Category Archives: Nina Garza

Dog steps on a shotgun, shoots hunter

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By NINA GARZA

William Rancourt was shot in the back Wednesday afternoon while out hunting in Northern Iowa when a hunting dog stepped on a loaded shotgun that fired bird-shot pellets.

Rancourt was taken to the hospital with moderate injuries, state conservation officer Ken Lonneman told reporters that if Rancourt had been closer to the shotgun his injuries would have been more severe. The shotgun was approximately 22 yards away from Rancourt when it fired, hitting him the back from his waist all the way up to his neck.

When Rancourt arrived at the hospital he was alert and able to walk. X-rays were taken to make sure all of the pellets that were fired into Rancourt’s back were removed from his body.

Looneman stated that this was a freak accident and the dog’s foot was “just in the wrong place at the wrong time, accidents happen.”

During the busy hunting season, it is important that hunters always remember to unload their guns, place the safety on and never leave them unattended.

The news media has not spoken to Rancourt or any other members on the hunting party that were also out hunting when this incident happened. However, they did get good content from the state conservation officer. The officer’s statements added more meaning the story by addressing all hunter to making sure this never happens again.

Russian zookeeper gets mauled by tiger

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By NINA GARZA

Zookeeper Nadezhda Srivastava, was feeding 16-year-old Siberian tiger, Typhoon, when he jumped on her and started mauling her.

Srivastava told reporters that she tried to get away but the cat put all his weight on top of her and she could not move. Pictures show Srivastave cover her face and put her elbows up in order to keep the tiger from biting her head. After the tiger had torn up her arms she turned to get away but he then sunk his teeth into her back.

People who were visiting the zoo saw what was happening and tried to help by throwing things at the tiger in order to distract him.

Srivastava fought for her life for about 10 minutes before she was finally able to run away to safety from the tiger. She was taken to the hospital with a shattered wrist, several broken fingers and a couple broken ribs. Luckily, there was no damage to her nerves.

When talking to reporters, Srivastava said that she is so grateful for the visitors of the zoo that were trying to help her. She stated, If it were not for the visitors of the zoo, I would no longer be alive.”

The news media reported this story very well because they throughly described everything that occurred within the 10 minutes that Sricastava was battling the tiger. Although 10 minutes does not seem like a long time, it felt like eternity for Scricastave and the news media did a really great job in relating that to the public.

School sells bulletproof backpack panel

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By NINA GARZA

Florida Christian School in Miami recently added a new item for purchase on its school website: bulletproof panels that can fit inside students’ backpacks.

The dean of the school, George Gulla, said that these panels would add another level of protection in the event of an active shooter. He also stated that teachers are to instruct students to use their backpacks as shields for protection.

The price for the bulletproof panel is $120.

With so many recent active shooter stories in the news recently, Florida Christian School wants to make sure students are well equipped in case they ever encounter one.

Gulla thinks offering the panels for parents to buy will give them peace of mind. However,  Kenneth Trump, school security expert, does not agree. He told CNN the panel “are not well focused for a child-centered environment.”

It is important to be prepared in case of an active shooter encounter. Though the topic of selling bulletproof panels for students’ backpacks can be controversial, it is good that CNN reported two different opinions on the matter.

No stories that I read on this topic stated any comments made by the parents of the students who attend Florida Christian School. I think that would have been good sources, seeing what the parents have to say and whether they think the school is making the right decision in selling the panels and if they would purchase them for their children’s backpacks.

Woman is killed in boy’s suicide attempt

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By NINA GARZA

Marisa Harris, 22, was killed instantly when a 12-year-old boy jumped off an overpass above a Virginia interstate highway in a suicide attempt, falling onto her car.

The 12-year-old was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and is currently being treated.

Police are still investigating suicide attempt.

Harris was driving while her boyfriend was riding in the passenger seat when the boy fell onto the car. Harris’s boyfriend immediately took control of the steering wheel to get off of the interstate. He suffered no injuries.

Harris was a graduate student studying mental health counseling in pursuit of helping children battling depression. Her uncle spoke to reporters telling them it was ironic that the boy who killed Harris was someone she could have helped.

When this story first came out, news articles stated that Harris’s mother and father had declined to speak to the news media. Due to this, her uncle talked to reporters instead. I know that it is the news media’s job to contact family members during a tragedy, however it is really hard for a mother and father to want to immediately talk to the news media when their child just died.

It has now been several days since this incident and Harris’s mother has said a few words to the news media about her daughter. She told reporters that her daughter had graduated from Towson University and was currently getting her master at Marymount University.

Teenagers face jail after rock kills man

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By NINA GARZA

Five teenagers are charged with second degree murder after throwing rocks from a bridge above a highway that killed a man.

Kenneth White was riding in the passenger seat of his co-worker’s van on his way from from work, when a rock smashed into car, hitting him in the face and killing him instantly.

Police stated that after the boys had thrown 20 rocks onto the highway as they went to go eat lunch at a McDonald’s.

The boys range from 14 to 17 years of age, but are being charged as adults. They are being charged with second degree murder as well as conspiracy to commit murder and destruction of property. They have pleaded not guilty and have been denied bond.

