Public Record request

November 29, 2010
Joe Smith
Whitman Country Sheriff's Department


Dear Smitty,
Pursuant to the state open records law, Wash. Rev. Code Secs. 42.56.001 to 42.56.904, I write to request access to and a copy of records of arrests made for posession of ecstasy (MDMA) in Pullman, Washington from 2009-2010.. If your agency does not maintain these public records, please let me know who does and include the proper custodian’s name and address.
I agree to pay any reasonable copying and postage fees of not more than $1. If the cost would be greater than this amount, please notify me. Please provide a receipt indicating the charges for each document.
As provided by the open records law, I will expect your response within five (5) business days. See Wash. Rev. Code Sec. 42.56.520.
If you choose to deny this request, please provide a written explanation for the denial including a reference to the specific statutory exemption(s) upon which you rely. Also, please provide all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material.
Please be advised that I am prepared to pursue whatever legal remedy necessary to obtain access to the requested records. I would note that violation of the open records law can result in a fine — payable to me — of up to $100 for each day that I am denied access. Litigation costs, including reasonable attorney fees, may also be awarded. See Wash. Rev. Code Sec. 42.56.550(4).
 
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,


Kelsey E Carey
800 N.E. Campus street Pullman, Wa 99163

Best leads

7. Though Marisa Hagney attends a school with more women than men, when she steps into an architecture class she immediately becomes a stark minority in a sea of males.

17. Aspiring to be a physical therapist, 19-year-old Jesse Robinson had high hopes for earning a degree at Washington State University in Pullman.

The day before he was to move there, his mother was laid off.

College students using food stamps

As financial burdens loom over student’s heads, food stamps are a viable option.

The never-ending list of expenses for college students can be combated with food stamps provided by the Department of Social and Health Services said a working WSU student.

Nationally, about nine million students filed federal student aid forms in early 2008 which was over a 16 percent increase from this time the year before, according to sfgate.com

Candice Kalb, a junior movement studies major said she uses her allotted food stamps to save some money each month and pay her bills.

“I receive $183 a month in food stamps and use them to buy things I absolutely need when I need them, said Kalb. “Its nice to be able to get the necessary items and not have to worry about whether or not I can afford them.”

According to USA Today, in 2009, 86 percent of students and 81 percent of parents said financial aid would be very necessary to pay for college, up from 85 percent and 79 percent the previous year.  

This increase, undoubtedly a result of the economy struggles, can explain the increase in food stamp use, said Ray Sterling, general manager at Safeway in Pullman, Wash.

“I don’t know exact numbers but I know there has been an increase in the usage of food stamps at our store in the last few years,” said Sterling.

In order to receive food stamps as a student in Washington State, you must be working at least 20 hours a week making less than $1,200 a month according to Kalb. There are exceptions, but essentially you must be working and going to school full time.

In the past year, the price of groceries has risen almost 5 percent, the highest increase in nearly two decades according to USA Today. In fact, some have risen even 30 percent.

“I think a lot of college students don’t actually know that they can obtain food stamps if they are working,” said Kalb.

Jackie Helm, a junior fine arts student agreed that this service should be more widely publicized, and wishes she knew about it when she lived in an apartment last year and was eligible.  

“I wish I could’ve done something like that because it was really hard to get a hold of my parents for some extra money for food,” said Helm. “I also felt bad asking for it because they were paying for everything else.”

Removing the pressure of extra expenses like groceries for the week was something Helm regarded as a huge benefit of this program.

“It definitely wouldn’t have made money quite as tight, that was the one thing that I worried about each month,” said Helm. “I had to talk to my parents, and have them transfer money over and I would never know how much I needed.”

Food stamps for students are a great way for families to focus more money on larger expenses.

According to USA Today, when students and their parents were asked what their biggest concern about college was, 37 percent said that although they (or their child) would most likely get into their first choice of college, because of their financial situation, they aren’t sure if they could go.

“I do believe that more people are using food stamps because the economy is bad,” said Kalb. “My thoughts are, if the state is willing to pay for my food while I go to school, let them.”

Contacts:

Candice Kalb, 253-579-8644 

Jackie Helm, 509-879-4811 – in person

Ray Sterling – 509-334-0803

Tanya Schevitz. Student aid requests soar as economy plummets. SFGate. Aug. 11. 2008.

http://articles.sfgate.com/2008-08-11/news/17120771_1_student-financial-aid-administrators-aid-forms-uc-berkeley

Mary Beth Marklein. Economy influences college choices. USA Today. Mar. 29, 2009.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-03-25-college-survey_N.htm

Associated Press. More college students turn to food banks. USA Today. July. 26. 2008.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-07-25-food_N.htm

Otto Zehm lead

After investigation into the death of Otto Zehm of Spokane, Wash., resistance and supposed suspicion of danger led the to officer beating and tasing the man, despite his mental disability, according to a report by a Spokane detective.

who/whom

1. (Who/Whom) did you go to the game with?

 WHOM

2. She’s the student (who/whom) writes the best articles.

 WHO

3. (Who/Whom) did you vote for?

WHOM

4. (Who/Whom) failed the quiz?

 WHO

5. We know (who/whom) pulled that prank.

 WHO

6. We want to know on (who/whom) the prank was pulled.

WHOM

Extra Credit Seminar

I went to the first two presentations on Friday, where I learned about investigative journalism and video documentaries. The first presentation was Rita Hibbard from Investigate West, and she talked about many of the in-depth stories she has done and how she was able to develop them into really impactful stories. She also talked about how she collaborated with Spot.us as well. In the second presentation, Dan Fromshad, a former BBC employee, spoke about his start in documentary making and how he has had to kind of teach himself as he goes about the industry. He started off the presentation explaining his first documentary that was given a budget of $20,000 - which was supposed to cover filmmaking and living expenses through the entire project. He finished with showing us how the documentary/filmmaking industry has developed into a very unique form of journalism today.

