Final Review

1. Timeliness: having to do with something that happened recently, if it is old, then its not "news"

2. Proximity: happened near where the story is being printed, if you are printing in Austin, you wouldn't want to print about a new school in Dallas

3. Human Interest: stories that catch the interest of many people, usually "heart-warming"

4. Prominence: if something is important and happened recently

5. Conflict: something that other people disagree on

6. Interviews: asking someone a series of questions to get a better understanding of what happened for your story

7. Research: doing background on whatever topic you are writing about so that you can have a better interview and a better story

8. Quotations: something that someone else said that you include in your story to make it more in-depth

9. Yes-no question: a question that can be answered with a yes or no, these are not questions you should ask, because you couldn't use them as quotes.

10. follow-up question: a question that you ask after an initial question in hopes of getting a more descriptive answer

11. Objective writing: writing neutrally, and you do not show your opinion at all, it is purely facts

12. Transition paragraph: a paragraph that goes after a quote to describe the quote that comes afterwards; it also usually introduces a new topic

13. Hard news story: stories composed entirely of facts

14. Soft news story

15. Inverted Pyramid: the order in which your story should go, it goes from most important to least important

16. Third-person point of view: not using I, me, we, us.

17. 5 Ws and H lead: a lede where you describe everything that your story is about, it includes who, what, when, where, why, and how.

18. editing: you go through and make changes to incorrect parts of your story.

19. attribution:expelling the cause and behavior and their effects

20. paraphrase: you take what someone said and put it in your own words without copying anything that they said

21. fragmentary quotation: a quote that is not a complete sentence

22. direct quotation: you quote exactly what a person said, you don't paraphrase it

23. partial quotation: a quote that is not introduced into the story with a transitional paragraph

24. Uses of quotations: to go into more depth and have a first hand experience of what occurred to include in your story, also if you have an expert it can be a reliable way to show more information

25. When to use quotations: when there is a lack of information, or if the text is about a person, you would need to interview that person

26. When quotations are unnecessary or not desired: embedded into text

27. Editorial: an opinion piece about a well known issue

28. editorial page: a page of editorials instead of hard news stories

29. columns: an editorial that reoccurs in a newspaper

30. editorial that criticizes: an editorial that constructively criticizes a controversial issue

31. editorial that explains: an editorial that explains why a newspaper covered a controversial issue

32. editorial that persuades: an editorial that tries to sway a persons opinion  over a controversial issue
33. letter to the editor: a letter that a reader sends to address issues they have with the newspaper

Rough Draft #2

The first sign of trouble was the abnormally loud rushing water outside the balcony door. In the dark the homeowner couldn't see much, but at second glance, he could see it. The water in the creek below his home was up thirty feet, it was about to flood into his house and destroy everything he knew. He took what he could and he and his wife fled to safety in the middle of the night.

On Memorial weekend in the small Texas town of Wimberley, a flood created damage unlike anything seen in twenty years. It washed away hundreds of homes, and damaged many more. The fifty foot flood waters killed twelve people and left many desperate for support.

Many like one homeowner Jimmy Ash, a Wimberley native and business owner. Ash's house is directly above Cypress creek, and just a short walk from the Blanco River, where chaos struck. At one in the morning Ash's wife Linda heard an unsettling sound, little did Ash know the sound his wife heard would send them both fleeing.

"We were sound asleep, Linda woke me up and said "Is there someone in the house?" I didn't hear anyone in the house but I heard something on the balcony, It was the swing beneath the balcony, the water was knocking it into the post against the house. I said it was nothing bad. Then Linda went out onto the deck and she saw how high the water was." Ash retold. 

Upon the realization of the accending water which showed no sign of stopping, the couple had to make a split second decision. They fled into the night, worrying about what this would do to their home and the homes of their many friends.

"We ran out the door and jumped in the car." Jimmy said, "we needed to get out."

After the uproar the flood had caused, Jimmy and his wife Linda went to stay with some cousins, who also had a home on the creek. It was a night filled with worry. With all the uncertainty Jimmy, like any other would have if put in that situation, had trouble falling asleep.

