Homework - Field Trip to jail

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Story:
New Mexico (2/16/2011) - Most schools send students to a museum or the theater for a day away from the classroom. But one New Mexico state lawmaker is proposing a field trip to jail.

Rep. David Chavez introduced a bill Tuesday that would make middle school students have to visit jail and juvenile detention facilities. Chavez believes the reality check would keep kids in school and out of trouble.

Parent Monique Jackson said she didn't like the idea.

"Who knows what's said to them when they go on these field trips?" Jackson asked.

New Mexico has the second lowest graduation rate in the country.  David Chavez wants to make kids stay in school so that they will graduate.

Questions:
1. Where did this story take place?
2. When did this story take place?
3. What is the name of the lawmaker who wants to make students have to go on jail field trips?
4. Why does he want the students to visit a jail?
5. Which state has the second lowest graduation rate in the country?
6. Do you think that sending students on a jail field trip would help them to stay in school? Why or why not?

Info reposted from Huffington Post. Video from koat.com. Pic from http://rlv.zcache.com/

Homework- Anti-Immigration Activist Convicted

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Story:
Arizona (2/15/2011)  -- An Arizona anti-illegal immigration activist was convicted on Monday of killing two Latinos in 2009: nine-year-old Brisenia Flores and her father, Raul Flores. 


'Convicted' means to be found guilty of a crime.


The killer, Shawna Forde, is a former member of the Minutemen, which patrols the southern border vigilante-style in order to stop Latinos from entering the USA.


Although the shootings were never classified as a hate crime, Latino groups say that the murder victims were chosen because they were Latinos.  


The details are chilling: Shawna Forde and two others entered the Flores home. They were looking for a million-dollar drug stash that did not exist, and shot both of Brisenia Flores' parents before turning the gun on the child.


As her mother played dead, Brisenia Flores said, "Please don't shoot me," before being shot twice in the head.


A jury convicted Forde of planning and executing the raid that led to the deaths of Raul and Brisenia Flores, and of the attempted murder of Gina Gonzales, the child's mother (she survived the attack). 


Forde was also convicted on two counts of aggravated assault and counts of burglary, armed robbery and aggravated robbery.


Questions:
1. Where did this story take place?
2. When did this story take place?
3. What were the names of the 2 people that were killed?
4. What is the name of the lady that killed them?
5. What was the name of the child's mother?
6. What does the word 'convicted' mean?
7. What do you think, was this crime committed to get drug money or was this crime committed because the victims were Latinos? Explain your answer.


Info from the Huffington Post. Video from CNN. Pic from http://1.bp.blogspot.com

Homework - Crazy guy stabs 8 people

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Story:
NYC (2/13/11) - Charges have been made against the Brooklyn man accused of killing four people and seriously wounding four others in a 28-hour carjacking and stabbing spree.


The New York City Police Department says Maksim Gelman, 23, faces four counts of murder, one count of attempted murder as well as assault, robbery and weapons charges.


Police arrested Gelman at a Times Square subway station Saturday morning.


Investigators say he stabbed his stepfather, Alexander Kuznetsov, to death Friday morning after a dispute over taking his mother's Lexus.


After that, they say he went to the home of his former girlfriend, Yelena Bulchenko, where he stabbed her mother and later Bulchenko herself, killing both.


"He was obsessed with her, he stalked her, he waited for her and she tried to run and he wouldn't let her run and he stabbed her to death," said Bulchenko's boyfriend, Gerard Honig.


Investigators say Gelman later carjacked a Pontiac and stabbed the driver, who is recovering in the hospital.


Police say Gelman then struck and killed a pedestrian, Stephen Tanenbaum, before abandoning the car.


Gelman is accused of later stabbing a livery cab driver and another man while carjacking his Nissan.


Both men survived.


Early Saturday, police say a 911 caller reported seeing a man who fit Gelman's description on a southbound 1 train.


