By: Justine Biglow & Kramer Scott

The University of Portland has many different bike racks where students and professors may lock up their bikes. This one is located outside of the Library.

 

Riding a bike is a great way to get to school from home…until it gets stolen.  Judging by the full bike racks around campus, many students at the University of Portland ride their bikes to school and it is surprising to see how many bikes are not locked up.  They range from old childhood bikes, to brand new ones, and apparently students trust that their bike will not get stolen.

            Lately, luck has been running out for those students who do not lock their bikes up.  Junior Scotty Burris has had two of his bikes stolen within the past year.  “My first bike was parked right outside of the Chiles Center, unlocked, and when I came out it was gone,” said Burris.  “My second bike was unlocked on a bike rack outside of Corrado Hall and the next day it wasn’t there.”  Burris learned from his first bike though and registered his second bike with Public Safety, so when it was stolen, he reported it and about two months later he found it in Villa Marie.

            Junior Kevin Armijo experienced the same problem when he thought his bike was safe in the backyard of his own home.  Armijo leaned his bike up against the fence in his backyard and left for Christmas break.  But when he returned, he found the gate to his backyard open, and his bike gone.  “I was pretty upset when I saw my bike was gone, I loved my beach cruiser,” said Armijo.  “Now I tell all my friends that have bikes to make sure and lock their bikes to a firm object in the ground.”

            According to the website www.sfmta.com the best objects to lock a bike to is a parking meter, a sign pole, a bike rack, or when at home leave it indoors.  The website also recommends writing down the bike’s serial number and/or engraving your name into the bike.  This will make the bike less appealing to someone trying to steal it.

            There are three important steps to remember when locking up a bike according to the website www.missinglink.org.  First, get a lock that works (the U-shaped locks are recommended).  Second, use the lock.  Third, take off the front wheel, put it next to the back wheel, and lock both wheels and the frame of the bike all together to a bike rack or post.  Nobody will be able to steal any part of the bike when it is locked up like that.

            Riding bikes to school is a good way to save on gas, help out the environment, and get good exercise.  Universities should promote students riding their bikes to school, and need to aide in proper instruction to ensure that bike theft will not be a common practice on the campus.

Senior Brent Miller locks up his bike while heading in to take a final; making sure to lock his bike to a secure object in the ground. This makes it harder for the bike to be stolen.

While Public Safety at the University of Portland monitors bikes, and patrols the campus, they cannot keep every theft from happening.  Theft so far this school year is at less than ten bikes, according to Public Safety Official Steve Watson.  Students need to do their part in locking up their bikes.  However, with their 24-hour help system, students may report stolen bikes to them as soon as they go missing, and they will work with you to help you get your bike back.  The number to call is 503-943-7161.

            Working together will keep students and their bikes safe on campus.  If you do your part, Public Safety will do theirs.  Steve Watson, of the Public Safety Office said, “Often the bikes are recovered providing they have a UP bike ID sticker and have been registered with us.” 

For a bike locking video tutorial, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6xnkEkP2WY&NR=1, and remember to lock your bike!  

The University of Portland Public Safety Building is open 24-hours a day. Stop by and report any theft issues as soon as possible.

Sources

1. Scotty Burris: Junior University of Portland Student
2. Kevin Armijo: Junior University of Portland Student
3. Brent Miller: Senior University of Portland Student (photographed)
4. Steve Watson of the Office of Public Safety at the University of Portland
5. The Missing Link Website www.missinglink.org  
6. You Tube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6xnkEkP2WY&NR=1, 
7. San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency: www.sfmta.com 

When the Exxon tanker Valdez wrecked and spilled in Valdez, Alaska, the town’s small radio station KCHU quickly filed for bankruptcy.  The huge environmental disaster made the small station run out of its annual budget.  Exxon tried to give the station a check to help them back on their feet but “We have strict underwriting guidelines that say a corporation cannot pay for coverage of a particular situation or event in which they figure.” said Diane Kaplan, network executive director. The good new is that KCHU will soon be back on its feet thanks to public fundraising.

