Final Beat Project

Zach Peterson

June 15, 2008

Mr. Delisle

Final Beat Project

 

NBA Playoffs

 

I.                    The five sites in which I could pull my information from included ABC, ESPN, NBA.com, the Home Team’s site, and the Away Team’s site.

a.       ABC- This was a source because this is where most of the games were televised. Actually watching a game was the best way to get all of the correct and subjective information to write my articles.

b.      ESPN- This is a very nice source because it cuts games down into about a one-minute clip/highlight. This is easy to get quick info and all of the important information I needed.

c.       NBA.com- This is obviously a good source because it is the NBA website. I could get any piece of background information I needed here.

d.      The Home Team’s site- By going to the home team’s website, I could gather the prospective from that team’s fans and its reporters. It is interesting to read what people rooting for the team think as opposed to neutral and opposing fans.

e.       The Away Team’s site- By going to the away team’s website, I could gather the prospective from that team’s fans and its reporters. It is interesting to read what people rooting for the team think as opposed to neutral and opposing fans.

 

II.                 The five most important people I would contact if I were writing a story on the NBA playoffs would be David Stern, Phil Jackson, Doc Rivers, Robert Horry, and Kobe Bryant.

a.       David Stern- I would interview David Stern because he is the commissioner of the NBA. He has been around the game of basketball for his entire life and has great knowledge of it. I would ask him how he plans for the playoffs and things of that nature.

b.      Phil Jackson- I would interview Phil Jackson, not only because he is the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers who are currently in the Finals, but also because he has 9 NBA title rings. He is considered one of the best coaches of all time and has had three 3-peats in championships in his career.

c.       Doc Rivers- I would interview Doc Rivers because he is the coach of the Boston Celtics. He is also young, so I would ask him how he feels and prepares before every game. I would also ask if coaching a legendary franchise affects him at all.

d.      Robert Horry- I would interview Robert Horry because he has 7 championships as a player. That is hard to do. Michael Jordan had 6. I would ask how he carried himself under pressure situations and with the press. I would ask if his nerves ever took control of him.

e.       Kobe Bryant- I would interview Kobe Bryant because he is the best player on the Los Angeles Lakers and the 2008 MVP of the NBA. Some consider him to be one of the best players of all time, but some even go as far to say that he is better than Michael Jordan. I would ask him how hard he worked to achieve his status and how he goes about leading his team.

 

III.               There were really no ‘stories’ during my beat project because I reported on a sporting event. There are only facts in this field. If I had to pick the best ‘stories’ from the 2008 playoffs, I would pick the Celtics’ 24-point comeback, the ridiculous home court record held by all teams combined in Round 2, DeShaun Stevenson talking trash about the Cavaliers, the Atlanta Hawks taking the Celtics to 7 games, and the referee betting scandal.

a.       Comeback- This was one of the greatest comebacks in Boston sports history. They were down by 24 points late in the game and managed to pull off the victory. If the Celtics win the title, this game will be the main reason why.

b.      22-3 Home Court Record- In Round 2 of the NBA playoffs, it seemed like no team could ever win on the road. Almost every series went 7 games and this made for some good basketball. It was hard to figure out what was going on, but it just kept happening.

c.       DeShaun Stevenson- DeShaun Stevenson plays for the Washington Wizards and played against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Before their series, Stevenson said how LeBron James was overrated and how their team was going to take down the defending Eastern Conference Champions. This talk backfired as Stevenson had a terrible series and wound up losing in the end.

d.      Atlanta Hawks- For the last couple of years, the Atlanta Hawks have been a joke of a team. Last year, they were one of the worst teams in the League and this year, they made it to the playoffs. With much help from Mike Bibby and Josh Childress, the Hawks took the Celtics to 7 games. Although Game 7 wasn’t close, Atlanta still made it a good series.

e.       Referee Betting Scandal- Tim Donaghy was convicted of fixing games as an NBA referee. This year, he said that he was told to favor a certain team in both 2002 and 2005 playoff series’. This caused a big controversy that still has not been settled.

 

IV.              This beat project taught me that journalism is a lot of work. Following a certain topic will bring a lot of long hours and short nights of sleep. I learned that in order to be a journalist, you have to be truly passionate about what you are doing. Writing about an event or happening over and over for a long period of time can get boring and repetitious. You need to have an excellent work ethic. To be a journalist, you also have to be very creative. When there is not an obvious story, you have to find one. You need to conduct interviews with all relevant sources to solidify your story. Every little bit has to be covered to ensure that you have a quality piece. Journalism is hard work, and I learned that from this project.

 

V.                 Interview- Tim DeMartinà (908) 328 3657, student and journalist at HCRHS

Q: When did you realize you liked journalism?

A: I liked watching the news and SportsCenter when I was younger and that drew me in and got me interested.

 

Q: What made you decide to start taking a communications class?

A: I was always interested in writing and reporting on news and bringing it to other people, so when I saw the class in the school’s book of classes I decided I wanted to take it.

 

Q: Do you like writing articles better or being a news anchor better?

A: I definitely like both areas, but from my experience on the morning announcements, I have kind of taken to anchoring.

 

Q: What topic would you most like to cover as a reporter?

A: I would love to cover sports. I have played and been around sports my entire life.

 

Q: Have you ever had an article published in The Lamp?

A: Yes. I worked for The Lamp.

 

Q: What newspaper/magazine would you like to write for if you had a choice?

A: It would be cool to write for ESPN The Magazine, or any major newspaper, really.

 

Q: What would be your favorite television station if you could be a news anchor?

A: Definitely ESPN.

 

Q: Are you aware of the long hours and hard work that comes along with a journalism profession?

A: Yes, and I think that it would be all worth it because I really like the job and the things that come with it.

 

Q: What do you mean by “the things that come with it”?

A: Well, if I could become a great reporter and get ‘up there’ in the business, I would be meeting a lot of great athletes and people that I admire. I would also be watching sports games for a living which would be terrific in my opinion.

 

Q: Do you plan to pursue this career through college?

A: Yes, I am planning to attend the University of Tennessee and major in communications. If that doesn't work out I pland on majoring in sports marketing.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/16/08; 12:12:58 PM - Discuss

Game 4-- Lakers vs. Celtics

MR. DELISLE-- I tried signing on last night to finish my last beat and everything worked when I put the username in and stuff, but the bar at the top did not come up at the top so I could not go to My News.

 

 

 

 

The Lakers completely blew this game. They had a 24 point lead and they let the Celtics steal the game from them. In my opinion the Lakers gave away the series Thursday night in Los Angeles.

Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett all shot well for the Celtics in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Pierce had 20 points and went 6-13 shooting with 7 assists. Garnett scored 16 points with 11 points and 3 assists going 7-14 from the field. Ray Allen played the entire game and dropped 19 points on 6-12 from the floor. Allen also had a surprising 9 rebounds and 2 assists.

