Which Is Correct If You Are Writing for Print

Which is correct if you are writing for print?

A) He rushed for more than 10,000 yards last year.
B) He rushed for over ten thousand yards last year.
C) He rushed for over 10 thousand yards last year.
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Additional exercises
Using the inverted pyramid-1
Write a 200 to 250-word inverted pyramid news story using the following information. In writing the story, refer to the inverted pyramid checklist in the text. (This is an expanded version of the story that appears in Ex. 5.6, pages 96-97.)
• Fire last month in neighboring Ticonderoga County; burned thirty-five hundred acres of forestland and woods; several hunting cabins burned; fire burned for 3 days, while firemen from several states came to fight the blaze; fire was helped by dry conditions; it's only rained one inch in the last month; winds also helped the fire along.
• Estimates of damage from the Ticonderoga County sheriff's department: three point five million dollars, a lot of money by anybody's standard.
Sheriff Billy Hubert: "This is the worst fire we're had in this county in more than a decade. We appreciate the fine work of our own fire departments in the county in putting out this blaze and the help we received from our neighbors."
• About 25 people from outside the area came to help in putting out the fire.
• Sheriff says they suspect arson, they are investigating.
• Today two boys, along with their parents, showed up in the sheriff's office saying they - the boys, that is - had been the cause of the fire; fire had begun as a campfire; sheriff says signs had been posted saying that camp fires were illegal.
• Names of the boys are not being released because they are juveniles. They are 14 and 15 years old.
• Sheriff says boys have been charged with misdemeanors - violating sheriff's notices concerning public safety - and have been released to the custody of their parents; a hearing in juvenile court has been scheduled for two weeks from today.
• Sheriff: "I'm glad we got this cleared up. I believe that our investigation would have eventually produced those who started this fire. Now we won't have to go through all of that." What will happen to the boys? "That will be up to the juvenile judge to decide. I would hope that if they are held responsible, they will have to do some type of community service to get them to realize the seriousness and the consequences of their actions."
• Sheriff says boys claim they thought they had put the fire out when they left the campsite; they thought they had smothered it with pine needles, but apparently it had smoldered after they left. Boys were old enough to no better but you know how kids are these days.
• Fire burned trees and land and other assorted stuff from two miles east of Highway 14 to the edge of the Ponderosa Valley subdivision, across the southern part of the county.
On the following pages are two examples of how this story might be written.
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Example 1
Two juveniles say campfire sparked fires in south Ticonderoga County
Two juveniles claimed responsibility Tuesday for a campfire that sparked a three-day fire that raged across southern Ticonderoga County last month.
The boys, ages 14 and 15, came to the sheriff's office with their parents today and said they believed that it was their campfire that had begun the blaze. They were charged with ignoring sheriff's safety signs concerning fires and have been released to the custody of their parents.
The fire charred 3,500 acres of forest and caused $3.5 million in damage, making it the worst fire in more than a decade, according to Sheriff Billy Hubert.
Hubert said the boys and their parents came to his office and explained that the boys had been camping in the area the night before. They thought they had put out their campfire, but it had apparently smoldered after they left. The flames were helped along by dry conditions and strong winds.
"I'm glad we got this cleared up," he said. "I believe that our investigation would have eventually produced those who started this fire. Now we won't have to go through all of that."
Hubert said that a hearing in juvenile court will be held for the boys in two weeks.
"I would hope that if they are held responsible, they will have to do some type of community service to get them to realize the seriousness and the consequences of their actions," he said.
The names of the boys have not been released because they are juveniles.
Copyright ©2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
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Example 2
Teenagers claim responsibility
For sparking blaze in Ticonderoga
Two teenage boys confessed Tuesday to starting a forest fire in Ticonderoga County last month that burned 3,500 acres of forestland, destroyed several hunting cabins and caused $3.5 million in damage.
The boys, whose names were not released, told Sheriff Billy Hubert that they built a campfire in the woods that started the blaze. The boys thought they had smothered the campfire with pine needles, but it apparently smoldered and reignited after the boys left the site.
