Someone who Finally Cares About Students?

It is finally official, the new City Council is in order and they attended their first meeting this evening. All members were present except for the new mayor, Tom Norton, who was at a mayor’s conference out of state. All of the new City Council members seemed very excited and thrilled to be sitting in their new chairs representing their new positions.

The meeting this evening was very short and didn’t present any exciting information in my opinion. I used this as an opportunity to interview one of the new members that I find the most interesting, Donna Sapienza. I am really intrigued by her because she represents the UNC community as she is the representative for Ward II. From speaking with her so far, she seems very involved with the students in the community in efforts to get them involved in City Council affairs.

Sapienza is very involved when it comes to education. She spent 21 years in front of students as a former teacher. At one point in time she was also a school administrator. I plan on using Sapienza as a key source in my upcoming story about UNC students caring about Greeley City Council.

Just out of curiosity, I asked her how long she had to study the weekly agenda. I was shocked with the answer I received. According to her, members receive the agenda on Friday and must have it read and studied by the proceeding Tuesday. In my opinion, that sounds like a lot of work in a short period of time. I couldn’t imagine reading the yearly budget in that short amount of time among other issues that week as well.

An Insider's View of the 2009 Greeley Elections

The big day has finally arrived! It’s Nov. 3, 2009, which means it's election day nationwide. For many, the 2009 elections were miniscule due to the fact that it was just a local election. However, for some, the elections in Greeley are in fact a big deal.

As a journalism major, I found it very intriguing to spend my evening at the Greeley Tribune. I was able to watch the election unfold from a newsroom standpoint.

The results have begun to add up, and it is quite apparent in some categories who has won. However, this is not true for all. The mayoral race between Tom Norton and Ed Phillipsen has been neck and neck for some time now, and was proven so again tonight. As of 8:20 pm this evening Tom Norton led by less than 1%.

My attendance at the Tribune this evening allowed me to observe and learn several new aspects of journalism. I learned that it benefits to remain calm and stress free during this process. Yes, you are under strict deadlines. However, the more focused everyone remains the better their stories will be.

I’ve always dreamed of becoming a sportswriter, however, after taking this Reporting on Contemporary Issues class, I have learned to really enjoy the political aspects of news. I would really enjoy working in the newsroom on a night like election night. I think it would be beneficial because not only would I be doing my job as a journalist, but I would be educating myself with the local politics as well.