my blog hates me

My blog won't let me post my story. I e-mailed it!
-Michaela

questions

1. Do you feel the future of journalism is with sites like Twitter (or blogs) or will print journalism continue to be a prominent source of news?
2. Do you feel it is easy to blur the line of ethics in journalism?
3. How would you define ethics for journalists? Is it easy to come up with a concrete definition of a certain establishment or should it be relatively personal?
4. Do you think it is an important experience for a journalist to travel?
5.What is your main goal as a journalist? Why did you enter this field if it is potentially dangerous?

document proposal

My document story is going to be on the issuance of fighting tickets. Previously, I did a story on the fighting ordinance passed by Pullman city council. However, not many tickets have been given out. I wanted to do a follow up about why tickets are not being handed out if there are still a number of fights. I requested the number of fighting tickets around the College Hill area and two individual tickets. I received a letter a week and a half later telling me I need to come to the station to clarify. I hope that the documents are available in time to write my article.

update!

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010393433_webarrest01m.html

Maurice Clemmons, the suspect in the Lakewood police shooting, was shot and killed this morning by Seattle police officer during a check of a stolen car. The alleged get away driver was also taken into custody by Pierce County officers and police also arrested four other people for suspicion of aiding Clemmons. This story is the second major police shooting in the last month.

http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/30278
Starcia Ague, a WSU senior, received the Governor’s Spirit of Youth Award. Her story is interesting because she spent a lot of her adolescent life incarcerated in a juvenile detention center for crimes like kidnapping. Now, she is a criminal justice major in WSU.

online

Butch T. Cougar: Facebook Friend or Foe?

Butch the Cougar has more than 4,000 friends on Facebook.

The WSU mascot’s Facebook page was created in 2004, but campus rumors claim Butch is not who he says he is.

Supposedly, Butch the Cougar is not the school mascot but is the Facebook page for the police department. Allegedly, it is used to bust parties and watch for both underage drinking and drug use.

“The police rumor has a partial truth that has somehow seemed to grow way out of proportion,” one of the alumni Butch T. Cougar Facebook updaters said. “The student who created the profile at the time had a college job at Cougar Security, part of WSU's Police Department. His role allowed for up close pictures from the field during games that made the early profile pictures.”

However, the connection to both the WSU Police Department and Pullman Police Department ended with the creator.

Andrew Blanchette, a WSU student and Police intern, heard about the Butch theories but has never used Facebook for any of his internship duties.

“I have heard Butch the Cougar is the police or University Student Conduct. However, I have never heard that from an intern, officer or at either station,” Blanchette said. “I think it’s realistic, but most officers are too already busy with reports and other paperwork than to be on Facebook trying to hack onto peoples private settings.”

The Butch T. Cougar Facebook site confirmed that there is no connection to any disciplinary committee.

“At no point in time has any law enforcement agency, nor Student Conduct, asked for or will given access to the Butch profile. At no point in time has there been a request to obtain information from others via the Butch profile,” he said.

The question he said people should ask themselves is this: if Butch really was the police department why would he be friends with both current students and alumni?

The student created the profile after discussing with a friend from another university about the lack of a WSU mascot on the site, he said. It is meant to be both informational and a fan page.

Presently the site is used to keep the university community updated on the current Butch’s activities, especially during basketball and football season, he said.

Three WSU alums answer the Facebook messages and update the profile regularly, he said. The current Butch the Cougar posts the status updates and is linked to his official Twitter site, he said. His identity will not be revealed until the end of basketball season, he said.

WSU Athletics is also partnered with the site.

“Two members of WSU Athletics maintain status updates via Twitter and the more recent profile pictures,” he said.

Even with the popularity of Butch’s Facebook, some students still believe that it is tool used by the police department.

Andrew Blanchette thinks that police monitoring of Facebook is a legitimate concern, he said.

“I have heard that Pullman looks on Facebook, for underage drinking I’m assuming, but I’m not entirely sure,” he said.

Shane Reynolds, a WSU junior, uses Facebook on a daily basis but is not friends with Butch, he said. He heard Butch was secretly the police from a few friends, Reynolds said.

The alum responder said the rumors do somewhat impact the mascot’s site.

