each agency. They should note that it might also be possible to locate a relative of the
child believed drowned. That could provide a useful (though perhaps awkward)
interview.
b. Tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes typically cause damage of such a magnitude
that early estimates are unreliable. An insurance executive may provide a better
estimate than a fire or police official. The story should acknowledge that the estimate
is, at best, a guess.
10. There is little question about what the lead for this story should be. Essential elements are
the correct spelling
for the driver of the third vehicle. Here is one version of the story.
in satisfactory condition at the hospital. Also injured was Ruth Andersen, 42, of 88
Police said the accident occurred as Bowen attempted to turn left from Thompson
Lane onto Lindbergh Avenue. He turned into the path of the school bus, which was
246
headed north on Lindbergh. The bus, driven by Lindell B. Johnson, 24, of 3033
and traveled 54 feet north of the
11. Students who check the Springfield City Directory will find that the correct spelling of
An electrical short apparently started a two-alarm fire that caused $1.2 million in
damage to an electronics firm Wednesday night.
Fire Lt. Steven Gorman said the fire at T&L Electronics Co., 4404 U.S. 90, was
ernando
Lopez, 27, of 348 Elm St., said he was making his rounds when he noticed that the rear
of the building was unusually hot.
247
Gorman said low water pressure in the area hampered firefighters. New water mains
are to be installed in the area next year.
The business is owned by George Popandreau, who is on vacation in Florida.
Popandreau, reached by phone, told police the building and contents are fully insured.
He said he will return to the city tomorrow to begin moving the business to another
location and to restock the inventory.
12. Point out to students that they need to be careful about including the allegation that Stone
was drunk. That information is unproven, and it could be libelous. Here is one way to
write the story.
Two (Springfield) residents who noticed smoke coming from a house as they returned
fire officials said
Wednesday.
The fire apparently was started by a cigarette left burning in an ashtray, said Capt.
Anne Gonzalez, city fire marshal. The owner of the house, Albert Stone of 2935
Parkway Drive, was home alone at the time.
248
Gonzalez said there were signs that a cigarette had been left burning in the living
13. A. a. Obvious sources: Valentine Schettler, Jon Miller, and Mary Gingerich of the Amish
community.
b. Other possible sources: university experts on Amish communities; police and
community residents in Ohio; religious experts.
c. The story is a superficial, three-source story. It is intended as a localization of a
tragedy that occurred in another state. But the reporter did no more than read wire
B. a.
from the state Division of Health Resources; Don Needham, director of the state
Division of Highway Safety; the Highway Patrol; statistics from the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Mothers Against Drunk Driving survey.
b. Other possible sources: a representative of Mothers Against Drunk Driving; the
parents of a teenager killed in a highway accident.
249
Court Stories
14. A.
compelling. With a stronger lead, it could have been an outstanding story. When the
news is compelling, the best thing a reporter can do is let the story tell itself. In
general, this writer did just that.
15. Here is one way to write the story.
John R. Wallinger, 29, of 202 Park Place, pleaded not guilty (Tuesday) to a charge of
robbing the Black Derby Liquor Store (date).
Wallinger said he could not afford an attorney, so Magistrate Darla Mickelson
appointed Public Defender Linda Treator to defend him.
More details of the robbery could be included. What really is needed, however, is more
information about the court appearance, including the bail amount set by the judge. It also
would be good if the reporter could learn how police connected Wallinger to the robbery.
16. Point out to students that there is much information here that should not be used or should
be used only after additional verification. Some of the information serves to convict the
suspect in the press. Here is one way to write the story.
Police arrested a man (Monday) who they believe may be responsible for as many
as 40 burglaries during the past year.
John A. Intaglio, 22, of 2909 Richardson St., was charged with the burglaries of
seven northside homes and businesses. Prosecutor Ralph Gingrich said Intaglio also
was charged with seven counts of stealing and four counts of selling stolen
merchandise.
Police Chief Antonio Grasso said investigators started checking on Intaglio after
receiving reports of stolen merchandise being sold to a fence. Police have obtained a
warrant for the arrest of the fence, who has left town.
The seven burglaries with which Intaglio has been charged are:
17. Here is one way to write this court story.
The attorney for a man accused of a series of northside burglaries charged (Monday)
that Circuit Judge Thompson Dickerson III is prejudiced against his Italian client.
251
Attorney Richard Delano, 2020 First St., asked for a mistrial on grounds that
Dickerson dislikes Italians. He said Dickerson has tried 14 cases involving Italian
defendants in the six years he has been on the bench, and all 14 were convicted.
client. Leave the rest to me. I can assure you that I like Italian
The seven burglaries with which Intaglio has been charged are:
Bill Rhone Texaco, 1212 Fifth St., $23 and a calculator, Sept. 17.
Sept. 20.
During
stolen the items, Delano objected and asked for a mistrial. The judge denied that
motion but ruled the testimony inadmissible and instructed the jury to ignore it.
18. Here is one way to write the acquittal story.
252
John A. Intaglio was acquitted (Tuesday) of burglarizing seven homes and businesses
in the northside area.
The jury deliberated only 20 minutes before returning its verdict. None of the jurors
would comment on the decision.
nother chance, though. We plan to try him in connection with some other
Defense attorney Richard Delano said his client was innocent and a victim of
e said.
The seven burglaries with which Intaglio had been charged are:
Bill Rhone Texaco, 1212 Fifth St., $23 and a calculator, Sept. 17.
d at $300,
Sept. 20.