Campfires in the forest are illegal, Hubert said. The boys, age 14 and 15, were charged with violating sheriff's notices concerning public safety, a misdemeanor offense.
"I'm glad we got this cleared up," Hubert said. "I believe that our investigation would have eventually produced those who started this fire. Now we won't have to go through all of that."
The boys were released to their parents' custody, Hubert said. They will have a hearing in juvenile court in two weeks, and their punishment will be decided by the juvenile court judge.
"I would hope that if they are held responsible, they will have to do some type of community service to get them to realize the seriousness and the consequences of their actions," Hubert said.
The fire, which burned for three days, drew fire fighters from three states. About 25 people from outside Ticonderoga County worked to put out the blaze. The fire burned across the southern part of the county from two miles east of Highway 14 to the edge of the Ponderosa Valley subdivision.
"This is the worst fire we've had in this county in more than a decade," Hubert said. "We appreciate the fine work of our own fire department in the county in putting out this blaze and the help we received from our neighbors."
The fire was intensified by dry conditions and strong winds. Ticonderoga County received only one inch of rain in the last month.
Copyright ©2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
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Using the inverted pyramid-2
Write a 200 to 250-word inverted pyramid news story using the following information. In writing the story, refer to the inverted pyramid checklist in the text. (This is an expanded version of the story that appears in Ex. 5.6, pages 96-97.)
• City council meeting last night; opened with prayer and reading of the minutes from last meeting.
• Discussed bids for running cafeteria in the city police station; no action taken.
• Discussed proposal by member Darden Clarke to strengthen city's leash law; proposal would make it a misdemeanor (a crime) to own a dog that had bitten someone; a person convicted for owning such a dog could be fined up to five hundred dollars and spent five nights in jail; large crowd in the city council room to hear this debate - 200, about half in favor of the law and half against.
• Clarke: "We got to do something to stop this plague of dog bites in this city. Over the past month I've had complaints from at least five people in my district who have complained about being bitten or threatened by dog. This is a problem of irresponsible ownership. I believe that we need this law to get the attention of dog owners and tell them we expect them to act responsibly."
• John Simpson: "This is an idiotic approach to what may or may not be a serious problem. I haven't had any complaints about dogs from my constituents. You don't stop dog biting by incarcerating the owners." Simpson is another member of the city council.
• Debate lasts for over 1 hour; during which time, some of the people who were there were given a chance to speak. One man brought in his three dogs, right there into the council chamber. Mayor ordered him to leave when they started barking. Mayor is Cathy Marshall.
• Randy Noble: "I believe the laws we have are strong enough. The city should just enforce them better. Most dog owners like I - we don't have no problem with the laws as they now stand, but it don't do no good to threaten us with jail." Noble list at 1717 Carriage Lane and is a welder with Empire Steel Company.
• Bradley Carden: "No dog owner in the city is going to vote for you guys again if you pass a law like this one." Carden lives at 6512 Mimosa Tree Road.
• Diane Wallace: "Look at this little girl and tell me who is responsible for this. Tell me who should be held accountable for the pain that this little girl has and the fear she had to carry with her when she plays in her own neighborhood." Diane was highly emotional and distraught and crying when she spoke to the city council; she cried during her speech; she had her child, Denise, who she said was five years old, there with her; Denise's legs were bandaged; Diane said she had been bitten three times by a neighbor's dog last week.
• Lots of debate and argument on this; most council members spoke on the issue so that by the time the vote was taken it was no surprise to anyone at all that the city council defeated the proposal by a 5 to two vote, and nobody abstained.
On the following pages are two examples of how this story might be written.
Copyright ©2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
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Example 1
City council rejects bid to toughen
Leash law by making owners liable
The City Council rejected a proposal Monday that would charge dog owners whose pets bite people with a misdemeanor offense carrying penalties of up to $500 and five days in jail.
After an emotional one-hour debate, the council voted 5-2 against the measure introduced by council member Darden Clarke. Clarke said he has received at least five complaints about dog bites in his district during the past month.
