For the first story assignment, you are to attend the weekly meeting of the Aberdeen City Commission on Monday, January 31 at 5:30 p.m.  The meeting should take about an hour, although you might want to allow a little extra time just in case.

The commission meets in the commission chambers on the second floor of City Hall, 123 S. Lincoln Street.  The easiest way is to enter from Lincoln Street and proceed up the main stairway; you can park either on Lincoln, on 2nd Avenue, or in one of several parking lots in the area.

It is best if you can physically attend the Commission meeting.  If you are physically present, you can pick up a copy of the agenda (useful for following proceedings) and talk to people about issues that are of interest to you, either to get more information or to get telephone numbers for follow-up. However, if you cannot attend because of work or other commitments, you may want to watch the proceedings on channel 7 in Aberdeen (the public school channel); they will be shown live as they happen Monday night and re-broadcast on Tuesday night at 5:30.
 
Take notes about what goes on at the meeting.  Consider what is important and what is routine (you don’t, for instance, need to record the roll call).  From the various items discussed during the meeting, choose one that seems to you to be particularly interesting and worth reporting on (assume you are a reporter for the local newspaper).  Make a list of people you think you would want to quote in the article, and be sure that you have a means of contacting them.  This may mean you will need to talk to them during or after the meeting to get necessary information.  When you approach a subject, be polite and explain to them who you are and what you are doing.

In class on Wednesday, we will discuss your choices.  Be prepared to explain why you think your item would make a good story, and how you plan to pursue it.  This will allow us to brainstorm together on approaches to the story.

After Wednesday’s class, go ahead and gather whatever additional material you need for your story and write it in no more than 1½-2 takes (double-spaced pages).  You do not need to give it a headline, but be sure to include your own name and a slug (one-word identifier) at the top of the story.  If you have problems developing the story, contact me for advice – the finished story must be in my hands by the deadline (see below).
 
Web page for the Aberdeen City Commission:

City Commission stories are due via electronic transmission (e-mail) NO LATER THAN 1 p.m. on Friday, February 4.

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