Documents

I don't have a copy of my original request because I submitted a paper version and didn't make a copy. However, I requested a copy of the contract between U.S. Bank and WSU for the CourgarCard and have included a couple pictures of the documents I received. The contract was long, so I included one of the most important pieces I received. Sorry for the poor picture quality.

CougarCard and U.S. Bank: a profitable partnership

After two and a half years, the CougarCard Center has received $230,000 for its relationship with U.S. Bank. Next June, the total will increase by another $90,000.

This lucrative relationship, however, took time. University officials were approached before about adding banking features to the CougarCard, but they had strict requirements for potential partners, said Craig Howard, director of administrative services information systems.

THE DEAL

Officials wanted a card that could be available on demand. They wanted a card that was debit, not credit, and a program that was opt-in, not opt-out. Howard said officials also wanted a relationship with a bank that had a “brick-and-mortar presence” for students.

“For years, there were financial incentives for the card center to form a banking relationship, but service to students outweighed financial (considerations),” he said.

In spring 2006, U.S. Bank told WSU it could meet the requirements in nine months, Howard said. WSU sent out a request during the fall seeking a banking relationship for the CougarCard and sent it to all nearby banks and credit unions. U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo responded.

University officials chose U.S. Bank in January 2007, Howard said.

Howard warned the bank that, “WSU isn’t easy, and the negotiations are going to be rigorous.” It took six months to negotiate the contract.

THE CONTRACT

The more students who use the CougarCard Maxx, the more money the university receives: up to $330,000 a year if the card reaches 70 percent use, according to the contract obtained through a public records request.

U.S. Bank has 51 other partnerships with universities. Contract language for each university is similar, but the amount each university receives varies, said Angela Ralston, U.S. Bank campus banking operations manager.

“We go into these partnerships for mutual benefit,” she said. “The bank is looking to gain new customers. This is a way for us to gain new customers, treat them right and retain them.”

In the end, U.S. Bank agreed to a $155,000 signing bonus, with yearly royalty payments based upon percent use. This was in addition to $30,000 a year in “soft dollars” – money used for marketing the card. The royalty payments were $37,500 in 2008 and 2009, but they will increase to $90,000 next year because percent use passed 20 percent in August. This moved WSU into a higher paying bracket.

The “soft dollars” are split between paying for extra U.S. Bank staff during Alive! and for marketing, Howard said. The marketing money is used for advertising and also for sponsoring campus events, such as the All Campus Picnic and ASWSU’s Cougar Quarterly.

“Our next goal for fiscal year 2011 is reaching 30 percent (penetration),” Howard said.

Thirty percent use would provide the CougarCard Center with a $130,000 royalty payment.

All of the money, except the soft dollars, goes to the CougarCard Center.

FOLLOWING THE DOLLARS

Howard said the CougarCard Center is self-sustaining and operates day to day off charges to customers.

Before the relationship with U.S. Bank, every four to five years, the center needed a $100,000 to $125,000 state supplement to pay for maintenance and hardware and software upgrades.

Now with U.S. Bank’s payments, the state money can be directed to other areas of the university, Howard said. The signing bonus helped pay off the center’s debt. Next year, the center needs to replace and upgrade the card printing system, in addition to other system upgrades.

Howard said the center is going to “hoard” as much as it can because the contract lasts eight years, 10 at most.

And after that, it’s impossible to know what will happen.

THE STUDENTS

Freshman animal science major Shauna Harth said the convenience of the CougarCard Maxx was too much to pass up. She got the card during Alive!.

“I didn’t have a debit card, and it was the simplest way for my family,” she said. “I enjoy it. It’s simple, and it’s all around campus.”

Almost one in four incoming students made the same choice. Howard said 23 percent of new students during the Alive! chose to get the Maxx card, as did 14 percent of transfer students.

Katherine Termath, a sophomore pre-pharmacy major, chose the card during Alive! because she wanted to have a bank account in Pullman. Termath said she was also pulled in by the offer of a free blanket for joining.

