my article
 

http://www.flipsideonline.com/bigtodo/bigtodo001.html

any comments?

Rhonda,
Excellent job! You caught and held my attention and the story is very well written :)

I have an issue with your paper's copy editors, though! I am thinking that the caption should read "switch identities" instead of "switch identifies"? Midwest regional conference should all be either capitalized or lowercase but not some of each. Same with Midwest Student Photography competition. A few more, too :(

YOU did a great job! Your editors need 10 wacks on the backside with a hardcover copy of the AP Stylebook though :(

I know, I know ... the paper I work for is 27,000 circ. and needs to be a little more professional as far as cutlines, and web content. A caption to a photo in the spread in the tabloid erred also, and I end up catching flack for it from people. Grrrrrr.

okay:
better, now.

AlphaChiOmy,

Nice job:)

In Midwest regional conference: Midwest is capitalized because its a region - AP rule. Much as "the South." regional conference is lowercase because its not a proper name.

In the subhead " Midwest Student Photography is the proper name of one of the exhibits where as competition is not

does that make sense?

AlphaChiOhmy,

Good feature story. Engaging lead, and it tells the reader what is important about the photography exhibit.

ST

My bad, Rhonda! I thought the "Midwest Regional Conference" was one proper name, same thing with the competition!

My apologies to your copy editors! :D

(They still made a boo boo with the photo caption, though! :p )

Heres another one ...
 

This is a feature story I wrote this week, it was an idea I had for a while and then pitched to my editor and then pursued. I got to eat some good dinners in the research stages of meal time at a fire house ... If you have any feedback, pls share!



Gourmet dining it's not
By Rhonda Sciarra Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted on June 30, 2002
On a Thursday evening at Schaumburg Fire Station No. 3, firefighters scramble to shut off ovens and get the fire engine out the door within seconds of the emergency call.

The baby back ribs, rosemary potatoes and buttered croissants will have to wait because lint caught fire in a dryer inside a townhouse.

"We hold the meal until most of the guys get back," said Schaumburg firefighter Rick Provenzano, one of two firefighters remaining at the station. "And we will eat as a team."

Dinnertime at a fire station can be a two- or three-hour event -from the prep work through conversation to cleanup.

It all translates into bonding in a profession where firefighters sleep, eat and work alongside each other for 24 hours at a time.

"Dinner is basically the fiber of a fire department," said Schaumburg Fire Department Lt. Roger Turk.

"We sit down here for an hour after dinner, tell stories and laugh," added Schaumburg fire Lt. Marty Sand. "Dinner is a time when inflated egos are deflated and most of the world's problems are solved."

Most firefighters across the Northwest suburbs work 24 hours on and 48 hours off.

Each firefighter pitches in $8 to $12 a day, depending on each shift and department to cover the cost of meals.

Dinner is the bigger meal, complete with bread and salad, a fair dose of teasing and camaraderie, firefighters said.

The person who cooks in each department and on each shift varies. For a shift at Wheeling's main station, the firefighter assigned as the shift's fire engineer is also the cook, so it is a different person each day.

"Everyone cooks," said Wheeling fire Lt. Jim Callanan said. "Some people are better than others, and some are domestically challenged."

On a Thursday night this month, firefighter Joe Mariotti took his turn to cook. The menu included Piemonte pasta, a mixture of sausage, noodles and sauce.

The dish is named after another firefighter who took Mariotti's original recipe and doctored it up with more peppers and spices. Now, firefighters joked that the pasta causes beads of sweat to form on who ever eats it.

"Joe puts a lot of love into his pasta," ribbed firefighter Dan Murdock as he lingered over the kitchen counter watching Mariotti cook.

Duties begin in the morning with the task of grocery shopping for meals using the money collected from each firefighter.

Shopping proves tougher for novice cooks, who under and overestimate portions and spend more than their daily budget allows, firefighters said.

One Wheeling firefighter came back to the Wheeling station with $110 worth of food when he was only supposed to spend $40.

Another firefighter in Schaumburg was picked to cook one evening and returned with canned ravioli and stuffing mix.

Typical department dinners vary with each department and with the seasons. Dinner can range from chicken Parmesan to grilled salmon. Ordering out is usually a last resort, when the night has been flooded with calls.

Most firehouses come equipped with a dinner table that can seat a dozen people. When dinner is ready, firefighters set the table and help dish out the food.

Time at the dinner table is filled with talk of the day's events, family and friends and gentle ribbing, firefighters said.

"The conversation can be anything from what the last call was to what's going on at the station to what's going on in people's lives," Callanan said. "Your whole personal life is open to the people on your shift."

Arlington Heights fire Lt. Terry Valentino won't allow his shift to watch television when they eat because it's a distraction.

"I don't allow it at home or on my shift at the station," Valentino said, although he admitted he lets a baseball game slide by once in a while.

Some days, the conversation does not get very far before a call comes in.

Firefighters have to leave within seconds and remember to turn off what may be cooking before they leave, Mariotti said.

"We have come back from calls on some occasions and the kitchen's been smoky," Mariotti said.

Each firehouse also differs in how after-dinner duties are divvied up. In Schaumburg, everyone except the cook helps when things need to be done, Turk said. In Wheeling, firefighters play a hand of poker. The winner gets to choose between dishes, wiping counters, taking out trash or cleaning the floors.

But firefighters also leave the table with something more - a sense of relaxation after a long day's work.

"Dinner is where we let our guard down, forget about the stress of the day and enjoy spending time with close friends," said Lt. Mark Gates, with the Long Grove Fire Protection District.

"It's part of the life."

Another nice read
 

Enjoyable piece. I'm just speaking for me, but it allowed me to get into the firefighters' heads and that's good writing.

I really enjoyed your article! :) It's always nice to read something positive! :D

Nice article! :)

Good job! Hope to see more of your work in the future! :)

When I was a COP, Officer, I made fun fo the Fire Men! They Made fun of us! Damn You Guys are Crazy, you go after people with guns!

Hell yes we did, we had guns also!

Who would in the right mind go into a burning building with a hose!

It was a freindly jest as each in his own right did a job that you could get killed at! Un till you have been there then dont taqlk about it just praise it!

I have been shot have you? Walked Like Chester on Matt Dillion for 2 weeks!:D

Wow - I thought the Daily Herald had WAY more than 27,000, considering it's the area's 3rd most popular paper...or so I thought. Anyway, I enjoyed the firefighter article - I'm from Schaumburg so it was doubly entertaining! Keep up the good work!

Great Job!