"We got to do something to stop this plague of dog bites in the city," Clarke said. "This is a problem of irresponsible ownership. I believe that we need this law to get the attention of dog owners and tell them we expect them to act responsibly."
In an emotional speech before the council, Diane Wallace presented her 5-year-old daughter, Denise, whose legs were bandaged after a neighbor's dog bit the girl three times last week.
"Look at this little girl and tell me who is responsible for this. Tell me who should be held accountable for the pain that this little girl has and the fear she had to carry with her when she plays in her own neighborhood," Wallace said.
Council member John Simpson opposed the measure. He questioned whether citizens are truly threatened by vicious dogs.
"This is an idiotic approach to what may or may not be a serious problem," Simpson said. "I haven't had any complaints about dogs from my constituents. You don't stop dog biting by incarcerating the owners."
About 200 people attended the council meeting. Half favored Clarke's proposal, and half opposed it. One opponent, Randy Noble, of 1717 Carriage Lane, said the city's leash laws are strong enough, but they are not properly enforced.
Copyright ©2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
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Example 2
Emotional plea for new leash law
Fails to move city council to action
Despite an emotional plea from a mother whose daughter had been bitten three times, the city council Monday refused to change the city's leash law to make owners liable for their dogs.
The council voted five to two against a proposal by Councilman Darden Clark that would have made owning a dog that had bitten someone a misdemeanor. Owners could be punished with up to five days in jail and a $500 fine.
Some 200 people crowded into the council room to hear the debate.
Clark said he had heard many complaints from his constituents and argued that the city should "do something to stop this plague of dog bites in this city."
The strongest plea for a tougher law came from Diane Wallace, who brought her 5-year-old daughter Denise with her. Denise had bandages on both of her legs, and her mother tearfully told the council that the girl had been bitten three times by a neighbor's dog.
"Look at this little girl," she said. "Tell me who should be held accountable for the pain that this little girl has and the fear she had to carry with her when she plays in her own neighborhood.
"
But Clark's proposal was denounced by fellow Councilman John Simpson.
"This is an idiotic approach to what may or may not be a serious problem," Simpson said. " You don't stop dog biting by incarcerating the owners."
Many people in the crowd spoke on the issue, and debate lasted for more than an hour before the vote was taken.
Copyright ©2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
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Using the inverted pyramid-3
Write a 200 to 250-word inverted pyramid news story using the following information. In writing the story, refer to the inverted pyramid checklist in the text. (This is an expanded version of the story that appears in Ex. 5.6, pages 96-97.)
• City school board met last night; big issue on their agenda was to select a new principal for Haraway High School
• Board did some other things like approve some tenure applications for about a dozen teachers.
• Most of the debate centered on the two finals for the Haraway job: Juli McCorvey, who is currently the assistant principal at Haraway and has held that job for six years; Mike Coleman, the principle of a high school in Louisiana.
• Over 40 people applied for the job; search committee of the school board narrowed the choices down to these two.
• Harley Duncan: "We have two fine candidates here. I find it very difficult to choose between them. Both of them have accomplished a lot during their careers, and I believe they each would do a good job for us at Haraway." Harley is a member of the board, weighs 270 pounds and speaks very slowly.
• Crowd of 200 people there; some supporters of McCorvey, some not. McCorvey and Coleman were not in the room; they were waiting in another room in the city board offices while the debate was going on.
• Alex McCreless, 1615 Ireland Dr. : "I have a child who is about to graduate from Haraway, and while I have nothing against Ms. McCorvey, I think it high time we got some new blood into our school system. We need some fresh thinking and new ideas. I think we need a change."
• Taylor Whitson: "I have a daughter in the 10th grade at Haraway, and we have been helped a great deal by Mrs. McCorvey. Haraway is a good school, and I don't see . . . I mean, like I think that's because Mrs. McCorvey has worked so hard. I think she deserves this chance to be in charge and that she will do a good job." Taylor has a daughter in the 10th grade at Haraway and lives at 2121 Blackoak Drive.
