Enterprise story proposals

For my enterprise story, I am looking at the city of Palouse.

My first idea is do a story about Haunted Palouse, an event that the town hosts each Halloween. The Evergreen has done stories on Haunted Palouse in the past, but mostly as event stories. The history of the event, how it comes together, and where the money raised goes has not been addressed before. Instead of an event story, I hope to put together a news story about the event.

A second idea is that Palouse is trying to raise money for a new community center. The old building was sold to a private developer, and money is being raised to build an entirely new building. The town has raised about 50 percent of what it needs so far.

Quote exercise

1. "Mary is trying hard in school this semester," her father said.

2. Early in the show, Steven Wright asked, "How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?"

3. Did Steven Wright say, "If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you"?

4. "No," the taxi driver said, "I cannot get you to the airport in 15 minutes."

5. Gov. Peterson said she will support a tax increase this session. "Without it, schools will close," she said.

6. "My favorite line is when Jerry Seinfeld said, 'My parents didn't want to move to Florida, but they turned 60 and that's the law,'" Smitty said.

7. My French professor told me that my accent is "abominable."

8. "Is Time a magazine you read regularly?" she asked.

9. When did Roosevelt say, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself"?

10. "Can you believe," Dot asked me, "that it has been almost five years since we've seen each other?"

Cross-beat infrastructure stories

We've discussed in class how a lot of stories can fit into several different beats. Because infrastructure is a fairly broad topic, this seems to be especially true. This week I have linked to stories related to infrastructure in that they all involve society's ability to provide some kind of service. It just so happens that these stories could also go under education, crime, and environment.

Spokane School District is struggling to find the means to serve an increasing number of special-education students.

The Spokane Sheriff's Office is sending its manhunt bill to the state to let the governor then figure out who should pay it. The total is $3700.

Federal stimulus money is going to help fund the expansion of Hanford's nuclear waste

Also, a more traditional infrastructure story:

Avista is holding a public forum on the rate increase

Questions for Hedges

How is writing books different than writing for a newspaper? Are you writing for a different kind of audience?

Is it more difficult to remain objective when you're in the middle of your story? How do you balance adding color from observations and making sure such things are not just subjective?

What is it like working with editors from across the globe?

Did you always desire to be a war correspondent, or did it just happen?

How did it feel when your line was used in The Hurt Locker? (Did you see the movie, what did you think of it, was it a more accurate portrayal as reviews have said?)

I-1033 story outline

My outline had to be adjusted a couple times.

My original outline was to open with a focus on Pullman, specifically on how a past Eyman initiative eliminated one-third of Pullman’s transit funding. This in turn led to the creation of the mandatory student transit fee at WSU to maintain service. I thought it was an interesting story and would draw readers in.

I was then going to give basic information on Eyman’s newest initiative, I-1033, followed by how Pullman would be impacted by it.

The story would then progress into the general debate over I-1033 with quotes from both sides about why it was good and bad.

I then hoped to end by tying the story back to Pullman.

As soon as I started writing the lede, however, I realized that the transit story required too much explanation and context to make sense. The connection to I-1033 was really more interesting, I decided, than actually relevant. It wasn’t worth it, because so much context and explanation was already required to help readers understand I-1033.

My second outline

My new lede was the significance of Pullman opposing a state initiative, setting up the introduction of I-1033.

Then briefly explain 1033 and go into its impact on Pullman, which is actually unknown.

Because Pullman’ impact is unknown, explain what is known about I-1033’s impact. (OFM)

Then the general debate over I-1033 with quotes from both sides.

End the story by tying it back to Pullman.

I-1033's impact on Pullman uncertain

The Pullman City Council has only opposed three state initiatives in the past ten years, City Supervisor John Sherman said. All three have been sponsored by Tim Eyman.

“Most Eyman initiatives are negative in terms of city revenue,” Sherman said.

The city opposed I-695 in 1999, which eliminated the state's moter vehicle excise tax and replaced it with a $30 license tab, and I-747 in 2001, which limited annual property tax increases to 1 percent.

This year, the city is opposed to I-1033, an initiative that would cap the growth of state, county and city general fund revenues to the rate of inflation and population growth. Revenues collected above that amount would be used to decrease property taxes the following year, and voters could also approve revenue increases.

I-1033’s possible impact on Pullman is uncertain because the rate of inflation and population growth for Pullman won’t be known until 2010, Sherman said. Those figures are determined by the state Office of Financial Management.

“For what is known for I-1033, if based on 2008 figures for 2009, it probably wouldn’t have impacted us at all because of inflation and population growth,” Sherman said. “But with 2009 being a down year, it could have a fairly significant impact on 2010.”

The majority of revenue for Pullman’s general fund comes from property taxes, sales tax, utility tax and user fees. The fund covers expenses such as police and support services, public works, library, public services and general government activities. According to Pullman’s 2008 amended budget report, the city collected $14,174,051 in general fund revenue last year.