"We went to go spend the night at Lind's cousins house, which was on the creek and I could hear the creek raring because I couldn't sleep." Jimmy discussed.

When  the night was over and it was safe to leave the house again, Ash and his wife ventured to their river house. The anxiety they felt while waiting to see what had become of their home was met with a   disheveled house that was still standing. The couple was overcome with joy that their beloved home still stood, when many home didn't withstand the flooding. Although the home was still intact, it had severe water damage and many of the possessions inside had been ruined.

"The water was all over the bottom floor." Said Ash, "It ruined all of our memories, photographs and such."

After taking in the disorderly sights of the home, they began salvaging their home. They came to the conclusion that they couldn't do it alone. Help came in from all over town to help the couple. Everyone came to lend a hand to those who had always helped them.

"Four or five groups of our friends came to our house to help clean up, we were pretty much in shock." Explained Ash, "We had to tear up half of our house, our friends carried loads and loads of stuff. All of the wonderful people were climbing up our stairs with bags and boxes and carts"

Even though there was a large mass of people coming to help clean up, it would take months to clean up the remnants of the flood. 

"Even months after that [the flood], disaster groups from all over the country came to help the clean up. They were wonderful." said Ash.

Although the house had been cleared of debris the flood had left, Ash was still displaced from his home. He was displaced for months, and only had somewhere to stay out of the kindness of others hearts.

"We had some really great people, they gave us their house to live in at a week at a time while they were out of town. Some people gave us their house for the whole summer." Ash said.

While things settled down, Ash made plans to make the house livable again. He did what he could even when things seemed hopeless, as did the rest of Wimberley.

"Over all everyone kept hopeful. The catchphrase that came out of it was 'Wimberley Strong'. It was really quite amazing." said Ash.

With all of the trauma the flooding put Ash through, his family continues to encourage him to move out.

"Ive already encouraged him to move out," said Ash's son James Ash, "Its nice living on the river, but I don't know if it is worth it anymore."

Ash considered moving away from Wimberley, but could never go through with leaving the place he has called home for so many years. It has become a part of him, through thick and thin, no matter how difficult it may be to live there, Wimberley is Ash's home.

"Its a beautiful place," Ash argued "why would you want to move anywhere else?"

Feature Story- First Draft

The first sign of trouble was the abnormally loud rushing water outside the balcony door. In the dark the homeowner couldn't see much, but at second glance, he could see it. The water in the creek below his home was up thirty feet, it was about to flood into his house and destroy everything he knew. He took what he could and he and his wife fled to safety in the middle of the night.

On Memorial weekend in the small Texas town of Wimberley, a flood created damage unlike anything seen in twenty years. It washed away hundreds of homes, and damaged many more. The fifty foot flood waters killed twelve people and left many desperate for support.

Many like one homeowner Jimmy Ash, a Wimberley native and business owner. Ash's house is directly above Cypress creek, and just a short walk from the Blanco River, where chaos struck. At one in the morning Ash's wife Linda heard an unsettling sound, little did Ash know the sound his wife heard would send them both fleeing.

"We were sound asleep, Linda woke me up and said "Is there someone in the house?" I didn't hear anyone in the house but I heard something on the balcony, It was the swing beneath the balcony, the water was knocking it into the post against the house. I said it was nothing bad. Then Linda went out onto the deck and she saw how high the water was." Ash retold. 

Upon the realization of the accending water which showed no sign of stopping, the couple had to make a split second decision. They fled into the night, worrying about what this would do to their home and the homes of their many friends.

"We ran out the door and jumped in the car." Jimmy said, "we needed to get out."

After the uproar the flood had caused, Jimmy and his wife Linda went to stay with some cousins, who also had a home on the creek. It was a night filled with worry. With all the uncertainty Jimmy, like any other would have if put in that situation, had trouble falling asleep.

"We went to go spend the night at Lind's cousins house, which was on the creek and I could hear the creek raring because I couldn't sleep." Jimmy discussed.