“It’s just that it’s pretty convenient,” she said. “I always have my CougarCard with me.”

BREAKOUT - THE MAXX CARD
In June 2007, the university unveiled a new CougarCard that allowed students to access their U.S. Bank checking accounts, use ATMs and make some PIN-based purchases. But the card also forced WSU and U.S. Bank to share some student information.

“We didn’t like that,” Howard said. “We negotiated with U.S. Bank and Visa to create a revolutionary card.”

Again, the university had certain requirements, Howard said. The card needed to be flat, without the raised numbers that debit cards usually have. It also needed two separate strips so no student information would be shared between the university and bank. He said at the time Visa had never issued a flat card or a card with two strips.

“We heard ‘No’ from Visa consistently, but in the end we got our way” he said.

The current CougarCard Maxx was released in January 2009.

Sources:
Craig Howard - (509) 592-0206, howard@wsu.edu
Angela Ralstron - (612) 303-0731
Shauna Harth - (425) 367-8532, shauna_harth@wsu.edu
Katherine Termath - (509) 290-4259, ktermath@wsu.edu

Questions

As a journalist, how to you try to balance personal safety and doing all you can for a story?

Is it a struggle to remain objective and to keep yourself from becoming involved in the stories you cover?
Do you ever wish you could do something beside just writing?

How has knowledge of first amendment rights and press freedoms in the United States affected you or your reporting, if at all?

What do you feel has been one of your most important stories, and why?

What do you want to do in the future? Do you plan to remain journalists?

Beat update

Spokane is looking at new options for mass transportation. Options might include streetcars or electric trolleys. Story from the Spokesman here.

I thought this column from the Spokesman was also interesting. It detailed the columnist's daily bus rides. It caught my attention because I rode the bus around town to get a sense of the atmosphere for my Pullman transit story. That experience was fairly tame, but I have heard a lot of stories that the bus can get interesting, especially on late weekend nights.

Document story proposal

I requested the contract between WSU and U.S. Bank for the CougarCard Maxx for my public records request. Using these documents, I want to write a story about the money involved in the partnership including how much money WSU recieves and what happens to that money. I also want to include the development of the contract, essentially where the idea for the partnership came from.

Twitter comes to WSU

Since joining Twitter in February, Football Head Coach Paul Wulff has amassed more than 1,000 followers. Wulff’s tweets are one of the most popular of the more than 50 WSU affiliated Twitter accounts.

“To a certain extent (Twitter is) still experimental,” said Barbara Petura, associate vice president for University Relations. “But it’s still a way to get publicity out.”

Petura said Cougar Athletics has probably been the most successful WSU Twitter user so far, and for other WSU users, “it’s still early in the revolution.”

Petura runs the WSUPullman Twitter account. She began it soon after the university moved to paperless internal communication last year. She said the decision to use only electronic media for internal communication was made to save money and help the university become more sustainable.

The move has decreased costs, Petura said, but Twitter’s role in the decrease is currently unknown.

“It Twitter saving money or making money? We don’t know yet,” Petura said. “Is Twitter building us new connections? Yes.”

For the faculty and staff at the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, joining Twitter was an attempt to better reach out to students and alumni, said Brett Atwood, a clinical assistant professor in the college.

“It’s popular because the followers mostly consist of Murrow alumni or students who want to stay connected to the Murrow College,” Atwood said.

Atwood said Twitter is also popular and successful because it works by “opting in,” and people are choosing to receive information, rather than having it forced upon them.

However, keeping the account also requires constant upkeep. In addition writing tweets, Atwood monitors all the activity on the Murrow College Twitter page in an attempt to block spam and keep the page appropriate. He said he pulls out one or two tweets a week.

A negative of Twitter is that users are unable to see the links they click on, Atwood said. In the past, some of the links posted on the Murrow College’s Twitter page have been to adult sites.