While the exact impact on Pullman is still unknown, according to the Fiscal Impact Statement for I-1033 prepared by OFM, the initiative would reduce state general fund revenues for services such as education and health and environmental services by an estimated $5.9 billion by 2015. In that same time-frame, revenue that supports public safety and infrastructure for cities and counties is estimated to be reduced by $2.1 billion and $694 million, respectively.

I-1033 sponsor Tim Eyman said the initiative has a “safety valve,” and it still allows government to grow, but at a sustainable, predictable rate.

“Government can always go to voters and ask for more money if automatic increases aren’t enough,” he said. “(Government officials) just have to justify it.”

Eyman said I-1033 is not a new idea, but a continuation of an initiative voters approved in 1993. That initiative, I-601, was similar to I-1033 and also limited state spending based upon inflation and population growth.

“I-601 worked very well for many years, allowing government to grow at a sustainable level,” Eyman said. “But the Legislature starting putting loopholes in it, removing the fiscal accountability.”

Eyman said this led to overspending when the economy was good, making the bad economic times even worse.

“We need to get off of the financial rollercoaster,” Eyman said. “I-1033 tries to strike a balance between what government says it needs and what citizens can afford.”

Opponents of the initiative said the formula for determining the allowable revenue growth is flawed.

“It is incredibly rigid and arbitrary,” said Scott Whiteaker, communications director for the No on I-1033 Committee.

Whiteaker said I-1033 could affect public health and the ability of the government to respond to health care emergencies.

“A huge number of services, such as health care, increase above the rate of inflation,” he said.

According to a report prepared by the Washington State Budget and Policy Center, the initiative would harm the state’s ability to recover from the recession.

The report states that I-1033 “would actually increase the state budget deficit by limiting the amount of revenue the state can spend once the economy bounces back,” and it would also limit the ability of local governments “to save for a rainy day.”

Eyman said government is a lot more flexible than it would like to give itself credit for.

“The goal is (for government) to only raise taxes as a last resort,” Eyman said. “Government must adapt to the fact that tax payers don’t have a bottomless wallet.”

The overall property tax rate for residents of Pullman has declined since 2003. However, this does not guarantee individuals have paid less for property taxes because the value of their property may have increased, Sherman said.

The city remains concerned that I-1033 would use 2009, a poor economic year for Pullman, as the base of future revenue limits. But impact still depends on whether voters pass the initiative in November and the rate of inflation and population growth.

“For me to say the impact on the city of Pullman will be this amount is very difficult to calculate because it is based on numbers from next year,” Sherman said.

Sources:
Pullman City Supervisor John Sherman
509-338-3212

I-1033 sponsor Tim Eyman
425-493-9127

Communications Director for No on I-1033 Committee Scott Whiteaker
206-682-2767

More infrastructure stories (not just roads this week)

An aspect of infrastructure I haven't devoted very much time to yet is telecommunications. This link goes to Reuters coverage of Apple rejecting Google's voice app for the iPhone. Beyond the instance of this particular application, the story is an example of a larger trend in the telecommunications industry. The story said how the FCC responds in this case "could either pave the way for new entrants or hinder their ability to use large carriers' phones to offer discount services."

Another story from the past week comes from The Daily Evergreen. It covered the debate about a proposed wind ordinance. Wind forms have the potential to be new sources of energy and also tax revenue.

Political Story Ideas

1) Tim Eyman is sponsoring another initiative on this year's ballot. I-1033 would limit city, county and state general-fund revenues to increasing at the rate of inflation and population growth. Anything over that would be put in a special fund that would go toward lowering property taxes. Critics argue the measure would be debilitating to cities and counties and hurt the quality of their infrastructure. My story could focus on possible impacts in Pullman or seeing if the city council is taking any measures to prepare for the initiative's passage.

2) WSDOT is competing for more federal stimulus money. If the state is awarded the grant, one of the projects proposed for using the funding is more work on I-90 in Spokane. The state has also already been awarded stimulus money so a story could look at the overall impact so far of the federal stimulus bill on Washington's infrastructure in light of the new developments.

3) A bill passed last year by the Legislature and another one being proposed this year both have to do with transportation for students. A local congressmen is the sponsor the newer bill, which is trying to ensure there are proper resources for school districts to get students to school. More research would be needed to develop this story, but I thought it might be interesting. I have never really wondered how much it costs to bus students to school, and especially in rural counties, it is probably difficult.

First police forum addresses use of force

Brandon Wilson groaned through his clenched jaw and collapsed on the floor after Pullman Police Officer Scott Kirk shot him in the back with a Taser on Sept. 8 in the CUB Lounge.