When  the night was over and it was safe to leave the house again, Ash and his wife ventured to their river house. The anxiety they felt while waiting to see what had become of their home was met with a   disheveled house that was still standing. The couple was overcome with joy that their beloved home still stood, when many home didn't withstand the flooding. Although the home was still intact, it had severe water damage and many of the possessions inside had been ruined.

"The water was all over the bottom floor." Said Ash, "It ruined all of our memories, photographs and such."

After taking in the disorderly sights of the home, they began salvaging their home. They came to the conclusion that they couldn't do it alone. Help came in from all over town to help the couple. Everyone came to lend a hand to those who had always helped them.

"Four or five groups of our friends came to our house to help clean up, we were pretty much in shock." Explained Ash, "We had to tear up half of our house, our friends carried loads and loads of stuff. All of the wonderful people were climbing up our stairs with bags and boxes and carts"

Even though there was a large mass of people coming to help clean up, it would take months to clean up the remnants of the flood. 

"Even months after that [the flood], disaster groups from all over the country came to help the clean up. They were wonderful." said Ash.

Although the house had been cleared of debris the flood had left, Ash was still displaced from his home. He was displaced for months, and only had somewhere to stay out of the kindness of others hearts.

"We had some really great people, they gave us their house to live in at a week at a time while they were out of town. Some people gave us their house for the whole summer." Ash said.

While things settled down, Ash made plans to make the house livable again. He did what he could even when things seemed hopeless, as did the rest of Wimberley.

"Over all everyone kept hopeful. The catchphrase that came out of it was 'Wimberley Strong'. It was really quite amazing." said Ash.

With all of the trauma the flooding put Ash through, his family continues to encourage him to move out.

"Ive already encouraged him to move out," said Ash's son James Ash, "Its nice living on the river, but I don't know if it is worth it anymore."

Ash considered moving away from Wimberley, but could never go through with leaving the place he has called home for so many years. It has become a part of him, through thick and thin, no matter how difficult it may be to live there, Wimberley is Ash's home.

"Its a beautiful place," Ash argued "why would you want to move anywhere else?"

CE 3.3

1. Their goal is to donate the large sum of money to various charities.

2. They are using the spending money to go towards small class sizes, teacher training, and full-day schooling.

3. 58 stories high, it is significant because it will be the highest tower in Austin.

4. David Price will make $217 million dollars.

5.  I would eat Texas trash, it sounds really good.


Homebody industries is an organization that gives second chances to released felons and gang members. This was a compelling read because it is interesting to see how this man was effected so much by the kindness of others. They changed his life by providing him with an opportunity to change, and this potentially changes the way he will live from here on out. I thought the story was very good, because it shows that some people are really working towards something better for those who are less fortunate. The story is unique and it focuses on one individuals story while discussing the bigger picture as well. I enjoy reading stories like this, because it makes me think about what I can do.

Feature Story Notes

1. What drew you to Wimberley and when?
"I married a woman who lived in Wimberley, and came up here in 1989, and we got divorced, and after that another woman showed up, and I ended up living in Wimberley over and over again. Its beautiful, I love living here."


2. What did you hear about flooding when you first moved to Wimberley?
"No I never thought of that, in 1997 there was the first flood I learned about and it killed tons people and cariied away a lot of propety, my wife Linda and I decided to do a benefit for it, we got a lot of musicians to come and play we made $25,000 and then the next year there was another flood and then we had another benefit. I live right on the creek, so I get to see a lot of floods but they never got into my house until the recent ones."

3. What were you doing when the house first began flooding?
"We were sound asleep, Linda woke me up and said "Is there someone in the house?" I didnt hear anyone in the house but I heard something on the porch, It was the swing beneath the porch, the water was knocking it into the post againt the house. I said it was nothing bad. Linda went out onto the deck and she saw how high the water was. I looked again and the water was just about to go over the deck where we were standing. We ran out the door and jumped in the car. We went to our Resturaunt. The water was up half a foot or so. The water was all over the bottum floor. It ruined all of our memories, photographs and such. At one oclock in the morning we were running. We went to go spend the night at Lindas cousins house, which was on the creek and I could hear the creek roaring because I couldnt sleep. We decided to go and then went back to the house and grabbed some important stuff. The water was half way up my calf. The next day so many of my friends homes had been washed away. My home was severely damaged."