Rajon Rondo hurt his ankle in the Celtics' practice when preparing for Game 4, so his minutes noticeably decreased. His main feature as a basketball player is his speed, quickness, and ball handling, and an ankle injury affects all three of these fields. He only played 17 minutes and 1 second, but Eddie House and James Posey were there to back him up. Both bench players had great games. Posey had 18 points while House had 11.

Every starter on the Lakers scored in double-digits. Odom had 19, Bryant had 17, Gasol had 17, Fisher had 13, and Radmanovic had 10. Trevor Ariza came off the bench to add 6 points.

This was inescusable to let up a 24 point lead, and it is now probably on of the greatest comebacks. The Celtics have a chance to finish off the Lakers in Game 5 when the series stays in Los Angeles for its final game.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/14/08; 8:14:33 AM - Discuss

7 Arrested for Cheering at High School Graduations

Six people at Fort Mill High School's graduation and one other at York Comprehensive High School, both in Columbia, South Carolina, were arrested for cheering during the ceremony. The audience was warned to hold their applause until the event was over, but they did not say anything about arresting the people that disobeyed.

"I just thought they were going to escort me out," Jonathan Orr told The Herald of Rock Hill. "I had no idea they were going to put handcuffs on me and take me to jail." The 21-year-old Orr was forced to spend two hours in jail after hollering for his cousin at YCHS' graduation ceremony located at Winthrop University Coliseum. He thinks people should be able to cheer if they want to, which definitely seems reasonable. He continued to say, "For some people, it might be the only member of their family to graduate high school, and it was like a funeral in there." This is a very valid point, and what is wrong with going a little crazy for a moment as big as this?

Another who was arrested, William Massey, claimed he only clapped and gave a little "whoop" after his fiancee's name was called. He also claimed that not everybody who cheered was arrested. "There's a lot more people that did it than six or seven," said the 19-year-old 2007 graduate from Fort Mill.

All but one of these cases will be heard in city court with a maximum punishment of 30 days in jail and a $1000 fine. The other case is different because the person taken into custody resisted arrest. I do not blame him/her, though.

I think this is so stupid it is unbelievable. Who says that you can't cheer on your family member, fiancee, or friend at their graduation. It is completely and utterly ridiculous. For some people, this could be the biggest moment in their lives. I see no problem in what these people did. I would fight this until there is nothing left to fight, because I completely disagree with how up-tight everything has become.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/13/08; 10:11:35 AM - Discuss

Lakers and Celtics look to play better in Game 4

NBA.comGame 3 was by far the ugliest game of the 2008 NBA Finals, and possibly of the entire NBA playoffs. The Celtics shot only 34.5% from the field while the Lakers did not do much better shooting 43.5%. The game was filled with plenty of airballs and missed opportunities. Kevin Garnett, the Celtics all-star who came to the NBA straight out of high school, missed two dunks in this game. The Celtics had 13 turnovers and the Lakers had 12. Doc Rivers, Boston's head coach, said the six hour flight from Boston to Los Angeles may have affected the players' performance.

"This was the first game that I had four or five different players during the game signal to pull them out,'' he said. "I had to blow a timeout, one that I didn't want to use late. I thought it was a very tough turnaround and I think rest is very important.''

Pau Gasol also said, "I think most of the players out there struggled physically. You could tell the travel and Game 2 and 3 being so tight together, going across the country pretty much is an overseas trip. It was like going back to Spain. I think that was a factor."

The pressure of the NBA Finals in general and playing before all of the Hollywood celebrities has not affected the team's to a great extent, but Boston's Sam Cassell has had championship experience and has helped settle the nerves of every other player on his team.

"It's the same game, it's just a bigger stage,'' Cassell said. "You're not at your high school auditorium any more. This is Carnegie Hall.''

These two franchises have combined for a total of 30 NBA titles. The Lakers are now 9-0 at home in the playoffs and the Celtics have a great playoff home record as well. The jet-lag and fatigue should not be a factor in Game 4, and we should be in for a good series.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/13/08; 10:11:17 AM - Discuss

Man injured by pitbulls awarded $7.25 million

On May 4, 2006, Alan H. Hill was attacked by a group of pitbulls while mowing a vacant lot when he suffered severe injuries. He was accompanied by two other men, and after the incident the three began demanding stronger laws on dangerous dogs in Independence, Missouri (where the attacks happened) and in other surrounding areas.

Hill's injuries were so serious that he almost died. He was hospitalized and hooked up to a feeding tube for more than one month. Circuit Judge Vernon E. Scoville ruled the attack had caused permanent disfiguring and disabling injuries including complex facial laserations, extensive laserations to Hill's upper and lower extremities, and multisystem organ failure. His medical bills would accumulate to be greater than $500,000, and an approximation of his loss of direct and future income was put at greater than $1 million.

 

 

 

Judge Scoville ruled that the defendants in the case should have been aware of the fact that pitbulls have "vicious propensities and tendency to injure persons. …"

 

 

 

 

Bryan Smith, a handyman who left the window open through which the dogs escaped, was sentenced to one year in jail for misdemeanor assault and is also required to spend 100 days in jail as "shock time". Paul Piper, owner of the dogs who attacked Alan Hill, was convicted in municipal court as well.

This is a tough case because I love dogs and if my dog was the one who did this, I would not want at all for the other person to get money. On the other hand, I feel extremely bad for the man who was attacked being that he received permanent disabilities and injuries. If I was him, I would demand that I get at least something and if I did not I would be angrier than a hornet. This is a severe case of a dog attack, though, and I believe that the right call was made.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/11/08; 11:18:36 PM - Discuss

Game 3-- Lakers vs. Celtics

The Lakers posted their first win of the 2008 NBA Finals on Tuesday June 10. This guarantees that the series will go at least five games, now a 2-1 in favor of  Boston. If the Lakers had lost and went down 3-0, it is highly, highly unlikely that they would have had any shot at winning the title. Now their chances are better as the next two games are in Los Angeles. This is a different format from the rest of the post-season. The prior series' went 2-2-1-1-1 (higher seed home-lower seed home-higher home-lower home-higher home). The traditional way and the way the Finals continues to carry it out is 2-3-2 (higher home-lower home-higher home). This setup, in a way, can benefit the lower seeded team if that team can win all of their games at home- this would have them take a 3-2 series lead and put the pressure on the higher seeded team. The Lakers are the lower seeded team in this round and given their talent it seems likely that they could win all of their games at home. The theory is that a good team can win anywhere, though, and this is how the format will stay.

