A woman was raped in her garage and police cautioned city residents to be "on alert" but information about the suspect's looks or his whereabouts is missing. That the victim couldn't catch any significant descriptors about her attacker sounds horrible. The story was so fast, I initially missed which neighborhood this even happened in.
Other frustratingly fleeting stories included the bomb threat from a middle-aged woman (though it was mentioned, I totally missed the how and where. Completely missing is the why) and the swine flu strain this year which claimed 60 deaths in Mexico. This story is turning out to be a big deal--even the University of Minnesota issued an email this morning about this, but according the written story, the U.S. health officials are saying the disease isn't cause for alarm in the U.S. yet. Some more coverage about the nature of the disease would be great, but I don't blame Kare for this. The website includes a statement from some guy saying that health officials could have responded sooner to the outbreak. Clearly, not all the information had trickled out in time for the 6 pm newscast.
The closing segment, "Grow with Kare," went more like an infomercial than an a legitimate news story. They featured a short, white-bearded grubby-looking guy raving with enthusiasm about a corn gluten-based weed preventer. The stuff doesn't allow seeds to germinate. It works by stopping new growth by 40% the first year it's applied, 70% by the next year it's applied, and 100% in the following years. Of course, there was heavy encouragement to check out the product on Kare's website. I'm not sure if all "Grow with Kare" segments are like this, but this was so partial, I wonder why it's part of a newscast. This product sounds too good to be true. According to the website, the product was originally patented in 1991 but is most widely available this year. Why wasn't it made widely available until now? They could have done a really interesting piece if they asked scientists and horticulture specialists what the environmental effect could be. Perhaps I'm just not understanding the point of local news.
The Startribune featured a story from the AP about new documents that illuminate who gave the okay for a case of waterboarding in 2002. In the story, former Bush administrators give differing accounts of how they were briefed on interrogation methods; some say they were warned that the waterboarding was extreme and others say they were told it was safe. The story mentions Obama's stance on the issue--that the CIA will not torture--as well as the fact that he won't press for charges on CIA officials or put them through special investigation. That last bit is the most important. What good is declaring that the state won't use torture as an interrogation method if it won't hold itself accountable for it? I don't believe transparency on this issue has improved much, if at all.
The Washington Post picked up a story from the Detroit News about a girl in Canton, MI (my hometown) who got perfect scores on the ACT, SAT and PSAT. Instead of turning it into an insightful story on college admissions tests or how different school districts prepare kids for college or any sort of story at all, it turns out to just be a little bulletin so this girl can get bragging rights. I was expecting an actual story! I suppose it's still a pretty awesome feat that deserves national recognition, but it would be nice to at least see a fuller profile on the kid. Maybe I should blame Detroit News instead of the Washington Post.