"Currently Facebook caps friends at 5,000 contacts, which includes fan pages, hence not an even 5,000 friends for Butch, and the current backlog as of today 2916 friend requests. Does it have an impact, yes, but it allows for more individuals to be friends at the end of the day,” he said.

He still believes that Butch’s Facebook page has merit. Over the years there have been a number of copycats, he said. People respond well to Butch on Facebook despite the rumors, he said.

“Of course, there will always be some conspiracy theorists,” he said.

Sources:
Butch T. Cougar Facebook Page
http://twitter.com/ButchTCougar

butchthecougar@alcorpa.com


Andrew Blanchette
andrew.blanchette@email.wsu.edu

Shane Reynolds
Shanereyn@msn.com

Trend story one sentence

Pullman's nuisance ordinance is still a focus for police because of the large amount of litter from parties on College Hill and officers are attempting to better educate the community on how to properly follow the ordinance.

update

http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/30081
Vigilante justice is not justice
Abortion doctor’s killer was not acting out God’s will
Chris Johnson
The Daily Evergreen
Published: 11/13/2009
This is an opinion piece published in the Daily Evergreen. It discusses the idea of vigilante justice in relation to the murder of Dr. George Tiller. Although it is opinion, I thought the article was interesting. It involves my beat in both the crime and safety areas. I was just curious as to how people would respond. Do people in Pullman believe that it is right to take the law into their own hands? Is this particular murder justified?


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010284960_flood17m.html

The wind storms in the Seattle area caused a number of problems for residents Monday. In Pierce county, power was out for two hours. Flood warnings have also been issued. The power outages and other weather related incidents may also cause traffic backups. In relation to Pullman, a number of students will be traveling home to the Seattle area for Thanksgiving break.

Jim West Video

I had never seen this video or really heard anything about Jim West before this class. After watching the video I was torn between understanding why the media wanted to publish a story and doubt over their lack of judgement.

Obviously in journalism, everyone wants to break a big story. Most will do just about anything to get one. However, there is a line where people move from describing events to speculation. I felt that the story was stretching to find some wrong doing. I felt that if they had serious belief and proof that West was involved in sexual conduct with underage boys then it would be a different story. My problem is that the story came out after West was discovered to have engaged in sex with a legal adult.

Therefore, I do not think anyone can claim is was not a story about sexual orientation. It was based on the fact that West was gay. That is where it started and ultimately ended.

I do disagree with Jim West's use of office to give out internships. It is an unfair advantage even if they are not paid. Positions should be earned, not just given out.

trend

Red plastic keg cups usually represent a good time at parties, but in Pullman it could represent a minimum fine of $150.

John Sherman, Pullman city supervisor, and other members of Pullman City Council consolidated the previous nuisance guidelines and added additional provisions involving city regulations to form the nuisance ordinance, he said.

It also aimed to make the city more proactive in cleanup by asking for officers to monitor and actively look for violations, Sherman said.

According to the Nuisance Housing Ordinance Discussion Memo by Laura McAloon, Pullman city attorney, the nuisance ordinance helps regulate noise levels and hold landlords responsible for property cleanup. It incorporates everything from party cleanup to limitations on overhanging plants.

On April 4, 2007, Pullman City Council members passed the nuisance ordinance in an effort to consolidate the numerous community disturbance codes. Yet still, two years later, it is listed on the Pullman Police department's website under 2009-2012 long term goals.

Commander Chris Tennant of the Pullman Police Department understands the hardship of implementing such a broad ordinance. Educating people takes time and enforcingthe ordinance will not happen overnight, he said.

The Police Department focuses on two main goals in regards to the nuisance ordinance, he said.

"One you have to get the officers used to enforcing it and two you need to get the public informed," Tennant said.

It is pointless to write someone a ticket who does not understand what they are being ticketed for or how to solve the problem, he said.

Officers write tickets to those who do not comply with the ordinance regulations, especially for litter infractions. Fine for the first offense is $150 and can increase to $500 if the person fails to clean up, Tennant said.

Although the nuisance ordinance is in place a lot of people are not ticketed, Tennant said. Most people comply when they are told to pick something up so we do not fine them, he said.

“If they decide not to be good neighbors then we can give them tickets,” he said.