• Darren McGarity: "Let me tell you something. My son done real well because of the extra time and attention that Mrs. McCorvey give him. He was having some problems in the 9th grade, and she was able to figure out what help he need and got him that help. He's going to graduate in June, and it's because of her. She deserves that job." He was real excited and talked real fast.
• About a dozen other people spoke, three of them in favor of Coleman and the rest in favor of McCorvey, thus proving where the crowd stood; board voted after an hour of debate and discussion to hire Coleman; vote was five to 4.
• Coleman was born and grew up and has lived most of his life in Louisiana and has a bachelor's and master's degrees from Backwater State University in Tennessee. He is the principal of Sandy Bar High School in Sandy Bar, LA. He's done that for about 10 years.
On the following pages are two examples of how this story might be written.
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Example 1
School board bypasses assistant principal, gives top job at Hardaway to Louisiana man
The City School Board named Mike Coleman, principal of Sandy Bar High School in Sandy Bar, La., to the top post at Haraway High School during its Monday meeting.
In a 5-4 vote, the board picked Coleman over Haraway assistant principal Juli McCorvey. Coleman and McCorvey were the finalists in a search that drew more than 40 applicants.
"We have two fine candidates here. I find it very difficult to choose between them," school board member Harley Duncan said. "Both of them have accomplished a lot during their careers, and I believe they each would do a good job for us at Haraway."
In the end, however, the board opted for the lesser known Coleman, who has been principal at Sandy Bar High School for about 10 years.
Although she was not picked, McCorvey had support among the 200 people attending the meeting.
Three-fourths of the dozen or so citizens who spoke out supported McCorvey.
"I have a daughter in the tenth grade at Haraway, and we have been helped a great deal by Mrs. McCorvey. I think she deserves this chance to be in charge and that she will do a good job," Taylor Whitson, of 2121 Blackoak Drive, told the board.
Another parent, Darren McGarity, agreed with Whitson. He said that McCorvey paid special attention to his son who had problems in the ninth grade at Haraway. "I think she deserves this chance to be in charge and that she will do a good job," McGarity said.
Only three people supported Coleman. One of them was Alex McCreless, of 1615 Ireland Drive.
"I have a child who is about to graduate from Haraway, and while I have nothing against Mrs. McCorvey, I think it is high time we got some new blood into our school system," McCreless said. " We need some fresh thinking and new ideas. I think we need a change."
McCorvey and Coleman were not in the room while the one-hour discussion took place.
Coleman, a Louisiana native, has bachelor's and master's degrees from Backwater State University in Tennessee.
Copyright ©2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
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Example 2
Coleman, principal in Louisiana,
Chosen by board over McCorvey
The City School Board chose Mike Coleman, a high school principal in Louisiana, as the new principal of Haraway High School in a meeting Monday that drew some 200 people.
Coleman received five votes while Juli McCorvey, assistant principal at Haraway, had four votes from board members.
Coleman is the principal of Sandy Bar High School in Sandy Bar, La., a position he has held for 10 years. He has a bachelor's and master's degree from Backwater State University in Tennessee.
Coleman and McCorvey were the two finalists selected from more than 40 applicants who applied for the job.
Many of those attending last night's meeting spoke on behalf of McCorvey.
Darren McGarity, the parent of a Haraway senior, gave credit to McCorvey for the fact that his son is about to graduate. McGarity said his son was having problems in the ninth grade, and McCorvey was able to get him the help that he needed.
"He's going to graduate in June, and it's because of her," he said.
Another parent, Alex McCreless of 1615 Ireland Drive, said he had nothing against McCorvey but the school system needed "new blood."
"We need some fresh thinking and some new ideas," he said. "I think we need a change."
Both Coleman and McCorvey were at the school board offices last night, but they were not present in the board room while the discussion was going on.
In addition to naming the new principal, the board approved tenure applications for a dozen teachers.
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Copyright ©2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
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