Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Practice News Story 3: Crime

Logan, UT – Yesterday at 2:20 a.m. there was a burglary in a meetinghouse belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

On the corner of 1600 East and 900 North trespassers entered through an open window of the meetinghouse. Two CPUs are reported stolen from the office room. Also, two computer monitors were smashed in the hallway.

Bob Knotz, the physical management manager of the building, found the scene as he arrived at 6 a.m. that morning. “The door was unlocked when I got there. There were two computer monitors that were destroyed on the floor,” Knotz said. Glass was everywhere. Unsure if the trespassers were still in the building, Knotz immediately left to report it. “I called the cops as soon as I saw something was wrong,” Knotz said.

“I don’t think this is an act against the Church itself,” said Sheriff Deputy Geoffrey Hasty. “Relatively, in the 11 years that I’ve been here, these incidents are few and far between. Logan’s a safe town and I don’t think this is anything to be considered a pattern.”

Bishop Lawrence Shirk, occupant of the vandalized office, expresses his concern for those with whom he affiliates. “I wasn’t as concerned about the equipment. I wanted to ensure the confidential information of my congregation was safe.” Shirk believes no personal attack was intended and feels secure about this neighborhood. “I’ve been coming to this building my whole life and I don’t recall anything like this happening before.”

The police are under investigation to identify the burglars.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Practice News Story 2: Fire

Ogden, UT - Around 2pm yesterday the building entailing Pedro's Mexican Restaurant as well as apartments, went up in flames. The fire is assumed to be caused by a grease spill in the restaurant's kitchen.

"I was cooking some tacos, and the oil popped and hit the fire. It splashed on my hands and burned me. The fire got bigger and bigger. I grabbed the extinguisher and tried to get it out, but I was not fast enough." says Pedro Sanchez, owner of restaurant.

Just five minutes after the emergency call, the fire had rapidly grown. Greg Chamberlain, Deputy Fire Cheif and first vehicle on the scene describes what he saw. "The building was entirely emblazed. I saw three individuals shouting from a window."

The three persons were Pedro's brother, Miguel Sanchez, and his two little girls, Maria del Mar, 4, and Mecedes, 2. All three were rescued by the Fire Dept with minor injuries. They were taken to a nearby hospital and released less than an hour later.

Fortunately, there were no serious injuries. Rachel Calhoun, building manager says, "I'm just glad nobody got seriously hurt. Firefighters did their job."

Plans to rebuild the building will be determined at a later time.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Practice News Story 1: Accident

Yesterday a Utah State University van rolled, killing 6.

Tremonton, UT – Driving back from a class trip near Tremonton on I-84, a group of 10 students with instructor, Evan Park, had a serious car accident after a rear tire blew out. In an attempt to gain stability, the van overcorrected, throwing multiple persons from the vehicle.

Park, who was driving, was slowing the van down as the highway moved to a bumpy and downhill slope. While traveling at under 80 mph, the rear left tire blew, causing immense black smoke to rise. As the van tipped and started to roll, several male students were “launched into the air; some as far as 100 feet away,” says Lt. Jason Jenson, Hwy. Patrol Officer.

It is unknown if anyone was wearing seatbelts. 6 of the victims were pronounced dead on the scene, while the other 5 were rushed to a nearby hospital under critical condition.

“In the history of Utah State University, this is the worst accident that has ever happened,” says Stan Albrecht, President of the university.

The trip was designed as one of many activities of AgWeek, a week to explore facets of the Agricultural Science department.

“We can get through this. And we’ll get stronger,” Albrecht says. He continues to explain the school’s focus will go toward the survivors, the families, and the entire student body.

Utah State plans to hold a ceremony in their honor. More details to follow. Funeral services will be determined at a future point.