My Earliest Memory

My earliest memory was watching the rain soaked field underneath a sheet of clear plastic being lightly pelted by raindrops. We were wondering when the rain would end so the Twins game could start. I must have been only a few years old at the time.

This was at the old Met Stadium. I don't remember much about that day, but I do remember the Twins having those blue and red looking dairy queen uniforms. It's always fun remembering things like that. Every now and then that memory pops in my head.

Commissioners Vote 5-2 Against More Funding

Commissioners struck down a $580,000 request from the local sheriff department.

Sheriff Gus Dicesari, with the support of commissioners Anita Shenuski and Raymond Laybourne, petitioned the county for eight new police cruisers and five additional deputies.

Dicesari feels these vehicles, with more than 150,000 miles on each of them, are unsafe and undependable. "It is getting too costly to maintain the older vehicles and they spend too much time in the repair shop. My deputies can’t keep driving these old vehicles. Something bad is going to happen”, he said.

Commission President Anne Chenn with the support of fellow commissioners Valerie Dawkins, Faith Ellis, Jose Gardoz and Roland Grauman are opposed to the sheriff's request. Chenn believes the county has no money left for funding. According to Chenn, the county has already reached its $127 million budget for the year. She feels that increased costs of employer health care, fuel and $30 million for a new prison contributed to the money shortfall.

Shenuski and Laybourne believe the overall shortage in funds has to do with the migrant workers who come to the county to work. "They are a problem for law enforcement, our schools and our health care system," Shenuski said. "We need to protect local residents from them." Chenn couldn't disagree more. "Those people who come here to work are descent, hardworking people," she said. "They add a great deal to the local economy and they pay taxes."

The commissioners estimate that there are around 5,000 migrant families now in the county working in agricultural, construction and service industry jobs.

Dicesari believes the commissioners are “shortchanging” the sheriff’s department to save money. “This is the first time in my 27 years as sheriff that the county hasn’t allocated money to the sheriff’s department to buy equipment,” he said. Despite Dicesari's complaints, commissioners voted 5-2 against his request.

Favre's Magic Act

This quarterback legend reminded all of us first hand how his magic works by completing a 32 yard laser for a touchdown and an improbable victory for the Minnesota Vikings with two seconds left on the clock.

My First Day at ARCC

My first day here was almost two years ago. I had just transferred from NHCC at the time so I wasn't very nervous. It was nice because I live near campus so there wasn't much of a rush for me to get to school early in the morning. My first classes that day were English, math, geography and weight room. It went pretty smoothly.

Favre Setting a New NFL Record

After setting an NFL record for the most consecutive games started, Brett Favre threw for two touchdowns and 155 yards while leading the Minnesota Vikings to a victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Crash on Interstate 790

A collision this morning on Interstate 790 killed two people while injuring twenty, four of them seriously according to Sgt. Albert Wei of the police department. An investigation is ongoing.

At around 6:45 a.m. two tractor trailers collided which started a chain reaction among the morning rush hour. Fire Chief Tony Sullivan said that three of the cars involved in the pile up had their roofs cut off to free the trapped drivers and passengers. Two of the worst victims were flown out by the "Life Flight" helicopter.

The interstate was still closed at the deadline of this story. Officials aren't sure when it will be re-opened.

Kanye West

Kanye West stole a precious moment from a young Taylor Swift the other night when excepting her first VMA award. Our president chimed in with his thoughts today with an off the record quote in calling Kanye a "jackass" for his actions the other night.

Restaurant

The last restaurant I visited was a crowded Buffalo Wild Wings. I went there for happy hour the other week with a friend of mine. The place was loud and all of the big flat television screens had the event of the moment glaring back to us in their high definition pictures. I didn't eat anything this time. I had a few cold foamy beers in a large chilled glass container my server had given me. My friend on the other hand, had a few hot tasting quesadillas which I had to try out. Good times.

Dos and Don'ts of Leads

I've learned that a lead should stress the unusual. Leads also should be concise. This helps keep the reader interested and wanting to read on. Using strong, active verbs helps in doing this.

There are many ways you don't want to write a lead. Exaggeration and not stating the obvious are a few that I've learned thus far. Stating the obvious makes the story ineffective. It makes the reader feel like they've read similar stories before. Exaggerating the lead makes your story weaker.