Kobe Bryant perormed brilliantly in this game, shooting 12-20 and finishing with 36 points and 7 rebounds. Sasha Vujacic went 7-10 from the floor and 3-5 from beyond the arc. He scored a playoff high 20 points. Vujacic also added great defense as he has done all playoffs long (example- Manu Ginobili) holding Paul Pierce to just 6 points. That is horrendous for a player of Pierce's magnitude. The Boston stud who had come out strong in Games 1 and 2 only made 2 out of 14 attempted shots. Garnett also had a terrible game going 6-21 and scoring 13. Ray Allen stepped up his game when others were lacking and scored 25, nearly one fourth of the team's points. Ten out of ten Celtics scored in the game but only two had double digit numbers (Allen and Garnett). A team can rarely win when that happens.

It is easy to see why Boston struggled in this game. The Lakers just took advantage of their mistakes more than they could return the favor. Both teams obviously did not play their best ball on this night, but as the series grows deeper I am sure that every single player will shake off the nerves and step his game up. As noted before the next game and the game after are in LA, so Boston better have a game plan to stop Kobe and his supporters before he can ride the crowd to victory.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/11/08; 10:44:54 PM - Discuss

2 homeless men shot with BB gun

Police have said that two homeless men were shot in dowtown Miami with a BB gun early Wednesday morning. One was shot while he was riding by on a bike and the other was shot while he was sleeping. The two men were identified as John Rains and Willie Thomas and both were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital where they were treated and released. Their ages were unknown.

The incident occured at 1:15 am. Willie Thomas was sleeping on a mattress under Interstate 95 when he woke to a sharp pain in his upper left thigh. John Rains was shot at the same time, but in his side. He saw a silver pickup truck drive by and immediately pedaled to the police headquarters located a few blocks away from his position at that time. When he reached the police station, he collapsed as soon as he entered the building. The downtown area is a common place for homeless people to be. Nobody heard any shots in the area and police have few leads.

I don't know what would possess someone to do something like this. I think it is horrible. These people are just trying to get by in life and the last thing they need is someone giving them a hard time, especially a thing such as physical violence. It is so sad when people do not have feelings for others in bad situations. The fact that they are homeless may not even be their fault. They could be just extremely unlucky. For people to abuse people like this is just terrible. People need to get their heads on straight and realize what is going on. It's just ridiculous.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/11/08; 10:19:38 PM - Discuss

Game 2-- Celtics vs. Lakers

The Celtics were able to win their second home game of the NBA Finals to take a 2-0 series lead. Paul Pierce had another great game to add to his playoff resume scoring 28 points and handing out 8 assists. Kevin Garnett shot poorly, only 7-19 from the field, but still had 17 points. Ray Allen also added 17 but was able to shoot over 50% from the floor. Leon Powe came out of nowhere and dropped 21 points. Kendrick Perkins converted all of his shots and finished with 7 points. When the Celtics' "Big 3" perform well together and get the rest of the team involved, it is hard to take the team down.

Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol seemed to be the only players that decided to showed up in Game 2. Kobe was able to put up 30 points along with 8 assists and 4 rebounds while Gasol scored 17 with 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Jordan Farmar had an alright game off of the bench with 9 points, and Vladimir Radmanovic was able to score 13 which is better than normal for him. The rest of the team performed below average.

Phil Jackson, the Head Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Kobe Bryant said that in order to get a win they will need to improve their transition defense, especially against the three. Boston has hurt Los Angeles a lot this series with transition three-pointers which not only gives the team momentum but also pumps up the crowd. This will be one of their main focuses in their preparation for Game 3.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/11/08; 1:34:48 PM - Discuss

Stuntman killed on set of John Woo movie

John Woo was filming an $80 million historical film, "Red Cliff", when one stuntman was killed and six more were injured. An $80 million budget is extremely big for a Chinese movie, so this was going to be a hit. The scene in which it occured involved two boats in which one was set on fire. The boat that was set on fire was a small boat and it collided with a bigger boat, all of which was planned. What was not planned was that the fire would quickly get out of control and set both of the ships on fire. This is when the unfortunate injuries and death occured. The Chinese government views the movie as an important showcase of Chinese history and it still wants it to release before the Summer Olympics start on August 8.

art.john.woo.gi.jpg

 

 

 

John Woo

 

 

 

The stuntman was 23-years-old, and he was no "bum" of a stuntman either. He had put in work on films such as Broken Arrow, Face/Off, and Mission: Impossible 2. The filmmaking crew "is deeply distraught and full of regret. They are making every effort to make arrangements for the deceased, his family and the injured crew members," the statement said. This setback will definitely affect the effort of getting the film released by August 8. John Woo rushed from promoting his movie in Hong Kong  back to Beijing as soon as he heard what happened. Hopefully for the government's sake the crew is able to finish the movie in time, but really let's hope for the stuntman's family.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/11/08; 1:34:40 PM - Discuss

Game 1-- Celtics vs. Lakers

The Boston Celtics jumped out and began the 2008 NBA Finals with a win. They did a good job of spreading the points around and getting everybody in the game. Paul Pierce had 22 points and 2 assists, Kevin Garnett had 24 points and 13 rebounds and 3 assists, Ray Allen had 19 points and 5 assists, and Rajon Rondo had 15 points and 7 assists. Kendrick Perkins did not have a good game, only having 1 point, but his teammates were right there to pick him up.

The Lakers also did a good job of spreading out the points. Kobe led the team in scoring with 24 points while Gasol and Fisher scored 15. Lamar Odom added 14. This was obviously no enough, though, as they lost 98-88.

Boston needed this game badly. They have not proven themselves to be strong on the road in these playoffs, although they did win two road games in Detroit. Los Angeles is a better team than Detroit in a lot, if not all areas. This will pose a great challenge for the Celtics to attempt to overcome. The series stays in Boston for Game 2 which will be played on Sunday.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/9/08; 1:52:24 PM - Discuss

Attempted robbery led to Lawrence shooting deaths, police say

Gage Hauk, 18, and an unidentified 16-year-old suspect attempted to perform armed robbery on an aquaintance of theirs at 2:30 am Saturday June 7, 2008. Hauk and the 16-year-old boy entered the resident's house when the 20-year-old shot and killed Hauk with a shotgun. The resident was then shot and killed as well by the 16-year-old suspect before he fled the scene on foot. A gun was found a block away from where the double homicide took place and it is thought to be the one used in the shooting. The boy was arrested the next day for suspicion of felony murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery and attempted aggravated robbery. He is being held at the county's juvenile detention center.

Police responded to the scene after a good amount of neighbors reported gunshots. When the officers arrived, one body was found in the house while the other lay outside. It is possible that the boy will be charged as an adult.

There are definitely too many gun-related deaths on the streets of America. The US has by far the most deaths by gun in the world. It doen't make any sense why people can't just settle things without violence or even a fist fight, if anything. These incidents have been out of control for a long time and something needs to be done so that we can ensure that people won't make stupid decisions like in this story.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/9/08; 1:37:38 PM - Discuss

Game 6-- Pistons vs. Celtics

Boston will be going to the NBA Finals starting June 5. Their 89-81 win over the Pistons in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals gave them a 4-2 game advantage, and victory, in the best-of-seven series. This was only the second road win that the Celtics had all post-season. They will have home court advantage in the Finals, being the number one overall seed in the NBA. Their greatest challenge will obviously be Kobe Bryant, the League's MVP. They will also need to find a way to hinder the performance of the recently aquired Pau Gasol.

