Earliest Memories

One of my earliest memories when I was a child was hosting and attending sleepovers. I would spend almost every weekend either at someone's house or at my house. Sometimes it would be with one individual or with several others. My parents even agreed once to let a girl spend the night once. Her parents agreed to it as well. Only reason why this was allowed is my parents and her parents knew each other very well. As a matter of fact, her day and my dad worked together for the City of St. Paul and played softball together. To say the least, we were close friends (meaning my family and her family).

Another memory I can think of is the time I spent the night in the bathtub. While I have no prior memory of this, my parents kept telling me this though out my teenage years. Of course, even to this day, I keep thinking to myself: "How did I get in the bathtub to begin with?"

County Commissioners Vote Against County Sheriffs

A disagreement over equipment and personnel boiled over in a board meeting Friday between county sheriffs and several county commissioners. The sheriffs accused county commissioners of “shortchanging” them to save money.

“You’re putting the lives of the people of this county in jeopardy” said Sheriff Gus DiCesari. County commissioner president Anne Chenn disagreed. Chenn says the county doesn’t have the money hire new police officers or sheriffs. DiCesari wants to hire five new officers.

Commissioners Anita Shenuski and Raymond Layborne, who support the sheriff’s, said in the meeting that the county should spend more money on law enforcement officers than for migrant workers who come to this county to work.

“We never had problems until we let migrant workers come to this county to work. They have been a problem with our law enforcement, schools and our healthcare system”, said Shenuski during a heated argument with Chenn.

Chenn denied that immigrants are the problem. “Those people who come here to work are decent, hardworking people who are working jobs that residents don’t want to do. They add a great deal to the economy and pay their fair share of taxes”, said Chenn.

Chenn said the county ran short of funding this year because of increased costs in for healthcare for employees and higher fuel costs. The budget for this year was $127 million.

DiCesari also needs $580,000 to purchase new eight new police cruisers, to replace eight old vehicles, each with more than 150,000 miles on them. “It is getting too costly to maintain the older vehicles. Chenn told DiCesari that the sheriff’s department would have to make do this year because the county didn’t have the additional money he was requesting.

One suggestion Chenn brought up to DiCesari is that deputies should not drive their cruisers home each day to make each vehicle more available to other officers and preserve mileage.

The commissioners voted 5-2 against the sheriff’s request for additional money for eight new cruisers and five additional deputies.

Secret Service Probing Obama Assassination Poll on Facebook

Secret Service Probing Obama Assassination Poll on Facebook

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,556722,00.html

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating a Facebook "poll" that asked the most unsocial, unspeakable question: Should President Obama be assassinated? The poll was posted on Saturday and was taken down as soon as Facebook officials were alerted of the poll. Possible answers were "no", "maybe", "yes" or "yes if he cuts my healthcare." A Facebook official told Fox News in a statement that they suspended the "third-party application" while the poll was taken down. They are cooperating with the Secret Service while the investigation goes on.

First Day at Anoka Ramsey Community College

Truthfully, I never (technically) had a first day at Anoka Ramsey Community College. I'm only taking this class and another journalism class online. I was going to take a class in the classroom but after I found it takes two and a half hours by Metro Transit (3 buses - 2 transfers), I decided against the classroom class. I have the same problem at Inver Hills but it is an hour and 45 minute trip (two buses - one transfer). Time goes by much, much quicker since I talk to the drivers on routes 68 or 71.

Anyways, since I'm not a regular student of ARCC, I'm going to talk about my first days at the University of Minnesota in 2003. I went there for technically 2 semesters (I'll tell you why technically in a bit). I thought at that time it was a very good idea. Big school meant plenty of opportunities to meet new people and take interesting classes. I was was right, except I wasn't prepared for the big classes. I was very overwhelmed by the amount of people and the workload the classes presented. I knew college was going to be stressful and it involved hard work but wow. I was in for a shock. Obviously for big classes, chances are the professor won't even know you exist, even if you talked to him/her before or after class or during office hours. I'm one of those types of people who want to get noticed, especially by the professor. Even as I take online classes here at ARCC and Inver Hills, I want to meet my professors. Let them know I'm more than a "person" who post something on a discussion board.