They say a second witness told officers at 96th Street that the same man knocked a newspaper out of her hand and said "Do you believe what they're writing about me?"


After Gelman switched to a northbound 3 train at 34th Street, police say he stabbed a 40 year-old-man in the neck before pounding on the motorman's door, claiming to be a police officer.


That's when police who were on board looking for Gelman came out of the compartment and arrested him.


"You know it's so horrendous and bizarre. We have no reason that we can give you as to why he did this," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.


The man Gelman is accused of stabbing on the train survived.


Police say Gelman has been arrested 10 times before on drugs and graffiti charges. He was also arrested last month for crack possession.


Questions:
1. Where did this story take place?
2. When did this story take place?
3. How many people were killed?
4. How many people were wounded?
5. What is the name of the guy who stabbed all these people?
6. How many times was the guy arrested before this?
7. Why do you think this man stabbed all these people?


Info from NY1. Pic = CBS.com

Homework - Trey Songz tells kids to go to school

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Click HERE to watch the video.


Story:
NYC (2/10/11) - The mayor has teamed up with some big names to get kids who cut class to go back to school.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched a program called "Wake Up! NYC," the city's first multimedia campaign aimed at lowering the number of students that skip school.


The program encourages really absent students, by giving them automated wake-up calls recorded by stars like Magic Johnson, New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes and R&B artist Trey Songz.


"When they get the message, they will do what the message is asking them to do. Take responsibility for your child, or if you're a child, take responsibility for your own life, and go to school," said Bloomberg.


"It may be cool to skip out every now and then. And my man shook his head, he said, 'No, that's not cool.' And that's the attitude to have," said Trey Songz.


"You know, imagine the young girls, how excited they’ll be when they hear Trey Songz say, ‘Yup, it’s school time,’” said BET host Terrence J.


BET, MTV, Kiss FM and Hot 97 will also take part in the initiative, promoting attendance through on-air and social media.


The new campaign builds on a pilot program that began last year at 25 schools with high absenteeism. Among other things, the city paired up chronically absent students with adult mentors. Officials say, so far, the results are promising.


School attendance improved almost across the board; Isaac Newton Middle School reduced absenteeism almost 39 percent.


Questions:
1. Where did this story take place?
2. When did this story take place?
3. Who are some of the stars involved in this program?
4. What radio stations are involved in this program?
5. What is this new program called?
6. How will this new program help students?
7. Would you go to school if Trey Songz told you to?


Info from NY1

Homework - 9 people injured in fire

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Story:


Bronx (2/10/2011) - Nine people were injured, one seriously, in a fire that broke out early this morning in the Bronx.


The New York City Fire Department says the fire began on the third floor of 1204 Gilbert Place in Hunts Point just before 5:30 a.m. and was brought under control about 40 minutes later.


One tenant says she was awakened by the fire alarm and found her living room filled with smoke. She and her three year-old child used the fire escape to get out of the building.


"It was totally tragic. It was so scary,” said the resident. “I couldn't breathe. I thought I was going to pass out."


Nine people were taken to the hospital, including one woman was overcome by smoke and was found passed out in a hallway.
She remains at Jacobi Hospital in serious condition.


The cause of the fire is under investigation.


Questions:
1. Where did this story take place?
2. When did this story take place?
3. What time did the fire start?
4. How many people were injured?
5. What hospital were they taken to?
6. How many minutes did it take to get the fire under control?


Info from NY1

Homework - So many potholes!

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Story:
NYC (2/8/11) - Mandatory time off is making fixing the city's numerous potholes even more challenging.


Last week, the Department of Transportation started five-day furloughs for road crews as a way to save the city $1 million.


A furlough is when you have to take unpaid days off your job so that your employer can save money.


The agency said the furloughs were necessary to prevent layoffs.


According to the DOT, it takes the city 3.6 days to fill a pothole after a complaint is filed. A year ago the city would fix it in 1 or 2 days. 