The WSU police intern had volunteered to take part in the first of three WSU Police Face to Face Forums. Presented by the WSU Police Advisory Board, Tuesday’s forum focused on use of force by officers and non-lethal options available, including Tasers.

“I think it is a great opportunity for students to get to see these things,” said Wilson, a junior criminal justice major. “All these (non-lethal) products are to ensure officers don’t have to take their gun out on you, and it gives them another tool besides hand-to-hand combat.”

The Taser demonstration followed a presentation by WSU Police Officer Kelly Stewart, who serves as the use of force and defensive tactics instructor for WSU Police. He explained how, when, and what use of force can be applied by officers, and he compared the continuum of resistance and continuum of enforcement.

The resistance continuum begins with non-verbal posturing.

“It creates an awareness,” Stewart said. “Any officer who’s been an officer for a while can notice that.”

The continuum escalates to passive resistance and then to active resistance. The continuum of enforcement follows a similar pattern. It begins with police presence and verbal commands and moves up to termination tactics such as deadly force.

Stewart said the two continuums as models have their limits. He asked the audience to imagine him facing a 300-pound football player.

“No. 1, I don’t lift weights every day and No.2, I don’t push other 300-pound guys around all day,” he said. “I might have to step up my use of force to deescalate the situation.”

But no matter the situation, there is a key principle all officers are supposed to follow, Stewart said.

“An officer’s actions have to be reasonable and necessary in response to use of force situations,” he said. “Necessary means no reasonably effective alternative to the use of force you used appeared to exist.”

Kirk spoke after Stewart and described various non-lethal weapons officers have at their disposal such as tear gas, pepper spray and Tasers.

“(A Taser) is considered a compliance and control device,” Kirk said, “meaning if you are not complying and I can’t control you, I can use a Taser.”

Sophomore construction management major Justin Derosier said he thought the presentations and demonstration were informative.

“I’m really interested in police work,” he said. “It was cool to get questions answered from officers and cool to see someone tasered in real life.”

The Non-Lethal: Action & Response forum was the first of three WSU Police forums presented by the WSU Police Advisory Board and scheduled throughout the semester. Future topics include victim’s rights and the impacts of drug and alcohol offenses on one’s life.

Each of the forums costs about $400 to put together, said Kim Barrett, WSU Police Advisory Board chairwoman. The sponsors for the forums are the Coalition for Women Students, YWCA of WSU, Alternatives to Violence on the Palouse and Women’s Transit. If the forums are successful and enough money can be raised, Barrett said the forums will definitely continue in the spring.

“The purpose of the forums is to get officers and students together so students can see and understand policing from officers’ points of view,” she said. “Hopefully it will foster relationships between students and police.”

More information including dates and times of future forums can be found online at pab.wsu.edu.

Sources:

WSU Police Officer Kelly Stewart
509-335-4408
kdstewart@wsu.edu

Pullman Police Officer Scott Kirk
509-334-0802

WSU Advisory Board Chairwoman Kim Barrett
509-335-4386

Student - Brandon Wilson
Bnw83@wsu.edu

Student - Justin Derosier
jderosier@wsu.edu

Speaker Questions:

1) What is the most important thing students should know about police use of force?
2) How often does WSU/Pullman police use Tasers?
3) What is the best thing for people to do to de-escalate any kind of confrontation with police to avoid or limit any use of force?

Blog update, Week 4

A few recent stories from the Evergreen regarding infrastructure:

This was one of my story proposals in my beat note. The article is about WSU's new e-mail system.

Also, more construction on the Palouse, this time on US 195.

Legislative Exercises, #13

13) Gregoire received $13,661,703 in campaign contributions.

a) McMorris Rodgers raised $ 1,426,107 though 2008.
b) CMR’s top five donors: Inland Empire Paper, Nelson Irrigation Corp, Microsoft Corp, Pacific Futures Trading Co, and Sterling International.

Floyd on swine flu

In a new blog post published Tuesday, WSU President Elson S. Floyd said the number of swine flu cases at the university recently reported by the media doesn't accurately portray the situation.

"WSU has become a test case not just for the medical response to the flu outbreak, but for the media response as well. Much of that coverage has been measured and complete; other reports have told only part of the story," Floyd wrote.

Floyd said the 2,000 cases of reported swine flu included phone calls from students complaining of flu-like symptoms, and that the reports were made during a 1o day period. Health and Wellness services is also not routinely testing for swine flue.

"Considering the relatively short duration of this flu in most patients, the number of ongoing cases actually would be only a fraction of those reported over that period of time," Floyd wrote. "While it is probably safe to assume that most people reporting flu-like symptoms did indeed have the flu, it is difficult to make an absolute estimate of cases based on the numbers of contacts."

