Allison’s profile about bee researcher showcases career of a ‘pioneer’

CHAMPAIGN – Gene Robinson holds numerous titles at the University of Illinois – director of the neuroscience program, an entomology professor and director at the bee facility that is named in his honor. He has written over 200 scientific articles and has been quoted in prestigious publications such as Nature and The New York Times. He is described as the foremost scholar on the social behavior of honeybees and is described by colleagues as a “pioneer.”

Read more: http://jrn400student.wordpress.com/2009/12/08/the-man-behind-the-honey-bees/

Sarah’s police story provides essential facts, not hearsay

By Sarah Yu

A homicide investigation is being conducted over the discovery of a man’s body at about 10 p.m. last night by Champaign police.  The man’s body was found in his home in the 1600 block of Prospect Street.  The police found the body after they were contacted by concerned family members.

What you learned at the courthouse

Here is Hong’s  memo which  presented a great round-up of our class trip to the Champaign County Courthouse.

(1) If you want to keep good working relationship with officials of the courtroom, the first thing you should do is: learn the system. Associate Judge Rich Klaus said that in court they speak a foreign language. If you want to get things quick and right and correctly understand what is going on, you should learn “court jargons” first and try to speak the language that court officers speak. As a journalist, if you always ask stupid questions, it would be very hard to build trust and rapport with officials in the courtroom.

Congrats to Ros on getting her story published

Here’s a link to the College of Education Web site, where Ros Dumlao’s story on community colleges was recently published: http://education.illinois.edu/news/2009/comm-college-opportunities.html

Hong’s city council story well organized, accurate

Champaign citizens speak out on shooting

By Hong Shen

CHAMPAIGN – Several hundred people attended the “audience participation” period of the city council’s meeting Tuesday night to talk about a shooting on Oct.9, which resulted in the gunshot death of a 15-year-old Kiwane Carrington.

Mr. Carrington was fatally shot in a scuffle with Champaign police, as the result of a burglary call to police at 906 W. Vine St., C, on Oct.9.

The incident, which involved Police Chief R.T. Finney and Officer Daniel Norbits, remains under an investigation by the Multi-jurisdictional Investigative Team led by the state police and an internal investigation by the Champaign Police Department.

Zina Bhaia relates her ‘rebirth’ in the U.S.

News-Gazette, The (Champaign-Urbana, IL)

Sunday, April 26, 2009

By ZINA BHAIA
 

So many lights!

I knew that America would be big, but as I looked out my Royal Jordanian Airline window at the sprawling nightscape of Chicago and the towering cityscape of its downtown, I thought, “Oh, my God, it is huge. And Lake Michigan, why do they call it a lake? It is like an ocean.” I had flown into Baghdad at night many times, and Baghdad was but a speck of light compared to this glaring city below me.

“What am I getting myself into?” I thought. “I will never find my way around.”

Betsy uses quotes to show, not tell

Betsy Drazner

Zina Bhaia was born a healthy baby in Baghdad, Iraq. Forty-five days later doctors discovered she had polio, which left her with scoliosis and paralyzed her left leg. Despite this disability, her parents, who are both teachers themselves, pushed her to go to school as she grew up. Bhaia admitted she is a shy person and said of her parents, “I owe them for who I am today.”

Bhaia’s family includes her parents, two older brothers and a younger sister. Born in 1979, she led what she thought was a normal life until 2003, when Iraq was invaded and, “things turned upside down.” Iraq was up for grabs and in 2006, her 16-year-old brother, Mohammad, was kidnapped in the dangerous neighborhood the Bhaia family lived in. The perpetrator told the family to leave their home and everything in it behind in order for Mohammad to be safely returned. However, the promise was unfulfilled and they never found him.

Ros’s story tells story of Zina’s life journey

From disability to ability, Iraqi women finds solid ground on U.S. to stand on

By Ros Dumlao

The two things that have literally been by Zina Bhaia’s side throughout most of her life are her crutches.

Bhaia, born in Baghdad, Iraq, was struck with polio when she was only 45 days old, which soon developed into scoliosis, a spinal disease. And growing up in Iraq as a woman with a disability is like having two disabilities.

“It’s a hard life for women in Iraq,” Bhaia said. “But it’s harder for a woman with a disability.”

Although Bhaia didn’t plan to come to America, the Iraqi native landed an offer that lifted her out of a war-torn country and into one where the only image she had of the U.S. was what she watched on “Desperate Housewives” and “Remington Steele” back in Iraq.

Example of Urbana budget story

Revenues, salaries up in Urbana, despite downturn

Despite the recession, Urbana city officials project a 2.3 percent increase in revenues this year and plan to spend $3 million more on salaries in the 2009-2010 budget year.

Revenues are up from $42.1 million last year to $43 million this fiscal year, thanks to extra sales tax from new businesses including Meijer, more income taxes for local coffers from the state and stable property tax receipts.

“We are fortunate that during this economic slowdown the value of property in Urbana has continued to increase, although at a slower rate than in the past few years,” wrote Mayor Laurel Prussing in this year’s budget message.

Sales and property taxes are the city’s largest sources of income, accounting for more than $16.4 million of the city’s revenues.

The revenue picture is good news for city employees. Over half of the city budget — $21 million – will go to salaries. That’s up from $18 million in 2008-2009.

The cost of constructing and maintaining streets, sewers, lights and signals will again be the biggest sector of the budget, accounting for 36 percent of the total, Prussing wrote in the budget. Public safety, including police and fire, represents 33 percent of spending with all other departments combined receiving the last 31 percent.

The budget, which began July 1, 2009, includes total spending of $48 million, an increase of 3.7 percent over last year. Approximately $5 million in accumulated reserves from the Capital Improvements Fund will go toward this year’s spending as well.

Description, scene setting rich in Kristy’s story on orchard

Local farm provides escape for students

By Kristy Shaulis

As the crisp, fall air sets in, children, teenagers and adults alike walk down the yellow brick road, laughing and skipping as the Tin Man looks on. They seem to have almost been transported back to a simpler, happier time when video games, cell phones and technology took a back seat to quality time outdoors with friends. But this isn’t Oz. This is Curtis Orchard.

            Located on Duncan Road in Champaign, Curtis Orchard and Pumpkin Patch is a local farm providing apples, pumpkins and various activities. Produce is sold both in the store and as a ‘u-pick’ option where customers pick their own apples or pumpkins straight from the orchard or patch.

            But the farm clearly goes beyond the basic definition of orchard.

“We’re essentially an entertainment farm,” said Paul Curtis, one of the owners of Curtis Orchard.  “We have face-painting and entertainment on the weekends. We’ve got wagon rides and pony rides. We have a pretty complete package here.”