WELCOME!

Welcome to the Breaking News Exercise — an interactive, experiential learning activity in which you will play the part of a reporter on the breaking news desk of a small community newspaper.

Throughout the course of the day, you will be filing updates to your newspaper's Website. You will also be preparing one final article for your paper's print edition. You'll be helped along by a motley collection of sources, an eccentric group of fellow reporters and a surly, old, cigar-chomping news editor — but it is up to you to provide your community with the most accurate and complete information as the day unfolds.

Our story begins on a lazy Saturday afternoon in late September. A light breeze is wafting through the town. There's a big high school football game scheduled for tonight, but other than that, it's looking like another slow news day...

MEET THE BOSS

Well hello there, Scoop. I'm Frank McGravy, editor of the Community Courier. I'd tell you that I was glad to have you on board, but I'm still waiting to see if you've got what it takes.

Here at the Courier, we've got a simple saying, "Get it first, but get it right." Don't waste a precious second getting important news onto our Website — but you better make sure that everything you write under our banner is accurate. We pride ourselves on being the place townsfolk go when there's news afoot, and I don't want our reputation to be soiled by some half-brained, nitwit newbie, you hear?

All right, then. Good luck with your first day. And try not to screw up.

CALLING ALL CARS

"Calling all cars. Calling all cars! We've got a 10-41 in progress at 15 S. Main Street, First Community Bank. Once again, that's a one-zero-four-one at one-five South Main Street. All officers on duty report immediately to 15 South Main Street for a 10-41 in progress. SWAT team, please deploy immediately!"


Refer to your community's scanner codes here.

SHOTS FIRED!

"All officers be advised: We have shots fired at the 10-41 in progress at 15 S. Main Street. SWAT team estimated time of arrival is five minutes. Once again: Shots have been fired at the 10-41 in progress."

"GET SOMETHING ONLINE!"

"What in Holy Chipotle Tacos is going on out here? I go into my office for two minutes to smoke a stogy, and the scanner's screeching like a tomcat in heat!

What? A bank robbery? Shots fired? Well Holy Sweet Marjoram, Scoop, if you haven't already, you'd better get something online — and fast. Inquiring minds want to know, after all.

I'll send Fast Freddie Fredericks down to the bank to check out the scene. You stay tied to that scanner — and get on the horn to the police spokesperson, right away!"

"OH MY GOODNESS!"

"Hello? This is Jimmy Rodriguez — I'm one of the Courier's delivery guys. I was in the bank at the time of the robbery. Oh my goodness, I don't even know where to start. There were three of them, I think. Maybe four. Anyway, they came in with guns and told everyone to move to the back of the bank. Then they made the manager open the vault and they locked us all inside. The manager opened he vault, but then he struggled against the door and they shot him. Oh my goodness, they shot him right there in front of us. Then a woman — I think she was a bank employee — she started screaming. She was so hysterical, she was screaming and flailing her arms and they shot her, too. I think they're both dead, but I don't know, because then one of the robbers shut to vault door on us. There's five of us in here and two of the other people are on the phone with 911 operators. Oh man, I'm so scared. Do you know if it's over yet? I just want to get out of here..."

BANG! BANG-BANG! BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!

"Did you hear that? They're shooting again! Oh my goodness! I've got to go!"

POLICE STATEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE —

Today at approximately 2 p.m., a team of men entered the First Community Bank at 15 S. Main Street and attempted to rob the bank. The Community Police Department arrived on the scene in time to trap the robbers inside the bank. The Department's SWAT team arrived shortly thereafter.

At this time, all of the robbers are thought to be dead.

The investigation is ongoing. The department will take no questions at this time and will release all future information through written press releases.

"WE'RE STILL LOCKED IN!"

"It's Jimmy again. What the heck is going on out there? We're still locked in this vault. It's stuffy and hot and people are starting to panic. The other people on the phone with 911 operators say bank manager hit some kind of security button that locked the vault before he was shot, but now we're stuck in here. My phone's about to die. I can't reach my wife and kids. Is it over yet? Why haven't they opened the vault door?"

FAST FREDDIE REPORTS

"Fast Freddie here. How are you holding up, Scoop? I'm down here at the scene of the bank robbery. It's pretty chaotic. Witnesses tell me that ambulances were here to take at least two people away just a few minutes after all the shooting, but no one seems to know who was inside.

The coroner's truck is down here and there are a lot of police inside and outside the building, but I can't get anybody in a uniform to answer any questions. There is a big crowd gathering, though, and it seems like there were a lot of witnesses.

A guy who works in the deli across the street from the bank told me that he could see three bodies inside the bank before police came and cleared out the area. He also said that an ambulance came and took one person away, but he couldn't tell what happened to that person.

The guy's name is Johnny Springfield — that's J-O-H-N-N-Y S-P-R-I-N-G-F-I-E-L-D — he's an employee at the Mad Monkey Deli, right across the street from the bank, on Main Street. Here's what he said — direct quote:

'I heard shots — two of them, real loud — and I came over to the window and could see from there at least three people in the bank holding shotguns. I stayed low down and just kept peeking up to see what was going on and then the police cars all started arriving. Then a big van showed up and all these SWAT officers in black suits came rushing out of the back. It was like something out of a movie. And then, within minutes, there was more gunfire.'

I also talked to a woman named Angela Parker. She was totally hysterical. She dropped off her husband at the bank while she went to run another errand. When she got back, there were police everywhere. She hasn't heard from her husband and the police won't tell her anything. Here's a quote from her:

'I just want to know what has happened to my husband. I wish someone would just tell me what's going on. I don't know if he's alive or dead.'

Well Scoop, that's all I've got for now. I'll call back when I have more stuff. Good luck."