“Twitter is a young format,” Atwood said. “It needs to look at issues such as spammers, piggybacking (on popular terms), and URL shorteners.”

Despite its relatively new status, Petura said Twitter has already been adopted by many major universities.

“Twitter lets us connect with people easily all over the world, depending on who you can get to follow you,” she said.

The WSU Twitter accounts are also being used for more than event or speaker announcements. Petura said the WSU Spokane Twitter account has a focus on the health sciences. When Barbara Chamberlain, WSU Spokane public affairs director, attends important meetings, she’ll “tweet the high points of what key people have said,” Petura said.

“We just really added Twitter as another tool,” Petura said. “Some units use it more than others.”

President Elson S. Floyd has even considered using Twitter, though for now he has decided to focus on his blog, said Brandon Scheller, communication coordinator for University Relations and the President’s Office.

“I’m not sure he sees it yet as a method that would be beneficial to communicating with students,” Scheller said. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if he chooses to use it in the future.”

Atwood said a lot of social networking sites go through hype cycles, and that’s likely what Twitter is experiencing right now.

“The idea of Twitter is here to stay,” he said. “Whether Twitter remains the dominant platform has yet to be seen.”

Sources:

Barbara Petura - 509-335-1980

Brandon Scheller - 509-335-6292

Brett Atwood - 509-335-0113

Infrastructure in the news - Transit

A story from the Spokesman Review about Spokane Transit is a nice supplement to my story about Pullman transit. As the WSDOT spokesman predicted, Spokane Transit is facing cuts to service.

And from the New York Times, a story about a push for stronger federal transit standards.

Increase in number of Pullman Transit riders continues

The news: Despite statewide decreases in public transportation revenues across the state, Pullman Transit continues to see increasing ridership and plans to expand.

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Liz Creelman shivered as she clung to her advanced accounting textbook Tuesday night. Creelman, a junior accounting and information systems major, was one of several students waiting for Pullman Transit's south route bus.

When the bus arrived, only a handful of seats were vacant.

“It’s worse during the day when it’s standing-room only,” Creelman said.

Creelman rides Pullman transit at least twice a day and has done so for the past two years. She said it’s cheaper than having a car and often safer in the winter.

“I have to pay the mandatory transit fee, so why not take advantage of it,” she said.

The number of Pullman Transit riders has increased 1 to 2 percent each year, said Chris Mitchell, Pullman Transit operations supervisor. Last year had the largest number of riders so far – 1.3 million – an increase of about 100,000 from the year before.

“A lot of (our growth) is based on our ability to put out more service,” Mitchell said. “We stay pretty much full. As we can add more seats, we get more riders.”

Creelman said the express routes have seemed “a lot more crowded” this year especially at the beginning of the semester. Justin Cox, a transfer student using Pullman Transit for the first time this semester, also noted that the buses are usually crowded.

“But there’s a lot of students so you have to expect that,” the junior criminal justice major said.

Statewide, the number of transit riders has also gradually increased since 2003, according to the 2007 Washington State Summary of Public Transportation report.

“Ridership has grown 18.12 percent since 2003 adding nearly 30 million passenger trips during the past five years,” the report states.

But the increase in riders can’t go on forever, said Don Chartock, WSDOT project development coordinator. He said the economic recession has impacted state transit systems “quite severely.” Almost every one of the 30 transit systems in the state is bringing in less revenue.

“Up until recently, there has been growth in revenue, so there was also growth in the transit systems,” Chartock said. “But revenue started to go down about a year ago and that will ultimately result in less service and therefore less riders.”

He said he expects to see a number of transit systems turn to voters to try and get more revenue.

The economic recession has had a minimal impact on Pullman Transit because its funding sources are more stable, Mitchell said.

Though students did vote last year to increase the mandatory transit fee by $10 for full-time students, that was not to make up for declining revenue, but rather to pay for increased service to meet increasing demands.