I thought both presentations were really interesting. I was especially interested in how both speakers touched on new media, and how video journalism and web journalism has emerged in the last 5-10 years.

Are these libel?

1. “Megan Fox is a man!” Headline on Weekly World News Web site

yes - actually no, because weekly world news is not a credible website - it is known to be false information. no one believes it
2. “Up until the day he died, he was a brilliant writer. But the drugs made him a thief, a pimp and a liar,” said friend Karen Smith, who was with Johnson at the time of his death.

no - actually no - subject is dead so not libel

3. “In my opinion, Kevin is a murdering rapist,” the prosecutor told the jury.

yes - actually no - because of absolute privilege in court, if found out later statement was false, journalist wouldn't get in trouble because it was assumed to be true beacause of court.

4. "In my opinion, he's a murdering rapist," the man said at the rally.
no - actually maybe it depends on the context, who was the man, where he was etc.

Trend story

Revealing clothing is coming back into style, girls of all ages affected

Leggings, and skinny jeans, and yoga pants! Oh my!

No, this is not a marketing ploy; this is just a few of many items on the newly published list of banned clothing items at Kenmore Junior High School in Kenmore, Wash.

Ellie Tillotson, a freshman at the junior high, believed the administration had merit in its recent crack down on the rules.

“The dress code at Kenmore Junior High is very reasonable considering the way articles of clothing are worn,” said Tillotson. “In junior high and middle school, girls are always just looking for attention from boys.”

To achieve this attention, many young girls go to extreme lengths and even inappropriate lengths. Tillotson mentioned it is not simply the clothing but the revealing ways in which they are worn that is the problem.

“Some girls wear yoga pants and ‘jeggings’ [legging-like jeans] without shirts long enough to cover them, which makes them a distraction in class,” said Tillotson.

Ann, Ellie’s mother, also stands behind the school’s decision.

“As a mother of a 14-year-old who has worn yoga pants to school, I heard about all the ‘positive’ feedback and attention that she got from the boys when she wore them,” said Mrs. Tillotson. “I am happy she can’t wear them to school anymore.”

These new more revealing trends such as the yoga pant, the skinny jean and the ‘jegging’ are all a result of a cycle within the fashion world, said sophomore apparel, merchandising, design and textiles major, Kirsten Walter.

“In the early 2000s, really low jeans and belly shirts were popular, eventually they couldn’t make them any shorter or lower so the trend repeated with more conservative clothing,” said Walter. “But now we’re slowly heading back to the shorter and tighter trends.”

Although this cycle can be apparent in retrospect of the culture’s fashion past, it is not always noticed in real-time.

“The trends just become the new cool thing, kids adapt to them and follow them without even realizing they’re dressing more or less conservative,” said Walter.

She holds media responsible for having a large influence on the way teens dress. In the United States, kids and teens spend more time sitting in front of electronic screens such as, TVs, computers and video games, than they do on any other activity besides sleeping, according to the Rhode Island Department of Health.

Sociology graduate student and instructor, Meredith Williams, believes the media gives mixed messages to young girls, telling them to simultaneously be the virgin and the slut.

“The media says young girls’ sexuality needs to be protected and women are sluts if they wear a certain kind of clothing,” said Williams. “Yet at the same time, oversexual clothing is not going away.”

Walter agrees saying, societal pressures also play a role in teen’s choice of dress, but it does not stop at that age. College-aged women are still wearing tight, short and off-the-shoulder outfits.

“Girls of this age think: my mom is not here anymore, so I get to wear anything I want,” said Walter.

The solution? Williams thinks that teaching girls at all ages to become smarter consumers is important. They should be aware that in the end, the advertising company’s goals are to make a profit.

Contacts

Ellie Tillotson: tillotsonfamily@comcast.net  425-488-9653

Ann Tillotson: “ “

Kirsten Walter (in-person interview): 206-940-8775

Meredith Williams (in-person interview): 509-335-4595  meredithta@gmail.com

David R Gifford. TV Has a Powerful Impact on Young People. Rhode Island Department of Health. 2010. http://www.health.ri.gov/family/ofyss/teens/tips/Tip5.php

Outline

I. Jr. high example of dress code crack down

            - Ellie and Mom’s perspective

II. Technical fashion side to explaining clothing

-       Cycle

-       Media influence

-       Kirsten – AMT major perspective

III. Societal pressure side

-       Conflicting pressures for girls

-       How it effects college girls as well

-       Solution? 

What stories aren't being covered

Obama's Stimulus package - not getting proper coverage. has it created more jobs/economic movement. Wall-street bailouts - have they paid back the money. It was presented, went into effect but do we know what is going on. There's information out there that probably represents what is going on but is there much in main stream media that everyone would understand.

the fact that schools have the power to search kids at school for drugs/alcohol based on anybody making a claim...the school holds way too much power...also the kids in the other group at daughter's homecoming were at a restaurant downtown and one of the kids posted on to his FB that people were pretty hammered and the school monitored the FB's and found out and tried to get the kids suspended...that i don't think is being reported.

      - Mark Anderson, CKA creative Graphic Design. 

 1st story: I think I could report on this story or use this as an example. If I was writing about the trend of Presidents making promises they can't necessarily keep, or they keep them but the progress is small or unnoticed I could definitely write about this topic. 

2nd story: I think i could report on this because I know that this is very prevalent in schools today - overprotection from administration is getting way out of control. This is an important trend that I don't think people are aware of.