Paul Pierce led the charge with 27 points for the Celtics. Chauncy Billups had a game high 29 points but other than the 21 points added from Rip Hamilton no other Pistons gave any backup. Billups' 29 points was a career playoff high for the veteran point guard. Detroit blew their 10 point lead in the 4th Quarter and continued on their way to ending their season in the Eastern Conference Finals for the third straight year.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/9/08; 12:52:51 PM - Discuss

Police Officer Shot in Miami, 2 in Custody

Two men were taken into custody in Miami, FLA for shooting a police officer Friday afternoon. Both men were captured on foot and the police are still looking for two other suspects. The men were African-American and between the heights of 5-feet-9-inches and 5-feet-10-inches tall. One of the gunmen was wearing dark pants and a white colored shirt. The other was wearing cream colored attire. The intersection where the two men were arrested was Northwest Seventh Avenue and 45th Street. The gun believed to have been the gun used in the crime was found on Northwest Ninth Avenue and 45th Street.

The shooting occured at about 3:00 pm at Northwest Second Avenue and 37th Street. Immediately after, a ten block perimeter was established in order to secure the crime scene. The undercover narcotics detective was rushed to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital. He was shot in the left arm. While being taken into the emergency room, the officer was both alert and awake. Updates on the final two suspects, the state of the detective, and and the two suspects in custody should be surfacing soon.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/6/08; 4:20:23 PM - Discuss

Game 5-- Lakers vs. Spurs

The Lakers are going to the NBA Finals. Their opponent is not yet known, but it could be decided tomorrow night if the Celtics can pull off a Game 6 road win. This would make for a great series as Los Angeles has the League MVP in Kobe Bryant while Boston has the runner-up in Kevin Garnett.

In this game, it did not look good for the Lakers right off the bat. They were outscored by the Spurs 28-15 in the 1st Quarter. The Lakers came alive late, but early enough to pull out the win. Kobe Bryant had a great game with 39 points and 3 assists, but he scored 17 of his 39 all in the 4th Quarter. He led them to come back from 17 points down to win the game by a score of 100-92. Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol back Bryant up, Odom scoring 13 and Gasol scoring 12.

Although the game was close, Ginobili still played terribly and like the rest of the games when this happened, the Spurs lost. Tony Parker stepped up to lead them with 23 points while Tim Duncan had himself a triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists.

For the most part throughout the series, the Spurs did a good job on Kobe. In the Western Conference Finals, Bryant was only able to attempt 11 free throws. In the Lakers' series against the Utah Jazz, he attempted 96 foul shots. This still was not enough to slow down the NBA's Most Valuble Player on his path to win yet another NBA title.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/6/08; 3:58:01 PM - Discuss

Hard News Story

Wife of victim charged with 1st degree murder

 

By Zach Peterson

 

Hunterdon County, NJ- Colleen Tulley has been charged with first degree murder in the case of her husband, Michael Tulley, a computer analyst at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). Three suitcases were found over a 9-day span with Mr. Tulley’s dismembered body parts on in June of 2004. The first two cases contained no usable DNA samples, but the third and final was able to be used to identify the victim.

 

Ms. Tulley is being held without bail at Hunterdon County Jail. She is a nurse at the Greater Middlesex Fertility Clinic and pled not guilty to all counts last month at the arraignment. The list of charges were conspiracy to commit murder, first degree murder, illegal possession of a firearm, and dismemberment of a corpse.

 

“The only physical evidence pointing to Colleen Tulley are the traces of Michael’s blood all over the Tulley’s bath tub, which the victim’s wife cannot explain,” said Johnnie Stiles, District Attorney of Flemington, NJ.

 

A computer confiscated in June 2004 from the Tulley’s home shows that on April 26, 2004, searches were conducted on Google.com under the following key words: “New Jersey Gun Laws”, “Undetectable Poisons”, and “How to Commit Murder”.

 

“Although the computer searches cannot be directly linked to Ms. Tulley, they are pretty incriminating and obviously does not help her case,” said Stiles.

 

On April 27, Colleen went to Easton, PA to purchase a gun from a pawn shop. That day, the married couple had a fight supposedly over money. After the fight, Colleen claims Mike struck her in the face with a closed fist. Mike packed a bag and this was the last Colleen ever saw of him. Her husband disappeared the following day on April 28.

 

A police report revealed Michael Tulley was a high-profile gambler in Atlantic City, and on April 11, 2004, an online gambling site in the UK was accessed by the Tulley computer. Ms. Tulley’s attorney said that Colleen had no knowledge of Michael’s gambling habits.

 

Michael was not reported missing until May 5, 2004, an entire week later. His employer was the one who reported him missing. He said that Mike was a good employee and did his job, and did not at all act abnormally in the weeks prior to his disappearance.

 

Colleen said she did not report him missing because she was with Doctor Matthew deFink most of the time, and she figured that Mike was just at work.

 

Colleen had been having affairs with Dr. deFink, a doctor at the clinic she worked at, a while before the murder; deFink was also married and had three children. The first affair spanned from November 2001-February 2002, while Ms. Tulley was pregnant with her first child. Their relationship then resumed in July 2003 while Ms. Tulley was pregnant with her second child. Colleen admitted to being with Dr. deFink at the time of the disappearance. The Tulley children are now six years old and four years old, respectively, and Colleen’s attorney said Colleen plans to have her mother take care of them until she is proven innocent.

 

In May 2004, Dr. deFink went over to the Tulley house to help Colleen move furniture. He claimed the house smelled like a morgue. After this he cooperated with authorities and allowed his phone conversations with Colleen to be tape recorded because he was suspicious and nervous. He later denied saying the house smelled like a morgue.

 

deFink described Ms. Tulley as shy, nice, and a good worker. He told investigators Colleen never talked about her husband. Colleen said her and deFink planned on divorcing their present spouses and getting married, but deFink claims this never happened and that the affair ended one month after the murder in June 2004.

 

Michael Tulley was also having an affair. His occurred in 2002 with a woman named Libby Blue, a consultant from Tennessee who came up to New Jersey to work on a two-day project with Tulley. Unlike his wife, though, this was only a two-day fling and very short-term. Libby Blue claims Mr. Tulley to be a very nice man, but never even considered pursuing their relationship past the two days they had spent together.

 

Colleen Tulley’s attorney said, “When Colleen found out about Michael’s fling, she was a little upset but not very since she had an affair and was planning on getting a divorce anyway.”

 

Last week, Dr. deFink was cross-examined and testified that he lied to investigators about the time the affair ended. He claims now that he and Colleen are still in love.