Outside of class was the funnest (what else is new right). I joined a group called Commuter Connection. Basically, it was a group for people who traveled to campus by car, bus, bike or walk (weather depending of course). The requirement of the group is you couldn't live on in the dorms. It was extreamly fun time. It would be the place to go before or after class. We all became friends quite quickly. Free tickets to Gopher football games, ultimate frisbee when the weather was nice, playing cards, watching movies, free pizza lunches bi-weekly, free breakfast at the beginning of the semester or during finals.

Anyways, there were many more road blocks as I continued my U of M career. During the second semester there (spring 2004), Metro Transit decided it would be fun to go out on strike for 44 days and leave all their customers to fend for themselves (the technicality I talked about at the beginning). On the very first day of the strike, I took buses that were runned by private organizations and it took me almost three hours to get there. Normally it would take me about 70 minutes to get there by Metro Transit. I ended up calling my dad that morning when I arrived on campus and he picked me up at the St. Paul campus. During the length of the strike, that is what I did: had my dad drive me to the St. Paul campus and pick me up there. By the way, the campus buses were still running since they are not operated by Metro Transit. I ended up dropping that semester and dropping out of the U of M. I determined I wasn't ready for college, especially in a big environment like that. By the way, I was a happy camper when the Metropolitan Council and Metro Transit reached an agreement on a contract.

From 2004-2007, I attended college on and off. I took a year off, then attended Inver Hills, then another semester off, then Minneapolis Community and Technical College, then Century College and back at Inver Hills, and never left again. I took a Introduction to Mass Communications course last semester at MCTC and now two journalism classes at ARCC. I get to switch schools again at the end of this current semester because I'm graduating!!!!

It turns out that smaller colleges and classrooms is what I needed. I don't feel as overwhelmed. The campus is in the middle of nowhere (in Inver Grove Heights), fewer students, classes are easier to find and professors actually know I'm alive. Was I nervious. Not really since I've already been through that "first day" experience. I went in there with high hopes.

Since I have the issue with taking public transportation, I attempt to take all my classes online. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Unfortunately I got stuck taking an 8:00a.m. Introduction to Digital Photography class at Inver Hills, which means I have to wake up at 5:00a.m. and on the bus at 6:25a.m. Gross huh?

Authors Note: I probably should have named this blog "First Day at the University of Minnesota and Others." : )

Higher Education / Bonuses for top MnSCU staff knocked

Title: Higher Education / Bonuses for top MnSCU staff knocked
Source: http://www.twincities.com/ci_13362749

Leaders of the Minnesota State Colleges and University System has been paid $287,500 in bonuses in a time where staff are experiencing pay cuts and layoffs and students are experiencing skyrocketing tuition increases. The Chancellor of MNSCU, James McCormick, received the largest bonus of $32,000. Other top executives were paid a bonus between $3,000 to $15,000.

Leaders of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said "people (members of AFSCME) are very appalled by this." Members took pay freezes, 60 people were let go and 550 system jobs were either left open or eliminated because of declines in funding.

The Pioneer Press published a list of who made what in bonuses. http://www.twincities.com/ci_13359505?IADID.

As for what I have to say about this: Pretty much what other students and staff say: This stinks. My fellow students at Inver Hills are not happy regarding the bonuses our president took and other presidents, along with top leaders. Funny how their pay increases while everyone else is suffering either from tuition increases or layoffs. I was talking to my dad about this and we agreed when he said "must be nice they can write their own contracts".

Serious Accident Kills Two and Injures 20 Others

Two people were killed and 20 others seriously injured in an early morning crash on Interstate 169 in Golden Valley, the Minnesota State Patrol said.