Yet, the biggest nuisance Pullman police deal with is party regulation including clean up and noise, Tennant said.

“Obviously College Hill is party central,” he said.

When contacted during a party, police try to inform the residents about the nuisance ordinance so they know that the police will be back to check in on clean up, Tennant said.

Additionally, officers work with Dabco Property Management to aid enforcement of the nuisance ordinance.

Officer Scott Kirk is the College Hill beat officer. His jurisdiction stretches from college Hill to Merman apartment complexes, Tennant said.

A large portion of Kirk's job involves working with Dabco's management to make sure they understand how to properly follow nuisance codes, Tennant said.

However, little police involvement is necessary on Dabco properties.

"They really don't have much of a problem in general because the managers do a lot of the nuisance type work. They maintain their property pretty well so we don't have to get involved," he said.

Carol Ann Andrufski, Dabco office manager for Birch Hills Apartments, agrees with Commander Tennant's description.

“Sometimes people just automatically call the police with complaints instead of us or the police will just hear about a disturbance. Mostly though the resident managers handle it,” Andrufski said.

Resident managers are given cell phones connected to the main office so they can take all calls after the offices close, she said.

“The resident manager’s job is to patrol the area. They basically work a real graveyard shift, from 5 p.m. till 8 a.m.,” Andrufski said.

Dabco tenants are given two warnings before being fined for noise complaints, she said. The third complaint results in a fine of $100, she said.

“Usually if someone gets one noise complaint they will get another one because it’s the party spot or just a certain crowd,” Andrufski said.

Noise infractions are complaint based but litter is strictly monitored, she said. Managers scan the property and write down which tenant has litter, she said. The tenant is then given a notice asking them to clean up their area. After the second drive by if the trash is not gone, it is $10 per item, Andrufski said.

“To stay with city regulation we follow the guidelines in our memo book. It has about 200 pages about Dabco rules, city codes, laws and regulations,” she said.



Sources:
Carol Ann Andrufski
(509) 334-6266

John Sherman
(509) 338-3212

Chris Tennant
(509) 334-4555

Documents thanks to: Michol Ann JensenExecutive Assistant 338-3208
Laura McAloon
(509) 338-3209

update

I read Nellie Bly's article about her stay in the BlackWell Island Insane Aslyum. Reading the article I was struck by her intense dedication to the story. She had to fake insanity on multiple occasions to merely enter the Island, assume a new identity, and avoid numerous reporters. After the conditions she encountered a lot of people would have probably just quit. She stuck with it and in return she was able to get $1,000,000 more to assist the mentally ill. Not only was her writing informative but it was also interesting. She connected with her reader by giving her own thoughts. Overall, she was able to keep her work light hearted while also exposing the disturbing facts for patients on the Island.

It was a long article, now published in book form as well, but it was not boring. I also liked her writing style. She made everything clear when, with her subject, she could have easily done the opposite.

This is journalism...not math class

1. $7885
2. 17% failed 83% passed
3. mean: $67,500
median: $40,000
median is more accurate
4. 20% increase
5.a. 25% decrease
b. 33% increase
6. 11%
7.mean: 790,600
median: 207,000
8. 3 slices
9. Someone is more likely to be assaulted in Pullman.
spokane: .0025 pullman: .0073
pullman: 73.2 per 10,000 spokane: 25 per 10,000 ppl
10. $150,000

peer edit

1. The 2,800 square-foot four-bedroom house will be built on a concrete foundation.

2. Carlton, owner of Palouse Synergy Systems said eastern Washington could be transformed into a renewable energy leader if people understood the benefits.

3. “I got a double with a full bath,” John Gardner, WSU Vice President of Economic Development and Global Engagement, said. “I lived in Gannon-Golds for two years, and then I switched over here—[this is a] huge difference.”

4. PCEI leaders hope to change that by offering workshops like the artists’ studio roof, so that locals value and know how to implement sustainable techniques, she said.

5. “The new dorm is likely to receive the silver rating,” Gardner said.
*Transition
"Everything we do has a consequence,” Englund said about sustainability methods, consumption, and ecological footprints. “We just have to be aware [of] the butterfly effect.”