 

Ms. Tulley’s lawyer said Colleen bought the gun for protection and for recreation in the firing range. She went to Easton, PA to purchase it because her mother lives there and she was visiting her.

 

Colleen Tulley passed a polygraph test in May of 2005 and said she would take another test under certain circumstances.

 

After analyzing the crime scene on Rehobeth Beach, police have determined that the suitcases were originally dumped in the Chesapeake Bay. The prosecution claims that Michael Tulley was drugged, shot in the head, dismembered in the Tulley’s bath tub, put into three separate suitcases, and thrown over the Delaware Memorial Bridge. The trial begins in a few weeks and only time will how the jury will be persuaded.

 

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/6/08; 11:58:02 AM - Discuss

Deputy Killed, Officer Injured Near Monteagle

Kermit Bryson, 29, is accused of shooting and killing a Grundy County sheriff's deputy while the officer was serving a search warrant on Thursday morning in Monteagle, Tennessee. Shane Tate, the deceased policeman, had five children and had recently graduated from the state police academy in Nashville. Another officer was on the scene helping serve a probation violation warrant for failed gun screens and staying out past curfew when the gunman opened fire. The other officer was hit as well, but he would be able to recover. One hundred police officers and twenty-five agencies are still searching for the "armed and dangerous" Bryson.

Bryson is described as a 5 foot 7 inch tall white male, approximately 130 pounds in weight. He has already been convicted for theft and burglary and has also escaped from jail in 2001. The search is still going on, and the SWAT team along with tracking dogs and helicopters have been dispatched to help catch the murderer. Officers have been advised to wear bulletproof vests and carry rifles.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/5/08; 1:51:37 PM - Discuss

Game 5-- Celtics vs. Pistons

The Celtics routine of winning at home in the 2008 playoffs continued in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The charge was led by Kevin Garnett who posted 33 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. The bench, though, only scored a shocking 3 points. The Celtics starting 5 did all of the rest. Following Garnett, Ray Allen had 29, Kendrick Perkins had 18, Paul Pierce had 16, and Rajon Rondo had 7. Rondo also had a game high 13 assists.

Detroit played well, too, but it was not enough in the end. They let themselves get down by 17 at one point, and their 31-22 4th Quarter run was not enough to dig them out. Chauncy Billups broke out of his slump by scoring 26 with Rip Hamilton right behind him scoring 25. Rodney Stuckey, the rookie who has played so well throughout the playoffs, hit a three with 1:22 left in the game to bring the deficit to only one. Ray Allen countered this with a long two, and a series of sloppy offensive plays by Detroit forced them to give the game away.

Rasheed Wallace picked up his sixth technical foul of the post-season, and one more will earn him a one-game suspension. The Piston's hero from Game 4, Antonio McDyess, fouled out with only five minutes left in the game.

Game six will be played in Detroit, and if the Pistons lose they are out of the playoffs. Boston will try to win their second game of the playoffs on the road in 2008 on their quest for the NBA Finals.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/5/08; 1:33:33 PM - Discuss

Lesbian Kisses at Game Ignite Seattle debate

The Seattle Mariners played the Boston Red Sox on May 26, 2008. Sirbrina Guerrero and her date were in attendance and decided to kiss a couple of times during the early parts of the baseball game. Usually, surrounding fans pay no mind to fans that are smooching, but this case was different. This case was different because Sirbrina Guerrero and her date were lesbians. Josh Friedes of Equal Rights Washington said, "Certain individuals have not yet caught up. Those people see a gay or lesbian couple and they stare or say something. This is one of the challenges of being gay. Everyday things can become sources of trauma."

Despite this reality, Guerrero was still surprised since Seattle is so "gay-friendly". The usher said he responded to a complaint of two women "kissing" and "groping" each other, but Guerrero denied this.

art.kiss.ap.jpgGuerrero had been a contestant on the MTV show A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, where men and women were able to compete for dates with the bisexual star. Many gay rights groups broke out in argument over this issue, but people who were 'grossed out' really don't seem to care. This is an ongoing controversy that seems to have no near end in sight.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/5/08; 1:33:24 PM - Discuss

Game 4-- Spurs vs. Lakers

Game 4 in the Western Conference Finals was the first close game in the series since the Lakers came back from 20 points down to win Game 1 by only 4 points. This game was decided by half that margin, and again it went in the Lakers favor bringing the series to 3-1, Los Angeles.

Both teams shot nearly the same percentage from three-point range, the field in general, and from the foul line. To no one's surprise, Kobe Bryant led the Lakers in scoring. He had 28 points, but also had 10 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 assist. Luke Walton came off the bench to score 9, while Lamar Odom had a strong game with 16 points and 9 rebounds, and Vladimir Radmanovic and Pau Gasol had 11 and 10 points, respectively. For the Spurs Tim Duncan and Tony Parker combined for 52 points, but Manu Ginobili only had 7. The trend through the playoffs has been that when Ginobili does well, the Spurs as a team do well. But when Ginobili performs poorly, the team obviously suffers.

If the Spurs do not win every remaining game, then they will be eliminated from the playoffs. They will need to play with a sense of desperation and will have to find a way to stop Kobe and either Odom or Gasol. Game 5 will travel back to Los Angeles, providing even more of a challenge for the Spurs.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/5/08; 12:37:59 PM - Discuss

Parcells Has No Problem with Taylor Returning

Just after the 2007-08 NFL season, the Miami Dolphins hired Bill Parcells as their vice president of football operations. Parcells has been a very succesful coach in the NFL, winning one Super Bowl with the New York Giants and reaching the Super Bowl with the New England Patriots. He coached perhaps the best defensive play of all time, Lawrence Taylor, or "LT". Lawrence Taylor was a linebacker for the 1990 Super Bowl Champion Giants. Now, Parcells has another great Taylor on his squad and he goes by the name of Jason. Taylor has performed well and was last year's NFL Man of the Year. Recent reports have said Jason wants out of Miami, but he denies these allegations. He did say that he would be open to trade talks, though.

Taylor missed this weekend's minicamp, but Parcells declined to say anything bad about the defensive lineman in an interview during the Gatorade Tiger Moon Shot Challenge. He said, ''That's a player's discretion. We can't make him do anything. It's up to him. Now, there is a framework in place for dealing with that, but that will be [coach] Tony Sparano's decision.''

Despite missing training camp, Parcells would still be open to having Taylor return to the team. ''I've had run-ins with players before and it got resolved,'' Parcells said. ``We want good players on this team, and I think [Taylor] is a good player. So could we have him back? I think we can.''

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/5/08; 12:12:33 PM - Discuss

Game 4-- Pistons vs. Celtics

Antonio McDyess came out of the gates like a monster. He had eight of Detroit's first ten points, giving the Pistons an early 10-0 lead. McDeyss would finish the game with 21 points and 16 rebounds, a valient effort from one of the Pistons role players. For the Celtics, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen began the game missing their first seven shots, combined. They ended up going 11-38 from the floor in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The three stars were unable to match the Pistons total of 94 points, and had 43 of the 75 team points in a losing effort.