“Students took initiative to help fund a lot of the additional service,” said John Shaheen, director of Parking and Transportation Services.

In addition to money from the contract with WSU and the student transit fee, Pullman Transit receives revenue from utility taxes and operating grants from the state.

Mitchell said he expects the number of people using Pullman Transit to increase, despite the projected decrease for the rest of the state.

Pullman Transit is even planning to expand, he said. The system should acquire five new buses by 2010. The buses will replace old ones in the current fleet, but four of the new buses will also be bigger.

“If we can expand the capacity of buses, we can transport more people,” he said.

Sources:

Liz Creelman - ecreelman@wsu.edu

Justin Cox - cox24@wsu.edu

Chris Mitchell – 509-332-6535

Don Chartock – 360-705-7875

John Shaheen – 509-335-4911

Post on Frontline's Mayor West story

I did a response to this Frontline episode in J305.

See the entire post here.

Seeing part of it a second time, I still feel the same as I did then.

My biggest criticism of the entire investigation is that the Spokesman seemed too ready to believe that West molested young boys. They didn't want to see if it was proven through their investigation, it seemed, but rather used the investigation to prove that their hunch was true.

Even after West didn't go after the 17-year-old boy, they continued with the undercover operation.

Math

1) $7,885
2) 83%
3) Mean: $67,500
Median: $40,000
The median is more accurate because the CEO acts as an outlier messing with the mean.
4) It is a one percent increase in the overall food tax, but it is a 20 percent increase to the actual tax.
5) a. 25%
b. 33%
6) 10.7 %
7) Mean: $790,600
Median: $207,00
8) 3
9) Pullman - 0.0073, 73.2 assaults per 10,000 people
Spokane - 0.0025, 25 assualts per 10,000 people
10) $150,000

Ten Days in a Mad-House

I was not expecting the narrative style. It made it seem like a story, rather than a newspaper article, though it was still very interesting.

The narrative style also made it easier to tell her experiences. And because it was directly based upon her experiences, it made sense to use first person.

The account was also extremely detailed. It made me wonder if she recalled everything from memory, or found a way to take notes during her stay in the asylum. The style, however, also meant you didn't come across the serious abuse until much later in the story. A lot of time was devoted to setting up the scenario.

I was then disappointed by how the story ended and how the grand jury didn't get to see the horrible conditions for themselves.

Trend story ideas

1) Looking at the rates of students choosing to go to graduate school instead of jumping into the job market. With the poor economy, has there been an increase in the number of graduate students at WSU? What does this mean for WSU's graduate school?

2) Again focusing on the economy, are more students using Pullman transit? The fee was raised last year, but is it enough to cover the increased ridership? How is transit coping in the recession for receiving additional state funding?

Peer edits

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,” said John Gardner, WSU vice president of Economic Development and Global Engagement. “I lived in Gannon-Golds for two years, and then I switched over here. (This is a) huge difference.”

4. PCEI is hoping to change that by offering workshops like the artists’ studio roof, she said. It will help locals value and know how to implement sustainable techniques.

5. “The new dorm is likely to receive the silver rating,” Gardner said.

Everything has a consequence including sustainablity methods, consumption and ecological footprints, Englund said.

“We just have to be aware (of) the butterfly effect,” he said.

6. He also fundraises for student scholarships.

7. She said she has been ostracized in her dorm. If things continue this way, she might move to another hall.

8. Though helping to improve Pullman’s atmosphere, SEL doesn’t make Pullman completely immune from the recession, Sherman said.

Record Request Ideas

1) For the profile story, I was interested in looking into the university budget cuts to custodial services. The official sources weren't very willing to talk, but if I had documents to base my interviews around, they might feel more pressured to work with me.

2) I want to find out who the university gives student information to and what those contracts look like. What benefit does the university get and what does it do with any money raised?

3) Using records to look for any patterns is how Parking Services gives out tickets. Is the number higher at certain times of the year? What has the role of ticket prices been in the number handed out? The direction of this story would really depend on what the documents show.