19. a. Misdemeanor: A crime classified as a minor offense. Some crimes may be
misdemeanors in one state and felonies in another.
b. Felony: A crime classified as serious, including murder, rape and grand theft.
c. Preliminary hearing: A hearing to determine if there is probable cause to hold a
defendant for further court action in a higher court.
d. Arraignment: The procedure in which a judge informs the defendant of the charge
against him or her and advises the defendant of the right to counsel. Often the
defendant is asked to enter a plea.
e. Probable cause: A determination by a judge that there is sufficient reason to believe a
crime has been committed and that the defendant committed it.
f. Grand jury: A citizen panel charged with reviewing evidence in secret to determine
whether an indictment or charge should be issued.
g. True bill: An indictment.
h. Not true bill: A refusal to indict.
i. Indictment: A grand jury charge that an individual or group has committed a crime.
20. Because the prosecutor must show that a crime was committed and that there is reason to
believe that the defendant committed it, a preliminary hearing may reveal much about
what happened and the nature of evidence against the accused.
21. The two opposing attorneys are the most likely sources. The judge cannot talk about the
case, and restrictions about discussing the case will have been placed on the police.
22. For students to understand the court system, it helps for them to view it firsthand. That is
the purpose of this exercise, which can be done with any court. Traffic cases are
254
suggested here merely because they are usually easy to understand. More complicated
cases may baffle the courtroom newcomer.
23. This exercise is an extension of exercise 22. Here, however, the student should be able to
obtain information about the crime from a newsroom library or through an Internet
24. a. Obvious sources: Rahsetnu Miller, associate public defender; court records.
b. Other possible sources: prosecutors; local police; Mississippi authorities.
25. Key figures in the O.J. Simpson case were O.J. Simpson, the accused; Marcia Clark, the
prosecutor; Lance Ito, the judge; Johnnie Cochran, a defense attorney; Robert Shapiro, a
defense attorney; F. Lee Bailey, a defense attorney; and numerous witnesses.
Obituaries and Life Stories
26. a. The basic information missing is cause of death, age and date of birth, address of
deceased and names of survivors. Beyond that, information should be obtained about
s, achievements and so on.
27. a. Funeral services for Jeanelle Crookstein, (age), a former Springfield High School
Student Council president, will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the First Methodist Church.
Ms. Crookstein, daughter of Don and Jane Crookstein, died (date) in a skiing
accident in Vail, Colo.
b. Pearl Cornell, 73, an active volunteer in Springfield organizations for nearly four
decades, died (date).
255
c. Jackson Adams, who died watching the oldest of his three sons play basketball (date),
will be buried (date).
Alternative: Jackson Adams, 44, a widower with three sons, died while watching his
eldest play basketball yesterday.
28. a. Ronald H. Lache, (age), a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, died June 16 at his
home, 105 Alhambra Ave., Springfield.
Lache moved to Springfield five years ago from Dayton, Ohio. He was a member of
the Newman Center and the Rock Bridge Lions Club.
He was born Nov. 3, 1950, in Philadelphia to Harry and Thelma Curry Lache. He is
survived by his mother and his son, Ronald C., both of Springfield; and three
daughters, Barbara Ann Peck of Dayton; Patrice Louis Wylie of Indianapolis; and
Cynthia Lache of San Mateo, Calif.
b. Raymond Lee Hope, who has been an area auto supply businessman since 1974, died
June 20 in Springfield Hospital. He was (age).
256
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. June 22 at Faith Baptist Church with the Rev.
Eugene McCubbins officiating. Burial will be at Memorial Park Cemetery.
Visitation will be at the Restwell Funeral Home, 2560 Walnut St., from 7 to 9 p.m.
June 21.
He was born July 3, 1932, in Chicago to Virgil and Flossie Dissart Hope. He
married Mary Alice Willett in 1953 in Chicago. The couple moved to Springfield the
same year.
He is survived by his wife; his daughter, Raycene Bach, of Springfield; and his
brother, Earl, of Chicago.
c. Henry Higgins, (age), a former University of Illinois football player, was killed Friday
night in a two-car collision at the corner of U.S. 63 and Route NN in rural Lincoln
County.
Funeral services will be Tuesday at the Newman Center with Father Ralph Green
officiating. Burial will be in the City Cemetery.
Born in Springfield, Sept. 24, 1988, Higgins was president of his Springfield High
School senior class and earned letters for two years as a tight end on the University of
Illinois football team.
257
He is survived by his wife, Cloris, of 209 Fourth St.; his parents, Ralph and Amy
Higgins, of Columbia; a sister, Ruth, of Birmingham, Ala.; and a brother, Russell, of
St. Louis.
29. a. Call the personnel office of the mill, and find out who his department foreman was.
b. The information suggests that the girl died of cancer. The best people to call are her
parents. The clergyman or clergywoman handling the funeral may be able to give you
information to help you approach the family. He or she might even make the contact
for you.
c. Call the funeral home and find out whom they are dealing with. Check the newspaper
library. Talk to neighbors. In each instance, you are trying to find information about
30. a. This question asks students to balance the fact that the man was a private citizen
against the fact that he committed suicide on public property. The fact that apparently
no one saw the suicide because it was at night makes it an even tougher judgment call.
b.
mayor was a public official.
c. AIDS is still a taboo subject among many segments of society. And as long as society
regards AIDS as a stigma, newspapers will have a difficult time reporting it. Society
loses because it will continue to lack information about the pervasiveness of the
CHALLENGE EXERCISES
31. There are many similarities between the Sheppard case and the Simpson case. But
instantaneous television coverage made media presence more of a problem in the
32. Alternatively, you might have students write advance obituaries for one or two people
(preferably one nationally known person and one local figure) that you assign. You might