A big factor in this game was field goal percentage. The Pistons outshot the Celtics 51.4%-31.8% from the field. The only thing that kept Boston close was their free throw shooting. The Celtics were able to get to the stripe twenty times in the first half, while the Pistons only reached it nine times. It's hard to keep close, though, when Rip Hamilton scores 20, Rasheed Wallace scores 14, Chauncy Billups scores 10, and the role players all contribute equally.

The Pistons ran away with this game in the 4th Quarter. Going into the last period of the game, the score was reasonably close at 65-58, advantage Detroit. But Detroit had 11 unanswered points and Billups hit a dagger three-pointer with under three minutes to go. By then, the game was completely under control and the Pistons coasted to an easy 19-point victory.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/3/08; 1:53:54 PM - Discuss

College Profesor Loses 133 Pounds

Muata Kamdibe is an english professor with a great sense of humor. He stands six feet tall, and as a 'big guy' had the philosophy that as long as he didn't reach the weight of 300 pounds, he was alright. He always told himself that he would never get that big, but when he weighed himself at 310 pounds, he emotionally broke down. One month later, he decided to change his lifestyle which would ulimately lead to a completely different body type.

In January 2003, Kamdibe began walking one hour every day and going on a diet. He decided to try the Atkins diet and in his first six months lost 60 pounds. He plateaued in 2004 only losing 5 pounds the entire year. He began researching and found out different exersizes performed by Olympic Athletes and the diets they undergo. He noticed that he was taking in too many calories and changed again what he was eating.

Muata Kamdibe

Finally, by July 2007, he had lost 133 pounds to bring his weight to 177. His goal was to get his body fat percentage under 10, and he achieved that. He went from an amazing 44% body fat to 6.5% body fat. Kamdibe said he has more self confidence and is now more well-rounded as a person than he used to be. He then added, "It's given me this crazy notion that I can do anything I put my mind to." Hopefully more Americans read this story and get this country's obesity problem under control.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 6/1/08; 7:52:01 PM - Discuss

Game 3-- Spurs vs. Lakers

Manu Ginobili, the NBA's sixth man of the year, propelled the Spurs past the Lakers in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. This was the second game in a row that was won by double digits. Ginobili's 30 points helped them on their way to a 103-84 win. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker also had quality games scoring 22 points and 20 points, respectively. Duncan also added 21 rebounds and 5 assists. Kobe Bryant had 30 points for the Lakers and Pau Gasol scored 15, but Lamar Odom struggled and had his worst game of the series points-wise. He only shot 2 of 11 from the field and finished with 7 points. He was able to dish out 13 assists and grab 11 rebounds, though. Kobe Bryant said, "They played solid defense, but we missed a lot of easy ones." One other bad thing for the Lakers was their foul shooting. They were only able to convert on 8 of 17 attempts. It seemed that the home crowd re-energized San Antonio and gave them enough strength to pull out the win.

A big part of the game came from the second quarter. The Spurs were able to outscore the Lakers 28-15. this more or less took the wind out of Los Angeles' sails, and they never really came close throughout the rest of the game. The Lakers only hit six three's, while the Spurs knocked down ten. Ginobili accounted for five of them, nearly matching his point total from Games 1 and 2 with that effort alone. In Games 1 and 2 combined, Manu had 17 points. His injuries were obviously not bothering him in Sunday's game. San Antonio shot 55.6% from the field, and will need another performance like that in Game 4 if they plan on winning their next home game.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 5/30/08; 1:20:08 PM - Discuss

Game 3-- Pistons vs. Celtics

The Celtics did something they had not done for the entirety of the 2008 playoffs on Saturday May 24, 2008: they earned a victory on the road. It was no fluke either; Boston went into halftime up 50-32. The first half was completely dominated by the Celtics. To open the game, they came out on an eleven-nothing run. Kevin Garnett lead the team with a strong performance. He put up 22 points, had 13 rebounds, and assisted six shots. Other players playing key roles in this victory included Ray Allen, 14 points and 6 assists, Kendrick Perkins, 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Rajon Rondo, 12 points and 4 assists.

 

A noticeable aspect to this game is the fact that the Celtics 'spread the wealth' in terms of points. Boston's "Big 3" only contributed 47 of the squad's 94 points; this was unlike the last game where these players had over 3/4 of the team's total points. A strategy like this is not a bad one at all. If the plan is that three players will take a majority of the shots, then if one guy is having an off night it will greatly affect their overall production. Distributing the points allows for the entire team to pick one another up when a mistake occurs. This is what the Celtics did for this game and it proved to be effective.

The Pistons obviously did not have a great game. Their two high scorers were Rip Hamilton with 26 and rookie Rodney Stuckey with 17. Chauncy Billups only had 6 points while Rasheed Wallace had 12. Tayshaun Prince shot horribly as he had just 4 points on 2 of 11 shooting. Pistons' Head Coach Flip Saunders was disappointed at the fact that Boston regained the home court advantage. He knows that his team needs to win Game 4 on their home court, calling it their most important game of the year.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 5/29/08; 9:15:12 PM - Discuss

Game 2-- Lakers vs. Spurs

Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals was really never even close. The Los Angeles Lakers blew the Spurs away beating them by 30, 101-71. Manu Ginobili had another terrible game, only scoring 7 points. The Spurs in general had a terrible game. Tim Duncan, arguably the best power forward ever only scored 12 points, while Tony Parker, the team's starting point guard, only scored 13. Unbelievably, 13 points was the Spurs' team high.

On the flipside, Kobe Bryant had 22 for the Lakers and Lamar Odom demonstrated his skill potential by scoring 20 and grabbing 12 rebounds. Jordan Farmar came off the bench and gave the team a good 14 points. The Lakers outscored the Spurs in every single quarter, and dramatically beat them by 13 in the 4th. The Spurs shot an ugly 34.5% from the floor while the Lakers posted their number at 54.9%. The Spurs also missed half their foul shots while LA hit 90% of their free throws. The Lakers would never trail in this game.

The series is now at 2-0, in favor of Los Angeles. only 14 teams out of 222 attempts have ever come out of a best-of-seven NBA playoff series victorious. The Spurs did it in the Western Conference Semifinals when they play the New Orleans Hornets, but as the statistics show the odds are definitely not in their favor. The series travels to San Antonio for Games 3 and 4, and hopefully for the Spurs' sake it will energize Tim Duncan and the rest of his team.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 5/29/08; 7:31:07 PM - Discuss

Game 2-- Celtics vs. Pistons

The Celtics had a shocking loss on Thursday in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. This brought their home playoff record to 9-1 finally losing on their court. Despite this incredible statistic, they still have not won on the road. This posts a huge problem as now they will have to win at least one game in The Palace, Detroit's home court.