4. If you had time, what did you grab from your home?
"Just what I had on me, we didnt have much time to get out. "

5. What was going through your head when the flooding first began?
"I just thought that we needed to get out. "

6. How much time did you have to get out?

"We barely had any time to get out, we just had to run out to our car and start driving. "

7. How high would you say the water was?
"Some parts were worse than others, at the creek it was all the way up to the porch which is around thirty feet. It was about a foot and a half on the road."

8. Did you know any of the people who went missing after the floods?
"No, but there were a lot of sad stories."


9. What did your house look like after the flood?
"It was destroyed, there was trash everywhere, and photos and our memories."

10. What help did you get to clean up afterwards?
"It was amazing right away, when we got up in the morning, Lindas dads house was worse it was full on antiques and the water was five six feet, so we were there cleaning up, but we went back and forth. Four or five groups of our friends came to our house to help clean up, we were pretty much in shock. We had to tear up half of our house, our friends carried loads and loads of stuff. All of the wonderful people were climbing up our stairs with bags and boxes and carts. My son was carrying trunks over his head. Even months after that disaster groups from all over the country came to help the clean up. They were wonderful. We just wanted support. There were these places to give away food and cleaning services. You could stop at places and get food. Our resturaunt gave away free food for flood victims. The government was helpful as well. People would come up to me and press a hundred dollars in my hand, five hundred dollars, even thousands. We are using it right now, rebuilding as we go. We had some really great people, they gave us their house to live in at a week at a time while they were out of town. Some people gave us their house for the whole summer. Thats the kind we had, lots and lots of help. "

11. How do you think the community will come back after the recent natural disasters?
"There were a lot of people who lost their homes, but after it all got quieter, all the groups started leaving and we settled in. Builders were booked up for a year in advance. The local businesses did well, like carpenters. It was good for the economy that way. Our resturaunt did very well, because people kept coming for food. Many bed and breakfast's lost some business. Over all everyone kept hopeful. The catchphrase that came out of it was 'Wimberley Strong'. It was really quite amazing."

12. Would you ever consider moving? Why or why not?
"Yes we did, consider moving away. But economically its hard to move away. We couldnt rent a place for as cheap as we pay now. And besides its a beautiful place, with a waterfall outside the window why would you want to move anywhere else. I have a river in my front yard and a creek in my backyard. It's gorgeous."

13. Was this the first time flooding this severe has occurred?
"No there had been floods before, but never as bad as this one. It was pretty awful, but everyone kept hopeful and it was just amazing."


14. How long were you displaced from your home?
15. How did the community react to the flood?
 Answered in question 11.
16. Did you ever think something like this would happen again?17. What is your plan if it were ever to flood again?
18. How was the town affected by the flooding?
Answered in question 11.
19. How long has it been since you've seen flooding similar to the two recent floods?

I didn't get to some of the questions, because we were short on time so I asked some of the more important questions.


Supporting Story Notes

Supporting interview #1: James Ash (Jimmy's son)

How did you help out after the flooding happened?
"I helped him move his furniture out of the flooded rooms, repair the damge, and move out of the flooded house."

If you were in the same situation, how would you react?
"I wouldve been really scared and been in a big hurry to get my family out of there."

What do you think the community is going to do about the reoccurring floods?
"Work together and be more prepared when it happens again, theyve come together in a big way to help the people effected in the last flood."

Can you describe what the flooding looked like?
"There was just trees everywhere and studff from peoples houses scattered to and fro; just generally chaos."

If this happens again, will you encourage Jimmy to move out? Why or why not?
"I've already encouredged him to move out. Its nice living on the river, but I dont know if it is worth it anymore."

How do you think that people have been reacting to flooding?
"People who were flooded were shocked and in recovery mode, the rest of the community was right there to help in any way posible.."

Have you been in a similar situation to this? If so explain it.
"Ive been in floods before and had to evacuate, but ive never seen destruction like what happened in this last flood."

How would you describe Jimmy?"He is a very happy person, he likes helping other people."