Records 2

1) a. July - UFO, August - UFO, September - Guatemala
b. Lithuania

2) EPA investigation into Atlanta lead smelter
Questionable individuals retain U.S. pilot licenses

3) FOI letter generator

4) No

5) http://www.doioig.gov/upload/Smith%20REDACTED%20FINAL_080708%20Final%20with%20transmittal%209_10%20date.pdf

SEL still growing and hiring despite economy

Last May, Shawn Greenman had his last final on a Thursday. He got a job Friday and graduated Saturday.

“I always thought my senior year I would have a job lined up by April or March,” the computer engineer said. “I saw myself going crazy by March if I didn’t have something set up by then.”

Greenman said he did receive offers from several companies, but none of the positions were in the field he wanted. At the end of April, during the poster presentation for his senior design project, he was approached by a manager from Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. looking to fill software engineer positions.

“I spent the last three weeks of school preparing for the interview,” Greenman said. “Friday was a six-hour interview, but I got the job.”

While the economic recession has forced many businesses and public institutions to cut back, SEL, headquartered in Pullman, continues to grow. The state had a 9 percent unemployment rate in August, and Whitman County's unemployment rate was 5.2 percent according to the state's Employment Security Department.

But in contrast to WSU, which was forced to cut about 200 filled positions from its budget, SEL has more than 100 positions open, said Adina Bielenberg, SEL public affairs manager.

“Schweitzer is doing really well through the recession,” she said.

Edmund Schweitzer founded SEL in 1982. As part of his Ph.D. project at WSU, Schweitzer invented the first all-digital protective relay. SEL works in the power protection industry. This means its products are used to minimize blackouts and electrical system damage through monitoring and controlling electric power systems.

Before the digital relay, it was impossible to know where the fault on the power line was, Greenman said. People had to drive from one end of the line to the other, until the fault was found. Digital relays tell utility companies exactly how far a fault is from the sub station.

After selling its first products in 1984, SEL has grown to include 43 domestic offices and 30 international locations, employing 1,900 people. About 1,500 of those employees are in Pullman, Bielenberg said.

SEL is doing well during the recession because the company’s business model “is very conservative,” she said.

“The company is built on profit,” she said, “which means profit is reinvested back into the company so there’s not a lot of debt.”

Greenman said he feels lucky to have a job at SEL, even luckier because he enjoys it.

“I still have some friends who have graduated and have not found a job yet,” he said. “And some who are still in school who are just beginning to realize the job market is in a definite downturn.”

He said it doesn’t seem like there are a lot of companies hiring.

“They’re out there, but there’s less of them,” he said. “It’s an employers market, so students can’t shop around. They might just have to take a job.”

SEL’s presence does more than help students find jobs in tough times, City Supervisor John Sherman said. It also helps diversify Pullman’s economic base.

Prior to SEL’s arrival, Pullman had become over-reliant on higher education and agriculture to drive its economy, Sherman said. In 1982, both of these sectors were in trouble. WSU had benefited from the baby boom, but by '80s, it had become a “baby bust” and family farms were disappearing.

“(SEL) has really been the centerpiece for expanding Pullman’s economic base,” he said.

He said the additional 1,500 jobs in the community have had a “phenomenal” positive economic impact on the city.

“Schweitzer has made tremendous contributions to the quality of life too,” Sherman said.

Edmund Schweitzer paid more than $2 million for the Pullman Aquatic Center, which the city now runs, Sherman said. He also gifted land to the city for Terre View Park, and he has given fundraising gifts to the library and hospital.

Community is one of SEL’s company values, Bielenberg said.

She said SEL employees also recently finished a beautification project at the intersection of North Grand and Terre View. In addition, the company has partnerships with WSU, Pullman High School and the Palouse Discovery Science Center.

“We would hope we are good stewards for the community,” she said.

