New Sign Story

My boss received a press release that the Springfield Foundation donated $1,000 to the building of a new sign and landscaping on the East side of Springfield. She asked me to write a story about the progress of the funding for the sign and some more information about the plans.
I couldn't get a hold of Jim Bodenmiller, the city manager, for a few days, so I called the Springfield Foundation and talked to Ted Vander Roest about why they decided to give the money.
I also called a local business in the area, Natural Look Hair Design, to talk to someone about what they thought about the sign going up in their area.
Finally, I reached Bodenmiller, and we discussed how much more they had to raise, what the sign and landscaping would look like, and what he hoped it would do for the community. I also asked for photos and sketches and sent them to my boss.

Group Nears Goal for New Eastern Gateway

Artist Profile

Everdeen, the editor for SNS's B2B Magazine, asked me to write a profile about local artist Mike Major and to focus on how he turned his art into a business. I researched about him for a few hours to become familiar with his work and what had already been written about him, then set up an interview.

I drove all the way out to Urbana to Major's studio to interview him. He showed me some of his sculptures and paintings and, because I had researched ahead of time, I could tell him I was familiar with his work and understood the backstories on many of them. We then sat down to talk and I interviewed him for about an hour. We talked about how he became an artist, how he has made it work for him, etc. We even got into a completely unrelated discussion about the church for awhile.

After interviewing Major, I called the Springfield Art Museum to talk to Ann Fortescue, the director of the museum, because the museum had featured Major's work in expos before and has one of his sculptures out front. I talked to her about what visitors thought of his work and what she thought.

I also called an old friend and colleague of Major's and spoke with him about their relationship and what he has heard said about Major.

I have sent the rough draft into Everdeen, and it should be published in the magazine in June.

Obituary Writing

One day, my boss learned that a local business owner passed away and wanted me to write his obituary. So I looked up the business he owned, Netts Floral Co., to talk to someone there about him. I got a hold of his daughter, who now owns the business, and chatted with her about the business and what kind of man her father was. I learned in this conversation how to be compassionate and understanding while still getting the information I needed for the story.
I approached the story with the angle of him being a local business owner and concentrated on what kind of businessman he was.

Longtime Business Owner Dies

Secretary Job

I worked extra hours the week before Easter to fill in for the secretary at the Springfield News-Sun. I learned how to use the program DT, which the newsroom uses to enter stories and edit layouts. I was responsible for putting together the Local Focus, Religious Calendar, Weekly Calendar, and Move Times sections.
I had to rewrite press releases, call sources to confirm details, and whittle stories down to fit into the spaces allotted.

Day 6

Day 6- One of my editors asked me to write a preview for an event going on that weekend, the 2012 Ohio Green Build and Energy Expo. She wanted me to write about why the expo was focusing on “going green,” how it was doing so, and who was encouraged to attend. So I contacted Kent Sherry, the executive director of The Building Industry Association of Clark County, to talk to him about the expo. We spoke on the phone for 22 minutes and I took notes while we spoke. I then wrote a 12-inch story for the paper along with an “if you go” info box. My editor plans to review it in the morning then return it to me for possible revision tomorrow. The article should appear in Friday’s paper. 

Green Technology Focus of Clark Home Show

Day 5

Day 5- I was asked to look into a new business going into downtown Springfield. I called my source, Ross Buckner, to talk to him about this. He said he was starting a new business called the Springfield House Reception Facility. This would host weddings, proms, receptions, etc. and provide several outdoor resources for the events. I talked to my editor about this and when I tried to call Buckner back for more details, he was too busy to discuss it. I struggled with getting in contact with him via phone or e-mail, and we may pick up the story at a later date when the business has progressed more. I also walked to the police department to write reports.

Day 4

Day 4- I researched through the Clark County Auditor who owned the Marathon, found his number and got in contact with him to talk to him about the new restaurant. He told me he’d be opening Moose’s Middle Eastern Cuisine and Deli in the next few weeks and explained what he’d be serving and his excitement about the project. I combined his interview with the information I retrieved from the closing sign on the building and wrote up a 200-word business brief for the paper. I also traveled to the police department and wrote up reports for the paper. 

Deli, Restaurant Set to Open Soon on East Main

Day 3

Day 3- I again walked down to the police department and looked through reports and wrote blurbs about the important ones. Then, we caught wind of a rumor that a local restaurant, Scotty’s Fishin’ Chicken, had closed but had no confirmation. I spent much of the afternoon researching, trying to call the owner, etc. I eventually drove down to the restaurant and found a sign on the building explaining that they had closed and why. I wrote this down and spoke with a homeless man hanging around the building who said he knew what was going in to the building next. He directed me to the Marathon down the street where he said the owner had posted a sign of the new restaurant’s name. I drove down to the Marathon and confirmed this, planning on getting more info the next day.

Day 2

Day 2- I proofread more material for the newspaper — mostly opinion pieces and op-eds. I contacted Kim Jones, the city manager, for ordinances that would be discussed in an upcoming meeting: entering into a contract to purchase rock salt for a water-softening company, raising the city manager’s pay by 5%, and purchasing a new emergency vehicle for the fire department. I again travelled to the police department and retrieved and reported on reports. I also rode to the scene of a four-car accident with the photographer and talked to the fire assistant chief to get the information about the accident. I came back to the newsroom and wrote up a quick story about the occurrence for online.

4 Hurt in 4 Car Crash

Day 1

Day 1- I attempted to contact sources for a story about a new warehouse to hold engineering equipment in Champaign County. I travelled to the police station with a coworker and wrote down important info from police reports to write up crime blurbs. I also proofread printed pages of the newspaper for any minor errors. I then hopped in the car and rode out to the scene of a fire and learned how to take notes on the emergency vehicles that showed up and talk to the fire fighters about the incident. I helped report on the fire.