I feel that this solution was the best they could do.  Exxon tried to help out the small radio station but because of the station’s strict policy on not allowing a corporation to pay for coverage of a particular situation, they didn’t take the money.  It is great to hear that the station will be back on it’s feet soon due to public fundraising.  That shows that the town really cares about their small radio station.

Do I Stop Him?

After hearing about a stake out on a police scanner, two reporters went to go see if they could get a good story about what was going on.  When they got to the stake out, the stake out was over and the suspect was running on foot with the police right behind him.  The two reporters decided to go a little ahead of the chase to see the arrest but when they got there the suspect was getting away from the police, so one of the reporters decided to take matters into his own hands and get out of the car and catch the suspect himself.  When the suspect saw him get out of the car, he thought he was a cop and gave up.  In a matter of seconds the officers chasing him had caught up and were arresting him.

I thought it was a great decision by the reporter to get out and help the officers.  It was a courageous act and he may have saved a couple of lives just by this one action of not letting the suspect get away.  I think if the reporter didn’t get out and try to stop him, he would have been kicking himself for the rest of his life.

Kramer Scott was the first man to ever set foot on the distant planet Mars.

As the first person to walk on Mars, Kramer Scott, at the age of 89, died of skin cancer last Wednesday.
Born on September 14, 1989 to Stacie and Kevin Scott, Kramer Scott was the twinkle of his parents’ eyes.  He was a shy child that had big dreams and never gave up on them.
At age 5, Kramer Scott found his first love in baseball.  “He always told us he was going to play professionally,” said his mother Stacie Scott.  Kramer’s life revolved around baseball, spending every summer from the age of 10 playing baseball non-stop.  “He never really had the summer of an average kid,” said his father Kevin Scott.  “We were always travelling for baseball, whether it was to Oklahoma, California, Arizona, Illinois, we travelled all over the place.”
His love for baseball earned him a scholarship at the University of Portland, where he played four years under head coach Chris Sperry.  “Kramer always said he was at the University of Portland for baseball and that school came second,” said his sister Haley Scott.  “But he was a really good student always getting A’s and B’s so he really wasn’t just there for baseball.”
During his junior year, Kramer received an internship to the NASA space program and his life took a whole new direction.  He went down to Florida for the summer and worked in the communications office.  “We thought it would be a fun summer for him but we never thought it would change his whole future outlook,” said Stacie Scott.  “He didn’t talk about playing baseball anymore, he talked about going into space and being the first to walk on Mars.”
After graduating from the University of Portland in 2012, Kramer Scott moved down to Florida where he worked at the Kennedy Space Station.  He started in the communication offices of the space station, just as he did in his summer internship, but soon convinced his peers that he was going to be an astronaut.  “He didn’t seem like the astronaut type,” said co-worker Phil Johnson.
But in 2017, Kramer went on his first trip to the moon.  “He was pretty excited about his first trip to the moon, but he wanted to do something nobody else had done before,” said Kevin Scott.
Kramer Scott went to the moon eight times between the years 2017 and 2020.  But in 2021, Kramer Scott made history.  He was the first man to walk on the distant planet Mars.  In respect for his idol Neil Armstrong, Kramer’s first words on Mars were those of Armstrong’s on the Moon.  “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”  His name now stands next to that of Neil Armstrong.
Survivors of Kramer Scott are his sister, Haley Scott; his wife; and his two sons and daughter and four grandchildren.
Visitation is set for 1 p.m. today until the funeral service at 3 p.m. both at the Westgate Chapel, 1121 228th Ave. N in his hometown of Edmonds, Washington.

Disclaimer: This assignment is not to be taken as true

Freshman Chet Thompson tore his UCL in March 2009.

The Scar On Their Elbow Will Only Make Them Stronger- Literally

University of Portland Baseball stars receive Tommy John Surgery to reconstruct their elbows

By: Kramer Scott

Three hours of surgery and a year of rehab later, junior Owen Jones and freshman Chet Thompson have stronger right arms than they did a year ago.  Both University of Portland (UP) players blew their elbows out in the early part of 2009, and have been rehabbing vigorously after their Tommy John surgery.