Though helping to improve Pullman’s atmosphere, SEL doesn’t make Pullman completely immune from the recession, Sherman said.

“We’re still feeling it through WSU, which had to make so many cuts,” he said. “But (SEL) really helped buffer the impact of the recession.”

Greenman said Pullman is great as a college student, but once all his friends move on, he’s not sure how he’ll feel about living and working in the small town.

For now, he said he’s relieved to have a job.

“I really enjoy working at SEL,” he said. “When I interviewed with the group at (SEL) I had a feeling that this is where I want to be.”

Sources

SEL Public Affairs Manager Adina Bielenberg - 509-334-8776

City Supervisor John Sherman - 509-338-3208

Shawn Greenman - 509-680-7705

Beat update, week 9

The federal govenment is providing $1 million in aid to help repair a road that washed out in Central Washington earlier this month.

Students from WSU and Eastern are working together to explore of the option of rail travel returning to the Palouse.

Follow the records

1) Enrique Fabregas was a convicted sex offender who housed foster children. The journalists found his Department of Social and Health Services' file.

2) Story: Convicts cleared to work at DSHS; 174 kept jobs despite murder, rape and more

3) It is authorizing the release of information from a private company that is usually confidential and unavailable through normal public records requests.

4) It is guidelines for when juveniles records can be released and when they will be withheld.

5) a. One had additional notes on it that may lead to more information.
b. The priest said he was holding the boys hair while he was sitting in a chair. The boy then got up so suddenly that it ripped his hair out.
c. Punishment include "hacks," haircutting and grounding. Alleged punishment also include slapping, being pushed, and being deprived of visitations home.
d. There are notes because it the response of someone who saw the report. The notes can be used because they are now part of the public record.
e. Because it's not a real draft. It is an actual report.
f. RCW 42.56.070 The routing slip has more notes on it that are part of the public records.
g. In 1978 there were allegations of abuse at the home. A mother and counselor complained.
h. confidentiality of clients

News trends and profiles

I) 1. What’s the population of Whitman County? - 41,664
2. Percent white? - 86.6%
3. Percent with bachelor’s degree? 44.0%
4. Median household income? - $36,538
5. Persons below poverty? - 26.7%

II) 1. 2004 - 21,793,767, 2005 - 40,062,508, 2006 - 34,549,367, 2007 - 31,922,839, 2008 - 14,007,013
2. 7,170,166

IV) 1. Whitman and San Juan
2. 29.2 percent

V) 1. Office of Financial Management
3. a) 1,960
b) 1,324
c) Natural increase is births minus deaths. Total increase includes people moving to the area.
7. a) 46,786

Whitman county agenda
2. a) Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee meeting
3. a) 4
b) 600,000
c) 360
d) Dr. Moody feels the county should wait to distribute the vaccine until there is enough injectable vaccine to offer to the majority of residents.

Profile story ideas

SEL: This idea would not profile a specific person, but rather Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories and how the company has impacted Pullman. It would include information about SEL, how it came to Pullman, how it has grown, etc. It would also rely on interviews from city officials to explain how SEL has changed the city since it arrived.

Capital, Planning & Development: Like the idea for SEL, this story could be about CP&D and not a specific person, but it could also be about the director, Keith Bloom. This profile would seek to explain the role and purpose of CP&D on campus and also explore why it exists. The profile would hopefully help explain why campus constantly has different construction projects happening and explore the tie to WSU's land-grant university status.

Snow removal: I thought it would be interesting to profile members of Pullman's road crew, to find out how they prepare for winter and what goes into keeping the roads clear. The story would include any changes in their strategies from past years, the impact of new technology, and any impacts on their budgets due to the poor economy and how they cope.

Pullman transit: Pullman has an amazing transit system compared to the rest of the state. It would be interesting to look at any trends in ridership. The story would also explain how the student transit fee came into existence, and how that fee is tied to transit service today. The specific individual to be profiled could be a bus driver or a Pullman transit official. Student anecdotes might also be useful for the story.