Ray Allen, the Celtics guard, had a breakout game in Game 2 scoring 25 points in just over 29 minutes. In fact, the Boston Three Party (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen) all combined for 75 of the team's 97 points. This amazing effort was to many's surprise not enough. The Pistons had a pivotal 2nd Quarter outscoring Boston by 9 points, and went into halftime up 50-43. The Celtics gave Detroit a mild run in the second half, but they would never sustain a lead as the Pistons hit dagger after dagger from three-point range. Both teams shot nearly the same from the field, but the Pistons were able to hit 50% more of their three's.

Rodney Stuckey also gave the Pistons a spark. The rookie from Eastern Washington University came off the bench and scored 13 points, dished out 3 assists, and had two steals. This was big because Detroit's veteran and highly skilled point guard was playing with a hamstring injury. Stuckey was able to provide Chauncy Billups some time to rest without sacrificing any success from the overall team. Richard "Rip" Hamilton had 25 points in the game, a team high.

The series goes to Detroit for Game 3 and it will be a challenge for the Celtics. They will attempt to post their first road playoff win, but if they plan on heading to the NBA Finals, they'll need at least that.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 5/29/08; 6:47:38 PM - Discuss

Helicopter Crashes on Hospital Roof

A helicopter spun out of control and crashed on the roof of a hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Thursday May 29, 2008. Two people were on board the helicopter, and both of them managed to eescape. The name of the hospital was Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital, and the incident occured at around 11 am. Patients and employees were evacuated from the building. Patients were transferred to other sections of the hospital while the employees moved to Grand Rapids Community College due to the possibility that fuel may have leaked into the building. Though still investigating, the FAA in Chicago believes that the chopper was practicing arrivals.

Witnesses were interviewed to attempt to figure out what exactly happened. Lynda Ignatoski was standing outside of the hospital when the helicopter went down. She told investigators that she saw the aircraft's tail hit a radio tower on the hospital's roof, and that is what started the whole fiasco. Cheryl Borgman told reporters, "We were standing here at the window ... and about five minutes later, we saw the black smoke. It was just a big huge billow of black smoke."

art.helicoptercrash.irpt.jpg

The campus it crashed in to was the biggest at the hospital and a non-profit healthcare system.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 5/29/08; 1:54:25 PM - Discuss

Poll Shows that few Cost Residents are Prepared for Hurricanes

Experts this year are predicting an above average hurricane season, and this has many people worrying if those settled on the costs of hurricane prone areas are safe/secure enough to survive. Five major storms are already predicted to strike this hurricane season, as it begins this Sunday. A pole was conducted to see how people feel and act towards these storms. Thirty-three percent of them said that they would not prepare their home until the hurricane was 24 hours away from land. Half of all participators stated that they had no disaster plans or survival kits. By waiting such a long time to prepare, problems such as traffic and overcrowding in towns or stores can occur. There is a 90% chance that this season will be at least normal or above, and a 65% chance that it will be specifically above normal.

When asked why residents would not react more quickly or even at all, a Florida woman replied, "Because we've been through it so many times. Most times it doesn't hit." One eighth of people said that they would remain put in their home even if there was an order to evacuate. Many take on the idea that "Most times it doesn't hit."

art.katrina.dog.gi.jpg

A typical hurricane season consists of eleven named storms, six hurricanes, and two major hurricanes of category 3 or higher. There is a very high chance that there will be over 12 named storms in 2008. The information gathered from the public survey and the experts' predictions for this season do not seem to go together. It sounds like people better prepare for these storms, or else they could be paying the price.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 5/29/08; 1:41:28 PM - Discuss

Will Franklin Shows Promise in Chiefs Offseason Practice

Most rookie wide recievers have trouble transitioning from the college level to the NFL. Will Franklin, the Kansas City Chiefs fourth round draft pick out of the University of Missouri, is not showing the common rookie symptoms of unfamiliarity with the offense and the quarterback. Instead, he is displaying great quickness and strong hands. Damon Huard, the Chiefs backup quarterback who is in his 12th NFL season, is impressed with the young wide-out. Other Chiefs are as well, and are trying to give Franklin as much advice as they can. Franklin said that Tony Gonzalez told him to do "the extra things", and that the extra effort would turn a three year career into a ten year career. Gonzalez, being a pro bowl tight end and future hall of famer, probably gives good advice.


Chiefs rookie wide receiver Will Franklin has been taking in all he can during the first week of offseason workouts. The Chiefs already think Franklin, a fourth-round draft pick who was a star wideout at Missouri (below), can make the transition to professional football.

As of now, the Chiefs only have one 'set' player at the wide reciever position. That is Dwayne Bowe, the team's first round selection last year. He lead all rookies in receptions and yardage so he will be a tough act to follow for any of the other young recievers on the squad. The two other contenders for the final spot on the field are Jeff Webb and Devard Darling, but it is not a stretch to consider Franklin in this group. Kansas City is a very young team this year, and this could lead to some experimentation resulting in playing time for Will Franklin. Only time will tell.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 5/27/08; 1:33:20 PM - Discuss

Game 1-- Lakers vs. Spurs

It seemed that the Spurs had the game completely under control; that is, until the MVP took over.

Kobe Bryant had a shocking 2 points in the entire first half of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. When asked after the game, Head Coach of the Lakers Phil Jackson said jokingly it seemed like he was somewhere off in the Bermuda Triangle instead of running their triangle offense. He eventually found a way to put the ball in the bucket scoring 25 of his team's 46 points in the second half.

San Antonio was up 51-43 at halftime, and at one point led by as much as 20. This had moslty to do with Tim Duncan's 30 points, 18 rebounds, and four blocks and Tony Parker's 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. Otherwise, the Spurs were dull. Manu Ginobili had a terrible game, only scoring 10 points. Prior to the game he ripped a fingernail off a finger on his shooting hand and mildly injured his ankle, but to no extent blamed this for his poor performance.

Despite all of this, the Spurs still seemed to have the game in hand. They were up six with 7:38 left in the game, but then all of a sudded went cold. They did not score a point for about six and a half minutes. Bryant hit a pull up jumper in the lane with 23.9 seconds left to put Los Angeles up 87-85. On the next possession, San Antonio missed a series of shots and ended up fouling Sasha Vujacic. Vujacic hit both free throws and the game ended 89-85. The series goes back to LA for Game 2 with the Lakers up 1 game to 0.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 5/23/08; 4:19:30 PM - Discuss

David Cook Wins American Idol 2008

David Cook became the newest American Idol last night. America's vote was not even close. The 25-year old hailing from Blue Springs edged out the 17-year old from Murray, Utah by over 12 million votes. An amazing 97.5 million people voted. The first words out of his mouth were, "This is amazing."