Jones hurt his elbow during January of 2009 while he was throwing in an indoor bullpen (when baseball pitchers pitch inside during the off season to keep their arms in shape.)  Thompson hurt his arm during March of 2009 when he was pitching in his first senior high school game.  He said he heard a “pop” in his elbow and had a funny feeling.  “The next day, I tried to throw and the pain in my elbow was so excruciating that I could not throw more than five feet,” he said.

Jones and Thompson both tore the same tendon, the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) which is on the inside of the right elbow.  Patients who injure this ligament experience pain on the inside of their elbow and instability of the joint.  According to the website WebMD, the UCL plays an important role in most throwing sports, including baseball and javelin, as well as racquet sports and ice hockey.

“I could feel the elbow shift in and out of the joint because the ligament was no longer holding it firmly together,” said Thompson.

The surgical reconstruction to fix this injury is called “Tommy John.”  It was developed in 1974 by Dr. Frank Jobe and named after the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John, who tore his UCL and agreed to an experimental surgery by Dr. Jobe to keep his injury from being career-ending.  The surgery involves replacing the torn UCL with another tendon from the body.

“The tendon to replace my torn UCL was harvested from my right wrist and forearm,” Jones said. “It is a tendon that only 85% of people even have and it is a tendon that overtime has become obsolete in the human body.”

Chet is one of the 15% of people who do not have two wrist ligaments so his doctor considered taking a tendon from his hamstring.  But this was another surgery that he did not want to have to recover from.  “So, I went with the third option of taking a hamstring muscle from a cadaver,” he said.

According to Jones, Tommy John Surgery costs around $12,000 and is covered by one’s insurance because the injury is considered catastrophic.

For both athletes, the difference between their elbows before and after the surgery is quite noticeable.  “It feels like there is more “stuff” in it,” said Jones.  Chet feels the same way.  “When I compare now to when I tore my ligament, I cannot believe how unstable my arm was,” he said.  “My arm feels 100% better.”

Tommy John surgery is becoming more frequent among young athletes.  As said by medpagetoday.com, this is most likely because the rise of year-round baseball does not give young arms the rest they need.  Overuse, along with poor conditioning and strength training, are likely factors that lead to injury of the UCL. The Fanhouse website reports that some parents are taking the surgical reconstruction too far and asking doctors to give their kids Tommy John surgery, even when they do not need it, thinking that it will make their children’s arms stronger.

Some UP athletes say they wouldn’t consider such a drastic measure, even if they knew it would make their arm stronger.  Sophomore Kyle Kraus said, “I would not want to sit out for that long.”  Senior Brent Miller agrees with Kraus and feels that it is not worth missing a whole year.

Senior Austin Pearce had a different perspective on the drastic measure.  “I would go through with the surgery because I feel it would improve my chances of getting drafted to play professionally.”

Thanks to the Tommy John surgery, Thompson and Jones don’t have to sit on the sidelines for the rest of their lives; they have a chance to play.  “We are just excited for the season to start and can’t wait to test our arms out,” said Jones.

Sources:

Owen Jones

Chet Thompson

Kyle Kraus

Austin Pearce

Brent Miller

Fanhouse.com

medpagetoday.com

first hand observations

The UCL is important for sports that involve rotation of the shoulder

After the surgical reconstruction, a scar still remains.

A pitcher exerts a lot of force on his elbow every time he pitches.

ON THE DECLINE

The New York Post is losing circulation fast, dropping almost 30% in the last 2.5 years.  It is having trouble competing with other newspapers as well as websites that provide the same type of information.  The Post has not been profitable for quite some time now and lost as high as $70 million last year which has left employees wondering about their future.