This week in infrastructure news

Construction:
Sprague project wrapping up

WSU regents approve construction bonds

Technology:
Local businesses turn to Twitter

Boeing sees $1 B charge from rising costs

City planning:
Nonprofits oppose I-1033

City releases snow removal plan

Browne's addition named one of nation's 10 greatest

Is it libelous?

1. “Up until the day he died, he was a brilliant writer. But the drugs made him a thief, a pimp and a liar,” said friend Karen Smith, who was with Johnson at the time of his death.

I think this one is a little tricky. If the friend saw a first hand account of how Johnson changed while on drugs, it could very well be the statement is true for what she saw. The statement would need to be corroborated by police reports or something before being run. The context of the rest of the story is important for this one.


2. “Megan Fox is a man!” Headline on Weekly World News Web site
Yes, this is libelous as it is untrue.

3. “In my opinion, Kevin is a murdering rapist.”
This is libelous, because having the in my opinion isn't enough to overcome that this statement is made as if fact.

Haunted Palouse helps support community

PALOUSE, Wash. – When the small town of Palouse in southeastern Washington hosted its first Haunted Palouse in October 2002, the event drew about 500 people and raised a little more than $3,000.

“We thought 500 was awesome,” Haunted Palouse organizer Annie Pillers said. “We thought we had hit the jackpot.”

Since 2002, the event has only grown. Last year about 3,400 people visited Palouse over four nights, raising more than $30,000. In its seven years, Haunted Palouse has raised a total of approximately $121,700.

“When we first started, we had (stretches of) 45 minutes with no one here,” Pillers said. “Now, you can hardly take a potty break.”

This is the eighth year for Haunted Palouse, and the event will run Oct. 23, 24, 30 and 31 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is $15.

The event began as a way to save the Roy M. Chatters Newspaper and Printing Museum on Main Street.

When Palouse flooded in 1996, there was damage to a lot of the buildings, but especially to the museum because of its wooden floors, Pillers said. The floors fell apart, forcing the museum to close.

Several years later, members of the town were trying to brainstorm fundraising ideas so the museum could re-open. Two town-newcomers went to a Chamber of Commerce meeting and suggested a haunted house.

“We didn’t know we couldn’t do it, so we did it,” Pillers said.

The museum, which now hosts one of the events’ haunted houses, is usually closed on the last Saturday of September, and then building begins, Pillers said. The museum was designed around the haunted house because a lot of the equipment is too big to move. Depending on the calendar year, there are at least two weekends to build, and the event lasts four or five nights.

“It takes a lot of man power,” Pillers said. “Easily 50 people in a night, probably more.”

As the event grew over the years, so did its number of beneficiaries. The Palouse Arts Council became involved soon after the council formed in 2004, and it now runs a second haunted house.

Some of the money raised is helping to fund the construction of a new community center and to buy playground equipment for Palouse City Hayton Green Park. The Chamber of Commerce is the official sponsor of the event and also receives a portion of the proceeds.

A new participant, the Palouse Lions Club, will be involved for the first time this year as well. The club will run a new event at Haunted Palouse – a Haunted Hay Ride.

“No one ever comes and says we need some money,” Pillers said. “They come and say, ‘we’re willing to work really hard. Can we be a beneficiary?’ It’s real community spirit.”

The Arts Council became involved as a way to raise money to operate the old Palouse Grange Hall. Most of its portion of Haunted Palouse proceeds is used for maintenance and improvements to the building and also for some events, said Kaye McGehee, Arts Council co-chairwoman for Haunted Palouse.

“Almost everyone in town comes together and contributes something to (Haunted Palouse),” she said.

As the event sponsor, the Chamber of Commerce promotes and is responsible for most of the Haunted Palouse’s planning, said Mike Milano, Palouse city councilman and chamber member.

“The city is involved to support that in any way we can,” he said.