Just before 7 a.m., two tractor trailers going north on I-790 collided with each other and started a chain reaction crash. According to Golden Valley Police, a total of four tractor trailers and 14 vehicles were involved in the crash.

“One of the tractor trailers was hauling diesel fuel”, said Sgt. Albert Wei of Golden Valley Police. “We were very lucky that the tractor trailer didn’t roll over or dump any fuel”. The front end of the tractor trailers were damaged when a car hit it. The drivers of the tractor trailers weren’t hurt according to Wei.

Two people driving cars were killed in the crash while 20 others were hurt, four of them serious. They were taken to local hospitals. The four seriously injured drivers have life threatening injuries, said Golden Valley Fire Chief Tony Sullivan.

In the 18 years he’s been with the department, Sullivan said this accident looked like a war zone, with bodies laying along the road, people covered in blood, emergency workers running up and down the road helping the injured, and sirens wailing in the background as fire trucks and ambulances were arriving on the scene.

Wei said the officers on the scene were having a difficult time identifying which vehicle belong to people and trying to identify who was the driver and passengers of the vehicles involved.

Ambulances and fire trucks from Golden Valley and surrounding communities had to be summoned in to help with the accident. Those patients were taken to Hennepin County Medial Center. A helicopter also had to be called in for the most serious injuries. Those patients were taken to Memorial Hospital in north Minneapolis.

The interstate in both directions were closed throughout the remainder of the morning. Wei didn’t know when the interstate would reopen to traffic.

The names of the victims were not released.

University of Minnesota stadium's play-by-play reaches ears 2 miles away in St. Anthony Park

Title: University of Minnesota stadium's play-by-play reaches ears 2 miles away in St. Anthony Park
Source: http://www.twincities.com/ci_13331289

The Golden Gophers debuted in their new stadium last weekend. While it was an exciting time for everyone attending the game in Minneapolis, others were not. Residents of the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul reported to the Pioneer Press they could hear the game announcers 2 miles away. These people prefer to hear the sounds of "normal", meaning the sounds of the State Fair (including concerts), St. Paul Saints games at Midway Stadium and the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota.

If you ask me, this is pretty ridiculous. While I understand that not everyone is a college football fan (I am!) but when you think about it, 5 or 6 games a season (maybe 2 or 3 games a month) between September and November for a few hours isn't too much to ask. These are the exact same people who have to put up with the State Fair for 12 days, Saints games for 4 months and the U of M from September to May. I really liked what Emma Quinlan Connolly said "She is growing tired of the constant complaints — from road construction to Fair noise. The latest drama about the new stadium was over the top, she said. 'For me, it was the last straw,' she said. 'Like, get over yourself. We live in the city; just deal with it.'"

Favorite Coffee Shop/Restaurants

For someone who is very rarely home, I visit restaurants and coffee shops on a daily basis. One of my favorite places to visit is the Minnehaha Cafe near Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis. As a resident of St. Paul, there really isn't any small restaurant businesses I visit.

The food there is very delicious and cheap. It doesn't cost you an arm and a leg like a typical bar/restaurant would. For me, it's easy to get there via the Metro Transit system from either downtown (via bus from St. Paul and light rail if I'm in Minneapolis). It's within a few miles from where I work (a direct bus ride to and from).

Leads

Leads should be clear and to the point right away. Without it, it will turn the reader right off. People want facts of the story early without having to read the entire story. I've always been a bug fan of the local briefings you see in the local section of the newspaper. Its short, it’s to the point without any other mumbo jumbo. Keep it simple and to the point. I feel that sometimes newspapers put a little too much into their leads. There are some things that could be left out.

I shouldn’t have to go back 5 times and reread the article to find out what the lead meant. It drives me nuts. I love to read the newspaper on the bus. Call me old school if you want but I love reading the paper, not a computer screen. I don’t have time to be searching for the lead of a story, especially if I’m getting off at my stop and still don’t have a clue what’s going on.