Final Story

For my final story, I was thinking of writing about how the St. Louis Blues made the playoffs for the first time in several years. I was going to talk about how they were able to climb 9 spots in the standings in two months and finish the regular season in the 6th place spot in the Western Conference. I plan on interviewing a few fans and getting their take on the season so far, and to see if it has changed their interest in the team. I will also explore how the season has effected the overall fan base, and whether or not people are more excited about the team's future then they were before.

Story Assignment #4

I am thinking of doing an editorial on the current drug war situation along the Mexican border. I will discuss whether or not the U.S. should be doing more to help.

Feature Story Idea

For my feature story, I am going to write about what effects the current economic crisis has had on pet adoption and pet ownership. I plan to interview some people who work for pet adoption companies. I feel that this topic will be interesting because it's not something that a lot of people think about. With the current crisis, many people are finding it hard enough to support their families. Therefore, they may not be able to support a pet.

Sarah Belcher

Just like most college students, Sarah Belcher spends most of her time doing homework and studying for her classes. However, this does not stop her from enjoying whatever free time she can get.

Belcher, a 21-year-old English major at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, grew up in the small town of Bunker Hill, Ill. She still lives there today with her dad and sister. She graduated from Bunker Hill High School in a class of only 45 students. "There was only one hallway and everyone knew everyone," Belcher said.

When she is not busy doing homework or studying, Belcher can be found working at the YMCA in Edwardsville or at home playing video games with her friends. She especially enjoys playing Mario games on the Nintendo Wii.

In high school, Belcher played on the school golf team but decided to quit because it became too competitive for her liking. However, she stills plays from time to time, whether its on the golf course or on a video game. "I enjoy playing sports on video games, it's easier," Belcher said.

Belcher also enjoys reading a good book from time to time whenever she gets the chance. However, being an English major at SIUE, she rarely gets the chance to chose what she wants to read. Despite this, she still has books that she enjoys. "One of my favorite books is No Country For Old Men," Belcher said.

Belcher is currently a senior at SIUE, but is looking forward to her life after college.

Event

The event that I am going to cover is the annual Construction Trivia Night that will be held in the atrium of the Engineering Building on February 27th. The event will be hosted by Sigma Lambda Chi and will feature teams comprised of people from major construction companies located in the St. Louis area. The money raised from this event will be used by the honor society to perform local charity projects. I plan to interview some members of Sigma Lambda Chi who are involved with planing the event. I believe that this story is newsworthy because it is an annual event and the proceeds go towards helping the local community.

Freshman Student Found in Dormitory Basement

Police at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville have reported the injury of an 18-year-old freshman student. Police believe that the student fell anywhere from two to ten stories down a trash chute around 2:00 A.M.

Thomas Schwanke, a freshman at SIUE, was discovered in the basement of a dormitory on campus at 7:40 A.M. this morning. Witnesses who had seen Schwanke earlier in the morning say that he had been drinking.

Mary Rouse, Dean of Students at the university, said that "The incident again raises concern about alcohol abuse on campus."

Schwanke is currently being treated at Anderson Hospital in Maryville. However, hospital officials declined to discuss his condition, or the extent of his injuries.