The city makes sure there are an adequate number of police officers on duty, provides space for some of the events, and also provides for other needs like extra garbage cans, Pillers said.

Janet Barstow, treasurer of the chamber and also the museum, said she thinks the event helps put Palouse on the map.

“We talk to the guests while they wait in line,” she said. “It’s surprising how many say they didn’t even realize there is actually a town called Palouse.”

Barstow said the event will continue as long as people are willing to come.

“We would not do this if it wasn’t fun,” Pillers said. “It’s a hoot. We have a blast. We love it.”


Sources:
Annie Pillers (in person interview) – (509) 595-1129
Kaye McGehee – (509) 878-1980
Mike Milano – (509) 595-0664
Janet Barstow – (509) 878-1742

Outline:

Lede – People and money
History of Haunted Palouse (how started)
How the event works
Who benefits from Haunted Palouse and how (where money goes)
The role of the Chamber
Why the town does it

Good and bad of infrastructure

Well designed infrastructure can made a difference. Schools in the area are being remodeled with special attention being paid to certain design elements shown to improve learning. Read the story from the Spokesman-Review here.

Poorly planned infrastructure can lead to waste. Trees originally planted for beautification along the highway, now must be removed for safety reasons because they're too big. Story, again from the Spokesman, here.

Infrastructure can be inventive. This story from the Spokesman is about how Spokane is using crushed glass for road construction.

Police report

Police investigated allegations that Bishop Welsh had attempted to strangle a male prostitute while on a trip to Chicago. Welsh admitted the having relations with the prostitute, but denied the attempted strangulation.

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

Avista Utilities background information

Any blog about infrastructure in Washington state should include news and information about Avista Utilities. The most recent news about Avista, at least from the Spokesman-Review, is that the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission and the attorney general’s Public Counsel Section both oppose Avista's proposed rate increases for electricity and natural gas. See the full story here.

There is a lot of back story to Avista is the area as well. This link, also to Spokesman-Review, will take you to a list of all their stories tagged Avista Utilities. It's a great resource for getting background on the company and its interaction with people and government within the state.

Infrastructure improvements everywhere

There seems to be a never-ending number of infrastructure improvement projects on campus and in Pullman. The majority of these tend to be construction projects, but the past several years has also seen a lot of attention addressed to technological improvements as well. Just to get an idea of the number of projects, during the first week of school, The Daily Evergreen had four infrastructure-related stories.

One-way street to ease traffic -This has been a project at the university that began last year. The area in front of the Old Bookie has been redone and now includes a much nicer bus station and new one-way streets. The change is supposed to increase the safety of the area, according to Capital Planning and Development.

Pullman Transit revamps routes and buys new buses - A story about how Pullman transit is adjusting to better meet demand on some of its routes.

Pullman feels impact of stimulus money - The city of Pullman also saw some infrastructure improvements this summer. Stimulus funds from the federal government allowed the city to repave some of its roads. Also funded was technology improvements for the transit system.

City council debates water usage - The sewage and water infrastructure in Pullman has been discussed regularly in the past year by the city council. The council last week discussed ways to pay for the increased cost of this infrastructure within the city. The current proposal is a a sewer and water utility rate increase for each of the next five years

J 425 Beat ideas

Cops and courts - This beat would be interesting because it can be addressed at a variety of levels. Stories could talk about issues at WSU, in Pullman and the county. I want something that will give me some reporting opportunities outside of WSU, while also being a topic that can be covered locally.

City council/Pullman - I have previous experience covering the university, but have not done very much reporting on the city of Pullman. Covering the city council would give me some new reporting experiences.

Infrastructure - This beat could have a lot of applications and include covering construction and transportation projects. It would have local stories, but also county and possibly state stories as well. Especially because Whitman county is a rural county, improving infrastructure is of ongoing concern.

Science - Always another possibility as there is a ton of research being done at WSU that has impact far beyond the university.