Blog #3

Article 1:
"Alonso requests approval for nine middle/high schools"

Chief of schools, Andres Alonso has made the final decision to open nine more combined middle and highschools. This decision was made because of the poor education system in certain areas in and around Baltimore City. Alonso hopes that with the growth of these combined public schools, the education system will grow over the years and better prepare students for college.
This story is very newsworthy in my opinion. This is mostly because of the audience factor and proximity which can be definied as physical nearness. The Baltimore Sun is a newspaper read in not only Maryland, but bordering states, but most frequently in the Baltimore area. Education in Baltimore as always been an issue that needs to be dealt with and with the youth population on the rise and schools becoming more over crowded, the need for more public schools is great. Those in Baltimore who read this article will be glad to hear that the chief of schools in the area is succeeding in making an impact on the poor education system currently in place.

Article 2:
"Details Announced for Oct. 4 Phelps homecoming"

On Oct. 4 Baltimore and surrounding areas will celebrate the homecoming of Olympic gold medal winner, Michael Phelps in a parade to held in Towson. The parade will consist of fireworks and music in Phelp's hometown to celebrate his victories and acheivements.
This article is also very newsworthy for many reasons. One major reason has to do with prominence or the simple fact that famous people and celebrities are very newsworthy and audiences love to hear all about them. Michael Phelps, especially recently, has been a name all over the news because of his outstanding accomplished at this year's summer olympics. He has become incredibly famous over the past few years and news about him can have an incredible impact on the audience.
Another reason this article is so newsworthy is because of the proximity or physical nearness. Becuase Phelps is from the Baltimore area, people in the area are proud of that. The audience will be very excited to know that a "Baltimorian" just like them is a world-renowned athlete, and not only that will be coming back to his hometown in a few weeks to celebrate his accomplishments. I'm sure Towson University students will be even more excited to know that the parade will be held right outsdie their dorm rooms!

Article 3:
"As Hurricane Ike nears, Texas bolsters emergency plans"

Hurrican Ike is the next threat to the Gulf Coast, and as it nears Texas, evacuation took place today (Tuesday) to evacuate nearly 1 million people. Ike has already hit Cuba and did its fair share of destroying. It still hasn't been officially decided whether or not to make the evacuation mandatory of all people living in the southern areas of Texas.
This article can be newsworthy to anyone in any area of the United States. No matter where in the United States you live, natural disasters can occur, whether it be a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, monsoon, etc. Anyone can relate with those people being evacuated or even trying to clean up the mess from this past weekend's hurricane Hanna, and know that it can be very stressful and saddening. Human interest, or stories that have strong emotional content can describe how this particular article is newsworthy. Hearing about how people are being forced to leave their home behind, not knowing if it'll be there when they get back can inflict sadness on the reader especially if they can personally relate to that experience.