White’s fiancé, Aimee Cagle, sat down with reporters to talk about this tragedy. She said that White was a good father and a good man. She also said that she hopes the boy who threw the rock is sentenced to life in prison.

The news media have been tracking this story and updating the public on the charges and court hearings. Cases like these are tragic and sensitive, however the news media have done a great job informing the public on updated information.

Berlin soccer teams kneel before match

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By NINA GARZA

NFL players have been kneeling during the national anthem before games to protest discrimination but now the movement has gone worldwide.

During Hertha Berlin’s home game against Schalke 04, the starting players on the field, coaches, officials and substitutes all took in a knee in unity with the NFL players.

The soccer club team took to Twitter with a picture of the players kneeling and the caption “Hertha BSC stands for tolerance and responsibility! For a tolerant Berlin and an open-minded world, now and forevermore! #TakeAKnee #hahohe”

Sebastian Langkamp, Hertha defender, told a reporter during halftime, “We’re no longer living in the 18th century but in the 21st century. There are some people, however, who are not that far ideologically yet.”

Through the power of social media, this story has gone viral. Hertha’s tweet has received more than 13,000 retweets and counting. This shows how powerful Twitter is in distributing news and information, as well as all other social media platforms today.

California wildfires: Death toll rises to 29

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By NINA GARZA

California wildfires have killed at least 29 people and burned more than 191,000 acres of land. Firefighters are still trying to combat the raging flames but have not been able to get the fires under control.

In addition to the 29 deaths, hundreds of people have been reported missing in the Northern California area.

Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for California and stated to the press that this is one of the biggest wildfires the state of California has endured. The month of October is typically when all the deadliest wildfires have occurred in California.

The next biggest wildfire that has occurred in California was the Griffith Park Fire in 1933, killing 29 people.

Mandatory evacuation orders have been placed on Napa, Sonoma, Solano counties. Residents from these counties have been advised not to return until further notice.

News sources have been keeping the public up to date with new information daily on the rising death tolls and damages caused by these California wildfires. ABC News released a video today showing an overview of the burned acres in Northern California.

58 killed in Las Vegas shooting

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By NINA GARZA

A gunman opened fire on a country music festival in Las Vegas, killing 58 people and injuring more than 500. This occurred late on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017.

The shooter has been identified as Stephen Paddock, who was found dead by self inflicted injury in his hotel room. Paddock was staying in the Mandalay Bay Resort. Just past 10 p.m., on Sunday is when Paddock began shooting at people attending the Route 91 Harvest Festival from his hotel room.

Videos of the shooting have been posted on Twitter, showing people running and screaming as the gunfire began. Country singer Jason Aldean had just started singing his last song of the night when the shooting started. He quickly ran off stage to take cover.

Country singer Jake Owen had performed before Aldean but was still at the festival watching Aldean perform before the start of the shooting, He spoke to CNN on the phone and said, “it was ringing off the top of the stage, you can hear it hitting trailers, people scattering, here and there, it was chaos.”

Being that this incident has been the largest shooting in modern United States history, the news media have been very sensitive and respectful. I saw several videos on reporters talking to people who were there and the police officers who were on the scene and they were very considerate towards them. The news media did a great job handling and covering this tragedy, being that it is a very serious and devastating event that occurred.

Golden State Warriors invited to Capitol

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By NINA GARZA

On Sept. 23, 2017, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to disinvite Stephen Curry to the White House to celebrate Golden State’s 2017 NBA championship. The president tweeted, “Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team. Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn”

Following Trump’s tweet, the Warriors announced that they would not visit the White House in honor of their championship.

However, back in June, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi invited the Warriors to visit the Capitol. On Tuesday night, she tweeted, “@StephenCurry30 & @warriors — the offer still stands . #DubNation” with a picture of the official invite, which was sent to head coach Steve Kerr.

Pelosi spoke out on Trump’s war with the NFL and the NBA on NBC’s “Meet the Press” stating, “I have always said that sports and the arts will bring America together.”

This topic has been an ongoing discussion since Trump’s tweet over the weekend and his ongoing battle with the NFL. The news media have been all the over the politics in sports interplay. The news media have done a good job covering and reporting this matter. The articles I read on this were not biased at all. Although this is a big and ongoing controversy, news coverage has been factual and not opinionated.

Diana is remembered after 20 years

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By NINA GARZA

It has been 20 years since Princess Diana of Wales died in Paris after the car that she was riding in crashed. People gathered in Britain to pay their respects to the princess, whose legacy still lives on.

Flowers, candles and letters were left outside the gates of the Kensington Palace in memory of the late princess. People also took to social media to pay their tributes.

Elton John, who sang at Princess Diana’s funeral, tweeted a photo of him and Diana with the caption, “20 years ago today, the world lost an angel. #RIP #Diana20”. Piers Morgan took to Instagram with a picture of the two of them, captioning it, “RIP Princess Diana. The biggest star of them all.”

Diana was famous for many things, one being her AIDS activism. She often visited patients suffering with HIV, being almost the first person with a high profile to have her picture taken hugging AIDS victims.

From the streets of London to posts on social media, the media has done a great job reporting people paying respects and remembering Diana’s legacy, To further commemorate the princess, a documentary on her life and death, starring her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, will air on BBC in seven days.