6. He also does work in fundraising to raise money for student scholarships.
*He also works in fundraising for student scholarships.

7. She said she has been ostracized in her dorm and if things keep going like they are she might move to another hall.
*She has been ostracized in her dorm, and if it continue like they are she might move to another hall, she said.
*slang 'things'

8. Though helping to improve Pullman’s atmosphere, Sherman said SEL doesn’t make Pullman completely immune from the recession.
*Though helping to improve Pullman's economic status the SEL does not make Pullman completely immune from the recession, Sherman said.

repost

After five years working College Hill, Officer Carl Bell knows fights.

According to Pullman Police annual reports, assaults nearly doubled from 2007 to 2008. People are now growing tired of the fighting so they are reporting disturbances, Bell said.

A significant fight for Bell happened on the bottom floor of Mike's Bar. Bell and other officers entered to break up a fight and found themselves surrounded. Using Tasers and any force necessary, officers fought to break up the fight, Bell said.

In April 2008, the Pullman City Council passed the fighting ordinance. It fines any party involved in a fight and since it passed 15 people have been ticketed. The first time participants are fined $250. Repeat offenders must attend a court hearing and can be fined anywhere from $500 to $1,000.

Even with standard training, police enter a scene unaware of what will happen. There could be more people than expected or the suspect could have a weapon, Bell said. No fight is the same so safety is the first thing on an officer's mind.

Dealing with the College Hill Shift gets old, Bell said. Most of the fights occur at bar closing time and especially after football games, he said. People get upset that they are being kicked out or someone bumps into them so they pick a fight, he said.

"Drunk people don't realize what they are doing," he said. They think they know the laws and try to argue with police, Bell said.

It is rare to respond to a fight where no one is drinking, he said.

"Every fight here probably is a 100 percent related to alcohol," Bell said.

Intoxicated people get a "superman complex,” he said. Someone outside the bar picks a fight and then a mob mentality starts. People get into a fight and then their friends jump in to back them up, Bell said.

"I don't think it has increased, just the amount of reports has," Bell said.

Officer Bell has never written a fighting ticket. The ordinance passed to hold people accountable for their actions, Bell said. A lot of times in fights people do not want to press charges or do anything to the parties involved, he said. Now, there is more punishment for their actions, he said.

"I understand why they did it, but if the officer has enough to write a ticket then he has enough to arrest," Bell said. "It hasn't changed the way we do our jobs."

Matt Good, a junior at WSU and fraternity member, witnessed a number of fights in both his frat and on College Hill.

"Generally real fights happen at the bars or on the street," he said.In the frat people fight but are fine the next day, Good said. Alcohol is a common factor.

"Without alcohol there probably would not be any fights," he said.

Good has been in a number of fights in the past year, yet he has never been issued a fighting ticket.

One particular night this year, the police were called for a fight. He and a friend tried to run, he said. The police threatened the two with Tasers and told them to sit on the curb. The men explained the situation and then were told to leave before the other officers arrived, he said.

"He (the officer) just said 'don't be stupid' and 'you can't be fighting'," he said. "The guy called us out so we're not going to back down."

However, the majority of the fights happening on College Hill and in the frats are not being reported, he said. People know that when they fight there is a winner and a loser, he said. You fight and then it is over, Good said.

"I'd say 95 percent of all fights do not get reported," he said.

Officer Bell understands what it is like as a student.

"I was a college student, so I know how they behave," he said.

Bell deals with crime every day and the hardest part is seeing people being taken advantage of, he said. But his time and effort pays off when criminals are brought to justice, he said. With the fighting ordinance people are actually held accountable for their actions, Bell said.

record requests

1. In the 2009-2013 long range plans from the Pullman police website, it states that one of their main goals is DUI enforcement. I was thinking of doing an article on the number of DUIs in Pullman and what the police are doing to enforce it. Also why now? Is it because of the increase in DUIs from 2007-2008? In 2007 there were 108 DUI cases and in 2008 there were 156 cases.

2. Another one of their long range plans is to decrease traffic accidents through visible enforcement. I thought of looking at the number of fatalities or just accidents on either the Pullman-Moscow highway or on the route to Colfax/Seattle.

http://www.pullman-wa.gov/Departments/Police/DrawOnePage.aspx?PageID=1149

blog fun!

