up things I do with each of my parents so that I am not doing the same thing with them both.

                        Q: As you grow older and begin a life of your own, is attending the fair going to be something that you will make sure your family Is apart of?

                                    A: -Most deffinatly. I love the fair, and I hope my kids will too!

                                               

A young man involved in a motorcycle accident

Last Wednesday, Carmen Foucault got the news no mother wants to hear, that her son was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle. After the police gave her the news, they took her to Mercy Hospital to see her son James. James, 23, enjoyed being on his Harley motorcycle. His mom feared something like this would happen and tried to convince her son to get rid of the bike but he refused, and now she is looking at him lying unconscious in a hospital bed unsure what is going to happen. Carmen asked the doctor if they were going to be able to help her son. The doctor told her he has brain damage with a serious head injury and would not regain consciousness. Carmen was given so much information that she could not take it all in. The hospital staff convinced her to keep her son alive a little longer so they could donate his organs. Carmen said “James was always helping people and I believe this is what he would have wanted.” His organs were donated and helped save the lives of five other people. James was pronounced dead around noon on Thursday.

Days later while Carmen was grieving the loss of her son and setting up funeral arrangements, she received an unpleasant registered letter in the mail stating she owed $41,000 because they kept James alive an extra day to be able to donate his organs. Carmen was upset she was never told donating her son’s organs would cost her out of pocket money and she saw her son after they removed his organs and could not believe how they butchered his body. Nobody told her it was going to be like this and then send her a bill for it. Carmen couldn’t use James’s insurance money due to a lien that was placed on his estate by the hospital. She didn’t have the money to

cover funeral expenses or buy a nice headstone for her son. Christina Snyder, a spokeswoman for the hospital said “a lien is a standard procedure to ensure the bills get paid. Legally we have to file a lien ten days after a person’s death or discharged from the hospital. 50% of all trauma patients who come into this hospital do not have insurance so this is all standard procedure.” Irwin Greenhouse, the chief hospital administrator stated, “the bill was sent out to Mrs. Foucault in error and we apologize dearly.” The lien has been taken off her house and the bill will go directly to the Division of Transplantation. Mrs. Foucault will be responsible for the emergency care that was given to her son but the rest of the bill will be taken care of by the donor bank. We are checking our billing procedures to make sure this does not happen again.”

Carmen said losing her son is not easy and the situation that happened with the hospital is very frustrating. She would like to meet the people who received her son’s organs to see what good things came from this tragic accident.

Obituary

Nicole M. Willms, a 25 year-old full time student, employee and mother, died unexpectedly in her home on Tuesday around 6:00pm. The cause of the death is yet to be determined. An autopsy will be conducted.

            Nicole was an outgoing person who loved to explore the outdoors. She was an avid sports player and loved watching her home town teams’ play. Nicole love spending time with family and friends. “She was a family person and always put her daughter before anything, she was the most important person in Nicole’s life,” said Mary a close friend of Nicole.

            Nicole is survived by her parents Terry and Julie, Brothers Dustin (Julie) and CJ and her Daughter Olivia. Funeral Arrangements are being made through Sandberg Funeral Home In North St Paul, MN

Story #2

Story #2

A heated meeting between the county sheriff and several commissioners occurred on Thursday afternoon to come to terms over money issues the county is facing. With the county having a budget of $127 million dollars, commissioners had to be smart with spending.  The county had already paid $30 million for a new prison to help alleviate overcrowding. Commissioner Anne Chenn along with Valerie Dawkins, Faith Ellis, Jose Gardoz and Roland Grauman, did not feel it is necessary to buy new vehicles or to hire new sheriff deputies. However, Sheriff Gus Dicesari along with commissioners Anita Shenuski and Raymond Laybourne did not agree with them. Dicesari felt more money should be spent on the department and law enforcement rather than programs for migrant workers who have come to this county for work. The sheriff’s department was asking for money to help pay for eight new vehicles to replace eight old ones that have over 150,000 miles on them and to help pay for the hiring of five new sheriff deputies. Chenn offered ways to help in preventing miles from being put onto those vehicles so they can last longer such as not allowing the deputies to drive their cars home. DiCesari told Chenn that the deputies driving the cars home helps keep the crime levels down in the neighborhoods so that was not going to happen. He feared that something serious could happen to his deputies driving the older vehicles. Chenn told the department she did not have an extra $580,000 and would have to make do with what they had for this year. Shenuski stated “We never used to have a problem with money until we began letting migrants come here to this county to work, taking away jobs from decent people. They are a problem for our schools, law enforcement and healthcare.” Chenn did not agree with Shenuski and fired back stating, “Those people who have come here are decent, hardworking people being employed at jobs residents did

not want any part of. They add a great deal to the economy and pay their taxes. You are being a hypocrite trying to blame everything on them.” County commissioner estimates there are 5000 migrant families now in the county working in agriculture, construction and service industry. Commissioner Gardez said many migrant workers will become permanent members of the community and eventually becoming a citizen. With a vote of 5-2, the county’s sheriff’s department will have to make do with the equipment and personnel they have this year.

            DiCesari has been in office for 27 years and this is going to be the first year that the county has not set money aside for the department to spend on new personnel or vehicles.

Story #1

Traffic was anything but ordinary this morning due to an apparent collision between two tractor trailers. The collision started a chain reaction with the other vehicles traveling on Interstate 790. The north and south bound lanes remain closed while police continue their investigation as to what caused the crash. According to Sgt. Albert Wie of the police department, there were a total of four tractor trailers and 14 cars in today’s crash. Extensive damage was done, but more could have been caused had a tanker, carrying fuel, tipped over.


Rescue vehicles were on the scene to aid injured motorists. Firefighters were cutting the roofs off cars to extract those who had become trapped in their vehicles. Unfortunately, after today’s events, the death toll stands at two while four motorists sustained life threatening injuries and numerous others only minor injuries. Those with life threatening injuries were airlifted to the closest trauma center nearly 50 miles away. Fire Chief Tony Sullivan, along with Wie, said the scene was horrifying. They had never seen anything like this before. With bodies lying all over, the hardest part for the police was figuring out who belonged to which car and whether or not they had passengers riding with them. Traffic is being detoured to the eastern part of the city on Interstate 690. The detour is causing major traffic delays, possibly lasting up to three hours

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