Truffles 1 oz.    About $3.13
Hershey’s 1 oz.    About $.40
Ghiradelli 1 oz.    About $1
Godiva 1 oz.    About $2
Godiva “G” series 1 oz.    About $7

A local resident is getting quite the attention for her new company.  Truffle Love has been featured on “Good Morning America” and has quite a following both locally and nationally.  After taking out a $10,000 cash advance for equipment and ingredients, her small factory is now selling more than $10,000 worth of truffles each month.  Her truffles are selling for around $3.13 an ounce compared to other chocolates such as Ghiradelli going for about $1 an oz., a Hershey $.40 an oz., Godiva $2 an oz. and Godiva “G” series being the most expensive at $7 an oz.

Workers Walk off CityCenter site in protest

Union leaders: We’ll picket until contractor meets demands for increased safety

By: Alexandra Berzon

June 3, 2008

I think this story won a Pulitzer Prize because it has great balance and has a sequence that is informative and easy to follow.  It establishes what the story is about and gives multiple views of how certain parties view the safety regulations.  I also feel that this story was very respectful as well, dedicating a later section to Dustin Tarter and his past.

There have been eleven deaths in the past year and a half on the Las Vegas strip.  Last Saturday Dustin Tarter, a 39-year-old operating engineer from Boulder city died when he was caught between the counterweight of the crane and the track of the crane and was crushed.  This was the sixth worker to die at CityCenter and the ninth to on sights overseen by general contracting giant Perini Building Co.

These deaths drove union leaders to take action if Perini did not agree to pay for additional safety training for workers, allow national union researchers to examine root causes of safety problems on the site, and allow union leaders full access to the work site.

State regulators found many contractor safety violations that most likely have contributed to the numerous deaths on the Strip’s construction sites.  Those violations include inadequate training of workers, the use of faulty equipment, and failure to cover holes in the floor or place nets beneath workers to break any falls.  Contractors have argued and overturned those violations by saying that the workers were the ones responsible for or contributed to their own deaths.  The workers feel that speed is the underlying cause for why deaths are occurring.  Crowded work sites, pressure to finish as soon as possible, and fatigue from extensive overtime are problems that lead to unsafe working conditions.

Construction safety is expected to be a major discussion topic with the presidents of member building trades unions as they come up with an action plan later in the week.

What I really like about this story was how the perspective of every party involved was portrayed.  I found that the union leaders feel that there needs to be more safety precautions at jobsites.  Contractors feel that the workers are being lazy and unsafe and the workers feel that they are being rushed and that the work site is too crowded therefore making their conditions unsafe.

What I did not like so much about this story was that it did not elaborate on the three steps the union leaders wanted Perini to take.  They just named what they wanted and then moved onto the next topic.  I would have liked for the story to talk about what type of effect these three steps would have for future construction sites.

I learned from this story that good writing is something that is easy to read and gets to the point.  It does not include any irrelevant details and the sources enhance and bring new perspectives to the story.

The reporter of this story found the information for this story by interviewing many sources and using information found in an earlier Las Vegas Sun story.

This report included 11 sources and all of them contributed a different perspective on the issue at hand.  The sources ranged from union leaders, company leaders, workers and department officials, to newspapers and family members.

Word Count = 548

TRT: 2:00

Host:

A public smoking lounge will open up in Portland.  It is the city’s second and the nation’s second legal medical marijuana smoking lounge.  Users of medical marijuana are very excited about the new addition to 700 N.E. Dekum St.

Scott:

On November 13 at 4:20 p.m. Portland’s second public marijuana lounge, The Cannabis Cafe, will open to all medical marijuana patients.  The lounge is the nation’s second legal marijuana smoking lounge.  Oregon’s NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws will be operating the lounge.

Executive director of NORML, Madeline Martinez, has been waiting for this moment for years.  “We’re pretty danged excited about it.”

Scott:

The new cafe will be the second public place for medical marijuana patients to get together.  The first public place was opened on Oct. 1 on Highway 420, in the back of Steve Geiger’s pipe shop.

Actuality (:10) [Sound of shop door ringing from customers coming in]

“We’ve been kind of discrete about it.  It’s not something that we put out on a sign,” Geiger said.  “We’ve had great response in the neighborhood from people who are just happy they don’t have to go all the way to 39th and Hawthorne.”