1. a.
b. Lithuania
2. Drastic swings in test scores lead to questions of cheating and Rulings by California’s worker safety appeals board questioned
3. https://www.splc.org/foiletter.asp
4. No luck.
5. http://www.doioig.gov/upload/Smith%20REDACTED%20FINAL_080708%20Final%20with%20transmittal%209_10%20date.pdf

Profile

After five years working College Hill, Officer Carl Bell knows fights.

Bell has been an Officer in the Pullman Police Department for the past nine years. Out of those nine, he spent five years working the six p.m. to four a.m. College Hill shift. Now, Bell is glad he switched to the day shift.

A significant fight for Bell happened on the bottom floor of Mike's Bar. Bell and other officers entered to break up a fight and found themselves surrounded. Using Tasers and any force necessary, officers fought back to break up the fight, Bell said.

Even with standard training, police enter a scene unaware of what will happen. There is always a possibility of something more happening. There could be more people than expected or the suspect could have a weapon, Bell said. No fight is the same so safety is the first thing on an officer's mind.

Dealing with the College Hill Shift gets old, Bell said. Most of the fights occur at bar closing time and especially after football games, he said. People get upset that they are being kicked out or someone bumps into them so they pick a fight, he said.

"Drunk people don't realize what they are doing," he said. They think they know the laws and try to argue with police, Bell said.

It is rare to respond to a fight where no one is drinking, he said. "Every fight here probably is a 100 percent related to alcohol," Bell said.

Intoxicated people get a "superman complex", he said. Someone outside the bar pick fights and then a mob mentality starts. People get into a fight and then their friend’s jump in to back them up, Bell said.

According to Pullman Police annual reports, assaults nearly doubled from 2007 to 2008. People are now growing tired of the fighting so they are reporting disturbances,Bell said.

"I don't think it has increased, just the amount of reports has," Bell said.

In April 2008, City Council passed the fighting ordinance. It fines any party involved in a fight and since it passed 15 people have been ticketed. The first time participants are fined $250. Repeat offenders must attend a court hearing and can be fined anywhere from $500 to $1,000.

Officer Bell has never written a fighting ticket. The ordinance passed to hold people accountable for their actions, Bell said. A lot of times in fights people do not want to press charges or do anything to the parties involved, he said. Now, there is more punishment for their actions, he said.

With the amount of time that was put into passing the ordinance Bell hopes it is worth it, he said. People know they can get a ticket which is an improvement, Bell said.

"I understand why they did it but if the officer has enough to write a ticket then he has enough to arrest," Bell said. "It hasn't changed the way we do our jobs."

A junior at WSU and fraternity member witnessed a number of fights in both his frat and on College Hill. "Generally real fights happen at the bars or on the street," he said.

In the frat people fight but are fine the next day, he said. Alcohol is a common factor. "Without alcohol there probably would not be any fights," he said.

The fraternity member has been in a numbder of fights in the past year yet, he has never been issued a fighting ticket.

One particular night the police were called and he, along with another friend, tried to run, he said. The police threatened the two with Tasers and told them to sit on the curb. The boys explained the situation and then were told to leave before the other officers arrived, he said.

"He (the officer) just said 'don't be stupid' and 'you can't be fighting'," he said. "The guy called us out so we're not going to back down."

However, the majority of the fights happening on College Hill and in the frats are not being reported, he said. People know that when they fight there is a winner and a loser, he said. You fight and then it is over, he said.

"I'd say 95 percent of all fights do not get reported," he said.

Although Officer Bell mentioned working with drunken people on College Hill got old quickly, he still understands what it is like as a student.

"I was a college student, so I know how they behave," he said.

Bell deals with crime every day and the hardest part is seeing people being taken advantage of, he said. But his time and effort pays off when criminals are brought to justice, he said. With the fighting ordinance people are actually held accountable for their actions, Bell said.

