3 Newsworthy Events

Newsworthy Event #1: Killing on Metro Transit bus

On this spring 2007 Saturday evening (or Sunday morning in this case), I went out with a group of friends to a Downtown Minneapolis nightclub. Knowing I was going to have a couple drinks, I was going to take the bus to and from Minneapolis. Because of the heavy traffic leaving downtown (I believe there was a Twins game that evening and normal heavy traffic in the Warehouse District), the bus I was on (route 94, an express route going from Downtown Minneapolis to Downtown St. Paul via Interstate 94) was running late, and missed my transfer in Downtown St. Paul. Luckily, there was one bus that was still there but it was a further distance to walk. I decided to take that bus instead of waiting in Downtown St. Paul for an hour.

It was a route 74 I took (a route that goes from 46th Street Station in Minneapolis to Sunray Shopping Center in St. Paul via Downtown St. Paul). My normal bus, route 63 (From McNight Road & Londin Lane to Summit Ave & Cretin Ave via Downtown St. Paul and Grand Ave) already left. When I got on, there was shouting and yelling, so I sat as close to the driver as I could get (which is normal for me). The 74 bus barely made it out of the bus stop (at Minnesota Street & 6th Street) and at 6th & Sibley Street, the bus pulls over, to pick up and drop off customers, when someone in the back went out the backdoor, and shot a teenager. When I turned on the news the next morning, it turns out the teenager died.

That was the first (and so far) the only time I witnessed something like that and I've been a faithful Metro Transit customer for over 6 years. I remember that evening, I had to be held back and was interviewed by Metro Transit police, St. Paul police and the local media. I was actually interviewed by KSTP and the interview was played on their Sunday morning show.

Newsworthy Event #2: 35W Bridge Collapse

While I wasn't personally involved in this (but I had friends who were), I still felt this was a newsworthy event to talk about. I was at work when the bridge fell down on August 1st, 2007. At first I thought it was a joke, but when I logged into the computer, there it was. Pictures of the 35W bridge in the Mississippi River. It was hard to look at. I don't live in the area but I do frequently visit the area (I have friends that live in the Dinkytown area) and as I said, I know people who were involved in this.

It was something that I couldn't turn the TV off. I remember heading to work, listening to coverage on the radio and showing up to work and immediately turning on the TV and watched more coverage. It was one of those stories that you needed more information of and quick.

While seeing the pictures of the event unfold on TV was amazing, there was nothing like actually visiting the site with your own two eyes. I thought it was a bad dream that never ended. I went there over the course of two months, snapping amazing pictures of the wreckage.

By the way, the people who I know who were involved are okay.

Newsworthy Event #2: 9/11
As I mentioned in a previous blog, I've been a life long news junkie. But I'll even admit that I didn't follow the news very closely until September 11th, 2001. I was a junior in high school when the principle got onto the intercom and announced that terrorism hit New York and Washington D.C. Every class I had for a few days turned into history class. And that's exactly what it was: History being made.