On your own PDC assignment

1. Susan Fagan, Patricia Hailey, Glenn Stockwell, Arthur Swannack, Darin Watkins
2. Raised: $142, 213 Spent: $ 106,091.37
3. July contributions: $8,740, Total cash and in-kind contributions: $59,887.08
4. $ 11,301.87
5. $177.84

Dream speech

Speaking to a crowd of 200,000 civil rights supporters on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said he has a dream for America. He dreams of a country where the American promise of all men being created equal is upheld for all.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character," he said.

Even 100 years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, King said the Negro is still not free, and "now is the time to make real the promise of democracy."

Road construction in Spokane almost finished, at least for one stretch in Spokane Valley

The construction in Spokane on Sprague Avenue is expected to be completed in a couple weeks. The $2.74 million repaving is part of the federal government’s economic stimulus package approved earlier this year, and it began in May. The story discusses how construction projects not only impact motorists, but businesses in the surrounding area too. Full story from the Spokesman-Review. The story also includes a few other road construction updates.

Addressing infrastructure on College Hill

After voting against a proposed U-District plan in the spring, the Pullman city council has been stepping up its efforts on College Hill. The city's College Hill Core Neighborhood Plan, still in the planning and approval stages, would mean infrastructure improvements to the area including new ways of addressing parking and housing. Read the full story from The Daily Evergreen.

My Infrastructure Beat Note

To borrow a definition from Wikipedia, “Infrastructure can be defined as the basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function. The term typically refers to the technical structures that support a society, such as roads, water supply, sewers, power grids, telecommunications, and so forth.”

The term infrastructure is defined slightly differently depending on the dictionary and context, but Wikipedia’s definition best serves my intended purposes. To add to the definition, I also plan to cover construction projects in my beat, not just projects for road or water system improvements, but also the construction of buildings even if buildings are not typically thought of as infrastructure.

I like Wikipedia’s definition because it highlights why infrastructure is an important topic, worthy of its own beat - infrastructure is needed for the operation of society. When infrastructure fails, such as when there is an accident on the highway clogging roads or the internet goes down, these events have the ability to greatly disrupt society’s day-to-day activities. Because this beat will also be placed within the context of public affairs, my reporting will go beyond covering infrastructure projects like events and look to the funding of these projects, their impact on nearby areas, and the policies regulating them.

The beat has applications at the local (WSU and Pullman), county, state, and even national levels. Past issues that would fall under this beat include Pullman’s struggle with stormwater and water systems in general, Avista Utilities, technological updates on campus such as developing a system for better wireless Internet in the residence halls, and of course road work, including keeping the roads clear in winter. Many of these issues are ongoing and will remain important to the beat. In addition to them, upcoming issues include new construction projects, how the economy/budget is impacting infrastructure, and an increased emphasis on telecommunications infrastructure.

Possible story ideas include:
1) WSU reached an agreement at the end of spring semester with Microsoft to implement new, free e-mail accounts for all WSU students. The university said effective May 18, university correspondence would no longer be sent to any non-WSU accounts. A story could look at how this new e-mail system is faring so far. Have students set up the accounts as requested by the university? Has mail really stopped going to non-WSU e-mail accounts? Why is this new e-mail system superior to the old one? What do the university and Microsoft gain by partnering?

2) What kind of considerations, if any, are made for the timing of road construction improvements? This story would look to State Route 26 as an example because the highway is extremely important for getting to and from Pullman and the university. It always seems there are construction projects on the highway at its busiest times, before school begins and when it lets out. Is this actually the case? Is timing part of the planning for construction projects? Are any other factors considered, or is it purely convenience for whoever is doing the project?

3) I hear rumors each year that Parking and Transportation Services at WSU steps up enforcement the week before classes begin when people are moving in. The rumors go that this is when parking services makes most of its money. An interesting story would be to look at ticket records from Parking and Transportation from the past several years, looking for any trends such as more tickets given out at certain times or if some tickets are given more often than others. An additional aspect of the story would then look at where money gained from parking tickets goes.

Some examples of infrastructure stories from other publications:
1) Gmail Outage Appears to be fixed : This story from the Washington Post illustrates how infrastructure failure can become national news. The story is about how some gmail users had difficultly logging on to check their e-mail Tuesday.

2) Freeway leg isn’t a big time-saver yet : This story from the Spokesman Review gives updates on the major construction projects in and around Spokane. It also examines whether a completed re-done portion of I-90 does actually save drivers time.

3) Wash. seeking $1B in federal stimulus for rail : This story from the Associated Press (the link is to The Olympian) is about Washington state’s request for federal stimulus money to update its high-speed rail system.

Potential Beat Sources:
Keith Bloom, director of Construction Services and Quality Assurance for WSU Capital Planning and Development
509-335-9016
bloom@wsu.edu

Lloyd Brown, director of communications for the Washington State Department of Transportation
(360) 705-7076

Pete Dickinson, planning director for the city of Pullman
509-338-3213