Three News Pitches

Idea 1: Missing Clarkston Mom
Rachel Anderson, a Clarkston resident and mother has been missing since April 16th. I reviewed an article today describing her estranged husband's history of violence both towards her and other women in the past. Anderson's car and cell phone have been located and she was said to have disappeared in Lewiston, but last seen in Moscow. Where is Rachel Anderson? It is not often that people in only a few towns away go missing. It has been almost a month, and today is the first I have heard about the missing mother.

Anderson's estranged husband is in custody now, but I feel awareness about the missing mother needs to be raised. While Pullman has the "small-town" safe feel, it is important to be cautious and aware that no one is ever totally safe from harm. Where is the mother? Do the police have hopes on finding Anderson or are they now looking for a body? It would be interesting to hear what leads the Lewiston Police are following on the case, and what the community is doing in hopes of finding Anderson.

Two sources could be the Lewiston Tribune who wrote an article on the estranged husband, and also the Lewiston Police Department who has been handling the case.

Idea Two: Protecting Yourself
This is my first summer session in Pullman. While it is now beautiful, sunny and seemingly relaxed, I still feel it important to be aware of your surroundings and to take proper safety precautions. With less people in Pullman over the summer months, that also means more time people are spending alone. Who are your neighbors? What is the crime rate over the summer in Pullman? What are some safety tips that Pullman Police could offer as a type of warning to students for what they have experienced in summers prior? Is there more or less violence over the summer months? I know that many police tips often all sound the same, "Don't walk anywhere alone at night" etc., but as a young, college female I would be interested to know about the crime rate in the area during the summertime. As well as what I could possibly expect, good and bad.

Another avenue I could take with this story is interviewing the Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse. A center mostly for abused women and children. How does their center hold up during the summer months? Do they offer any workshops open to the public on self-help or protection? Are there any classes in the community that raise awareness about violence? Everyone thinks nothing could ever happen to them, but it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Two sources for this case could be the Pullman Police Department, and the Alternatives to Violence in the Palouse.

Idea Three: What do your professors do all summer long?
Have you ever awkwardly bumped into a teacher or professor while at the grocery store or somewhere totally random outside the classroom? I've found that it doesn't happen often, but it always a little odd when you do. Do you say hello? Will they recognize you? What are they shopping for? Where are they always hiding? As it being my first summer in Pullman, I am extremely curious as to what many of these professors do with their time. While many teach a summer class or two, what else do they do in Pullman when it is practically dead? Do they celebrate the departure of student's for a few short months? Do they travel? What do they do?!

I think that many college students would be interested to know how their professors spend their summer months in Pullman, if in Pullman at all. It is always interesting to learn about the lives of others that we never really hear anything about. For this article, I could interview a few possible professors. I could interview some that are teaching summer classes, or also try to track down one or two that are not teaching any summer classes. Are those not teaching summer classes still in Pullman? Or do they have families and lives they have built here over the years? It would be interesting to interview professors in the communications department, but also in other departments to get a feel for the wide variety of activities that our professors engage in.