Contact Info:

Fraternity Source
*Wished to remain anonymous

Carl Bell
509-334-0802

Documents
http://www.pullman-wa.gov/Departments/Police/DrawOnePage.aspx?PageID=962

update

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2010096733_ref71confusion20m.html#
Due to the two-step process of Referendum 71, many voters are torn about which way to vote. The confusion stems from the actual voting to pass the referendum and the voting to put it on the legislative bill. With all the drama surrounding Ref. 71, voters are not actually aware of what is going on. Pollster Stuart Elway said that about 10 percent of the people who were polled actually voted contradictory to their beliefs, although they did not realize it.

http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/29793

Questions

1. He is a convicted sex offender and the records found were document requests from three of his former foster daughters. Also they found evidence of sexual misconduct with one of his foster children. Also documents on how he was approved to be a foster parent.
2. DSHS check clears convicts; 174 kept jobs despite murder, rape and more.
3. The difference is that in order to access internal records you need permission from the person they are about. In this case the company is not a state company so the records are not public. Therefore, you need permission.
4. RCW 13.50.100: Information that has been withheld from the documents because it pertains to "juvenile justice or care agency records" and is confidently.
5. a. Notes= all public record. One copy has notes written on it and the other copy does not.
b. Said that the boy was being punished for trying to leave the home. The priest had hold of his hair and the boy got up from a chair quickly, causing the hair to be pulled out.
c. Hair cutting, grounding, hacks and hand slapping.
d. Yes notes are usable.
e. Drafts are exempt from public record in the state of Washington. Attempted to be labeled a draft but it really is not a draft.
f. It is included because the notes make it public record.
g. Complaint from both a mother and a counselor at Morning Star. (Mother called because she had been contacted by a counselor).
h. Media didn't challenge.

proposals

http://www.pullman-wa.gov/Departments/Police/Default.aspxOBJECTIVE A: Continue to provide crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) training to select individuals on a prioritized basis. Person(s) Assigned: Police Operations Commander Date Due: Ongoing.
Status: The plan is to provide this training to detectives and the administrative sergeant first and then to provide the training to all sergeants. Nothing was accomplished in regards to this objective in 2005. Commander Tennant and Special Operations Sergeant Dornes were trained in CPTED in 2006. In addition detectives Peringer and Patrick were previously trained in CPTED. No training in CPTED occurred in 2008. Chief Weatherly is reviewing a book entitled 21st Century Security and CPTED. This book may be required reading by the sergeants and be part of the in-service training at the Core Mission Review meetings.
Fiscal Status by Year:
Estimated Increased Staff Time: 40 hours of training per person for special training.
OBJECTIVE B: Provide basic crime prevention training, including CPTED techniques to all commissioned police officers.
Person(s) Assigned: Trained Detective
Date Due: August 1, 2010
Status: This was not accomplished in 2006, 2007 or 2008.
Fiscal Status by Year:
Estimated Increased Staff Time: 6 hours
-Look into the training that needs to be done and what training the officers have as of now. Talk to one of them about why this training is needed and personal experience.

#2 Look into the number of MIPs/ Supplying a minor-Source: frat- Pullman PD said main goals are to: -Liquor law enforcement to reduce crimes of assault, burglary and vandalism. - Enforcement of drug and narcotic law violations.http://www.pullman-wa.gov/Departments/Police/DrawOnePage.aspx?PageID=1149
At the beginning of the semester one frat hosted a party. A boy was approached by police for carrying a red cup. When asked where he got it he responded with the name of one of the guys in the frat. Since the guy was underage, the frat is being charged with supplying a minor.

census

I. a. Whitman county pop 2008: 41, 664
b. 85%
c. 48.2%
d. 32,083
e. 26.7%

II. a. 2008: 14,007,013 b. 2007: 31,922,839 c. 2006: 34,549,367 d. 2005: 40,062,508 e. 2004: 21,793,767
b. August 2009: 7,170,166

IV. 1. San Juan County, Washington and Whitman County, Washington
2. 29.2%

V. 1. 1,960
2. 1,324
3. The difference between natural change and total change is

Whitman County Agenda
1. Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee meeting
2. a. 4 confirmed cases
b. 600,000 doses
c. 360 doses
d. Dr. Moody suggest waiting to distribute until there is enough vaccine for the majority of residents.
e. Due to limited supply of H1N1 vaccine, Whitman County suggests waiting distribute until there is enough for the majority of residents, Dr. Moody said.