Scott:

Attorney General Eric Holder announced on Oct. 19 that federal authorities will not pursue marijuana users in states with medical marijuana programs.  Because of Holders announcements Geiger felt safe enough to open his lounge.

Martinez said she knew an Oregon community center was needed for program participants when she heard patients complaining about where they could medicate after seeing the doctor.

Actuality (:10)

“Do they go out into an alley and hide in the back of their car?” “

“There needs to be a place, much like our meetings are, where people can socialize and network.”

Scott:

The cafe will only allow members of Oregon NORML and hold a card from the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program as either a patient, caregiver or grower.  Martinez does not know how many people would visit the cafe but as of Oct. 1, twenty-three thousand eight hundred seventy-three Oregonians are registered medical-marijuana patients, and another twelve thousand two hundred forty-five are registered as caregivers.

Only patients with a qualifying debilitating medical condition such as chronic pain, cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, and others, can participate in the medical marijuana program.

While in the cafe, people will not be able to leave for at least two hours after using.

“We don’t want anyone to get too medicated,” Martinez said.

Scott:

Oregon was second to California to adopt the Medical Marijuana Program, but a dozen other states have jumped aboard and allowed for some sort of medical marijuana program.

TRT: 2:00

Host:

Police are relying too much on dog’s sniffing abilities.  They are using the results as primary evidence instead of corroborating with other evidence for determining if a suspect is guilty or not.  Recent finds have shown that many officers are jumping to conclusions and punishing innocent people.

Scott:

Dogs are now basically making arrests for the police these days.  Police dogs are used to smell samples from the crime scene and then will smell samples swabbed from a suspect and from others not involved in the crime.  If the dog stiffens, barks, or does anything else signaling that this suspect’s scent matches that of the scent found at the scene of the crime, then that suspect is taken aside for further questions and examination.

Using a police dog’s ability and findings is only supposed to be secondary evidence, it cannot be used as primary evidence.  But are the police abiding by those rules or are they giving their dogs a little too much trust?

Curvis Bickham of Houston Texas feels these dogs are getting too much trust.  Bickham spent eight months in jail when a police dog accused him for taking part in three murders.  Bickham was sent to jail just on this dogs sniff until another man confessed to the killings.

Actuality (:10)

In an interview with Bickham he scoffed at the accusation noting that he has been hobbled by bones spurs and diabetes and is partially blind.

Scott:

Bickham is not the only one who has been mistaken by a dog for a criminal.

Ronald Curtis, who was accused of a string of burglaries, was jailed for nine months even though the store videos showed that he did not resemble the burglar…

Actuality (:05)

“Nobody was listening,” said Curtis.

Scott:

The first person to file such a suit was Michael Buchanek, a retired captain with the Victoria County, Tex., Sheriff’s Department.

Actuality (:10)

When he was identified by a police dog, Buchanek said the police “just kept telling me, ‘the dogs don’t lie – we know you did it.’”

Scott:

After months of uncertainty, DNA evidence suspected another man who later confessed to the crime.  Lineups have proven they work, like in the case of Bart Whitaker, a Texan who hired friends to kill his family.  Police dogs helped identify the trigger man from eight different suspects.

Although these dogs are very helpful, both Bickham and Curtis are filing civil lawsuits over their treatment in federal court.  Bickham said while in jail he lost his home and struggled to restart his barbecue stand.

Actuality (:05)

“I lost everything,” said Bickham, because of “a nothing case.”

• Guy Roz
• Bob Taylor
• J.C. R. Licklighter
• Doug Englebart
• Professor Lyn Crinerock
• Charlie Klein
• Bill Duvall
• Interface Message Processor

Nat Sounds

• Internet modem
• Production lines (big computer)
• Music from world fair
• Dialing sound from old days
• IBM 1401 (size of a two car garage)
• Loud rumbling room

Bob Taylor was the most interesting part of this story because of how humble he is.  He is considered the father of the internet and he doesn’t expect people to be talking about him in 100 years when they probably will since he has been such a big part of history.