Fans including Megan Krause (with the “Cook is Cookin!” sign), 13, of Emporia, Kan., cheered the singer on Wednesday night at a watch party in the Power & Light District. 
Cook may never even have tried out for the show if it wasn't for his younger brother. His brother persuaded him to go out for the show, obviously sensing his voice was better than average. Simon Cowell, one of the judges, did not think he performed well, though, the night prior to the finale. The judge even went as far as saying that David Archuleta, Cook's competitor, was a winner by a knockout when comparing the two on Tuesday night (not Wednesday). Simon did apologize Wednesday, though, for disrespecting the young talent and future winner. Cook claimed he simply took it as an opinion and did not consider it disrespectful.

 

The first thing the rocker thought of after he won was how his 2nd grade music teacher had to make him sing in a school play, and now he is the 2008 American Idol. Cook's style is similar to last year's Chris Daughtry, who is now very successful. The future looks good for Idol's newest winner.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 5/22/08; 1:26:28 PM - Discuss

Game 1-- Celtics vs. Pistons

The Boston Celtics took a critical Game 1 in the Eastern Conference Finals by the score of 88-79. This may have been the most important game in the series. The Celtics have not won a road game through the entire playoffs this year, and if they lost this one they would have to win at least one game in Detroit in order to advance to the NBA Finals.

The Celtics (52%) shot a full 10% better than the Pistons (42%) from the field. This serves right as Boston was the number one defensive team during the regular season. The game was close for the entire first half, but the Celtics really began to pull away in the 3rd Quarter. Boston outscored Detroit by 11 points in this period which is a significant amount. A big factor was that the Pistons turned the ball over a total of seven times in the third. This would not bode well for any team.

Although Kevin Garnett had a game high 26 points, it was Paul Pierce who hit clutch shot after clutch shot in the 4th Quarter. After the third the game was physically close, but it did not really seam in reach for the visitors. Every shot the Pistons made, Pierce or Garnett or Rajon Rondo matched. This marked Boston's 15th stright home win going back to the regular season. Game 2 is in Boston as well, but we'll see if they can pull off a 'W' on the road when the series goes to Detroit for game 3.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 5/21/08; 11:44:59 PM - Discuss

Miami Widow Kills Suspect in Husband's Death

Orlando Mesa was shot dead at the age of 37 just outside of his house one month ago yesterday, April 20. He was gunned down by an unknown amount of men dressed in black-clad driving a white Toyota Corolla. His son Noah was with him at the time as well, suffering injuries to the arm and leg. The little 20 month old toddler would survive though. Mr. Mesa had a past of arrests and illegal drugs.

A few days ago Ilan Nissim showed up unexpectedly in the hallway of Mesa's prior house before his wife Janepsy. Nissim was a friend of Orlando and a suspect in the murder. He too had a past of illegal drugs, but also had convictions of grand theft and intimidating a witness. His sister described him as a caring man that was helping take care of his sick father. She continued to say that although he was the youngest, he acted like the oldest. According to her he was in the real estate field and went over to help Janepsy move.

 The began to converse, but moments later Mrs. Mesa claimed that he attacked her. She then ran to another room and grabbed a .38 caliber gun. She ran back and shot him to death. As of now, the Miami Police are calling it self-defense, but the details are not yet complete. Nissim was only 27 years old, but had had a history of drugs. Janepsy Mesa claimed that she had been extensively scared of the victim ever since she met him, and that may have influenced her decision to shoot instead of call the police.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 5/21/08; 11:01:29 PM - Discuss

Game 7 -- Hornets vs. Spurs

The New Orleans Hornets hosted the San Antonio Spurs for Game 7 in the Western Conference Semifinals. Previous to this game in the rest of the semifinal series', home teams had a stifling 22-2 record. Also, every other game in the Hornets vs. Spurs series were taken in double digits.

Taking this into consideration and the fact that the New Orleans was the much younger team, the Hornets seemed to have an overwhelming advantage. This proved not to be the case, though, as the veteran Spurs would use their knowledge and defense to propel themselves past the energetic home favorite.

The main emphasis for the Spurs' game plan was to win the 3rd Quarter. The past three games in NO, the Hornets had completely dominated this period. San Antonio decided to show up and play some of the best defense they had played the entire year, only allowing 14 points. As the game progressed into the 4th Quarter, the home crowd rose to their feet and remained up for the remaining 12 minutes. Down by as much as 15, the Hornets were propelled back by unlikely hero Janerro Pargo. He had struggled earlier in the series, but stepped his game up when it counted. He finished with 18 points, but it wasn't enough. After missing a wide open three that could have tied the game with about 1:30 left, the Spurs went on a 8-2 run to close out the game and the series. The final score was 91-82.

This win gave coach Gregg Popovich 100 career playoff victories. Manu Ginobili had a game high 26 points, shooting 6-19 from the field and hitting 10 out of his 11 foul shots. He and Tony Parker had 5 assists a piece. Tim Duncan obviously was a factor as well, contributing with a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. The Hornets needed a big game from David West, and although his numbers look alright, he missed a number of clutch shots in the final quarter of their season. Peja Stojakovic also had an abismal game.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 5/21/08; 1:15:32 PM - Discuss

7-Eleven Clerk Shoots at Robbers Fleeing KC Store

Two armed men attempted to rob a 7-Eleven convenience store on Monday May 19, 2008. Witnesses say the gunmen were covered in black clothing and had their faces hidden. The crime occurred at 11:42 pm. One of the men pointed a gun at the employee while the other rummaged through the cash droor taking all the money. Other stolen items included two packs of cigarettes and a bottle of Crown Royal. In the process, various bottles of liquor were knocked off the shelf and shattered on the floor. When the robbers began to run out of the store the clerk grabbed a gun and popped off five rounds at the two men. He was unsure if he hit anyone, but police have not had any reports of unexplained gunshot injuries.

It was very good of the clerk to stand up and sort of 'fight back' against these criminals. We all know there are too many crimes like this every single day and since they are hard to prevent, the victim needs to man up and stand up to the culprits in the best way that he/she can. This is exactly what the worker did. He probably got tired of the fact that convenience stores are many times the setting for armed robberies, and in the end decided to do something about it. It makes it a lot easier when a firearm is available for use, but still, criminals are people just like everybody else, not monsters. There is no real reason that someone should be afraid of them more than any other human being. The bottom line is I applaud the 7-Eleven clerk for his actions, and braveness. Hopefully others will take a stand just like him.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 5/21/08; 1:15:25 PM - Discuss

MONTA ELLIS

Monta Ellis is the best young player in the NBA.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 5/21/08; 1:15:19 PM - Discuss

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  • Visit the Getting Started page on the Manila-Newbies site. It provides an overview and introduction to the different kinds of projects you can do with Manila. The Manila-Newbies site is there to help you work with Manila and to learn from each other.

  • Finally, please bookmark this page. This is your website. Be sure you can find it again.

# Posted by zpeterso@hcrhs.k12.nj.us on 5/14/08; 2:36:57 PM - Discuss