While the DOT says it is doing all it can, drivers are getting frustrated with the situation.


"Right now, I can't understand why they will not do nothing in the street,” said a driver. "I can say that because it bottomed my tire flat two times in the street. It is very bad."


"There are too many potholes," said another. "I've never seen this many in my life. It's real bad, real bad."


"I had to use a spare and come up and fix my tire today and now I'm running late to work," said a third.


With Tuesday morning's rain and the colder air that then moved back into the city, there is a good chance there will be more potholes on the way.


DOT officials say they are working with available resources and have filled more than 45,000 holes since the Christmas blizzard. It has 40 crews working on at least 2,000 potholes a day across the five boroughs.


Questions:
1. Where did this story take place?
2. When did this story take place?
3. What is a furlough?
4. How many days does it take to fix a pothole now?
5. How many days did it take last year?
6. How many potholes did the DOT fix since the Christmas blizzard?
7. How do drivers feel about the potholes?


Info from NY1

Homework - Sprint now has a phone with two screens

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Story:


NYC (2/7/11) - Sprint is hoping that the Echo, an Android device, will appeal to anyone looking for a bigger  screen. The phone lets you have two screens if you want.  


"With Echo you can do two completely separate things at the same time or you can play your favorite game or watch your favorite video with both screens combined making this device almost like a mini-tablet, but one small enough you can put into almost any pocket," said Sprint CEO Dan Hesse. "Echo allows you to run two apps at the same time and independently on two separate displays. And you could search the web on one screen while checking your email on the other."


A few new gestures unique to the device allows users to pull up menus on each screen or quickly swap screens. Developers also showed off a special YouTube app that allows users to watch on one screen while queuing up a playlist on the other.


The phone will go on sale in the Spring for $200 with a 2 year contract.


Questions:
1. Where did this story take place?
2. When did this story take place?
3. What is the name of the phone?
4. How many screens does the phone have?
5. How many apps can you run at the same time?
6. How much does this phone cost?


Info from NY1

Homework - No more smoking in the park

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Story:
NYC (2/2/11) - The City Council approved a proposal that will make it illegal to smoke at city parks and beaches.

This law will be called the  Smoke Free Air Act. The City Council vote was 36 to 12.

The law will make it illegal to smoke in the city’s approximately 14 miles of public beaches and 1,700 parks, including pedestrian plazas like those in Times Square and Herald Square.

The city already prohibits smoking at playgrounds, outdoor sporting events and concerts, as well as at bars and restaurants.


The proposal is designed to protect the public from the breathing in secondhand smoke. But smokers are saying that they have rights to use the parks too because they pay taxes.


If someone is caught smoking under the new ban, parks enforcement will be allowed to issue a $50 summons.

Questions:
1. Where did this story take place?
2. When did this story take place?
3. What is the name of the new law?
4. What does the new law make illegal?
5. What are smoking saying about this new law?
6. What is the fine for smoking in the park?

Info from NY1

Homework - Volcano in Japan Erupts

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Click HERE to watch the video.


Story:
Japan (2/1/2011) - Japan's Mount Shinmoedake volcano erupted again Tuesday in its biggest explosion yet.


The eruption sent a large cloud of ash and smoke hundreds of feet in the air, and was so powerful it blew out windows in buildings about 5 miles away. A woman suffered cuts from shattered glass caused by the blast.


Authorities have increased the restricted area around Mount Shinmoedake from 1 mile to 2 miles. This is  the volcano's first major eruption in 52 years. Air and rail services in the area were affected, and authorities have advised more than 1,000 residents living near the volcano to evacuate.


Questions:
1. Where did this story take place?
2. When did this story take place?
3. What is the name of the volcano that erupted?
4. What does the word erupted mean?
5. How many years ago was this volcano's last eruption?
6. How many residents were asked to evacuate their homes?




Story from Voice of America. Video from the Guardian. Pic from daily news.