"THE VAULT IS MALFUNCTIONING"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE —

Several people were locked in a vault during an unsuccessful robbery at the First Community Bank this afternoon. The vault is now malfunctioning, possibly as a result of the computerized control panel being damaged during a firefight between the robbers and police officers.

The manufacturer of the vault, Star Security Systems, has dispatched a team of technicians to fix the vault, but it is anticipated that the team will not arrive until 6 p.m. In the meantime, the Community Police Department is seeking any locksmiths or other citizens who believe they may be able to help disable the vault's computerized locking mechanism.

The Community Police Department will not be making any other comment about the circumstances of the robbery or the firefight at this time.

"ONE HECK OF A NEWS DAY!"

"Well Scoop, you've done a pretty good job so far, but don't let that go to your head. There's still more than six hours before deadline, and that's plenty of time for a hack like you to screw up.

It look like the story has developed quite a bit since we last spoke, so if you haven't already, you better get something new online. There are going to be a lot of people in this town who want information about what happened downtown today – and damn it, we're going to give it to them.

You also might want to start thinking about how you're going to wrap this all up for tomorrow's print edition. Holy Cinnamon Sticks, this is turning out to be one heck of a news day."

MORE INFO FROM FREDDIE

"Fast Freddie here again. I've got some more information for you.

About five minutes ago, a police officer addresses the crowd, seeking relatives of three people. The names they called out were Chuck Pace, Jenny Locke and Bob Carlyle. They didn't say why they wanted to talk to these people's relatives, but the people who came forward looked pretty horrified. It looks like they took them to the back room of a nearby restaurant.

Also, I've got another quote from you from a witness who said she was just leaving the bank and getting into her car when the robbers came in. Her name is Alice Angelo. She said: 'There were three of them and they were wearing black ski masks. Each one was holding a gun — two of them had shot guns and the other one had a pistol. I heard one of them scream: "Everybody put your hands up!" and then I got out of there as fast as I could and called the police.'

There are still a lot of people milling about out here who don't know where their families members are. I'll keep trying to dig up more information for you. Good luck, Scoop."

STAR'S STATEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE —

Star Security Systems (S3) has dispatched a team of technicians to fix a vault in which several people were trapped during an armed robbery of the First Community Bank. The team is expected to arrive no later than 6 p.m. and company officials believe that the vault will be opened by 7 p.m.

S3's vaults are air-tight, but the company believes that the people trapped inside the vault will have enough oxygen to last at least through the remainder of the evening.

"S3 is committed to providing excellent customer service to our customers, no matter how unusual the situation might be," said company President Marge Jacobsen. "We are confident that all people stuck inside our vault will be returned to their families soon."

The company will not be answering any further questions at this time.

A McGRAVY "PEP TALK"

"Hey Scoop, looks like you're holding up OK — but don't think you've impressed me yet. I've seen better reporters than you crack under deadline pressures — and your deadline is coming up soon. Don't forget to keep working on your story for our print edition. It has to be ready for edit no later than 10 p.m., or so help me I'll run you out of this town like a junk yard dog chasing a cat.

What's this? A statement from the vault company? Well that's interesting. I know you're busy, but I'd like you to do a cursory search for information about this company. And don't forget to keep updating our Website."

MORE NAMES

"Fast Freddie here again. A police officer just addressed the crowd looking for relatives of another set of people. The names are John Parker, Jimmy Rodriguez, Mandy Straume, Soon Kwon and Sharaf Jarrah.

I'm not sure about the spelling on any of those, though, and the cops still won't tell me anything.

The people who said they were relatives were taken to another restaurant near the bank. I saw Angela Parker go with them. Golly, I sure hope everyone's OK."

PAUL DELANTE CALLS

"Hey Scoop. This is Paul Delante. I'm the sports editor for the Community Courier. I was just downtown to grab a bite to eat before the big game tonight and I saw all the commotion and heard a police officer reading off a list of names.

One of the names is Sharaf Jarrah — he's the star quarterback of the Community High School Bulldogs. I did a short profile on him a few weeks ago that you'll be able to find in our archives.

Fast Freddie Fredrickson told me that she thinks that Sharaf is one of the people locked inside the bank vault. Do you think that could be true? I'll call the Community High Athletic Director to see if I can get anymore information."

THE GAME HAS BEEN CANCELLED

"Paul here. I just got off the phone with Jennifer Clementime, the Community High School Athletic Director. She said tonight's football game against the Buxton High School Cowboys has been cancelled, but she wouldn't say why — not on the record, at least.

Off the record, Clementine said the Community Police Department called the school to say that Sharaf Jarrah was one of the people stuck in the bank vault. I wasn't able to get anymore information than that, though, so I called his father, Omar Jarrah.

Here is a quote from Omar: 'My family and I extend our deepest sympathies to the people who were killed in today's bank robbery. We have spoken to our son, Sharaf, and he is doing well, but is eager to be released from the safe.'

That's all I've got for now, Scoop. I'll see if I can get a hold of some of Jarrah's fellow players tonight. If I do, I'll call you back with some more quotes. Keep up the good work."

A NEW POLICE STATEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE —

Today at approximately 2 p.m., a team three masked men entered the First Community Bank at 15 S. Main Street and attempted to rob the bank. The Community Police Department arrived on the scene in time to trap the robbers inside the bank. The Department's SWAT team arrived shortly thereafter.

At the time of the SWAT team's arrival, the robbers had already killed two people inside the bank. After one of the robbers fired a shot out the bank window at police, on-scene commanders made the decision to move in on the robbers. In the ensuing gunfight, two robbers were killed and a third was mortally wounded. The third robber succumbed to his injuries en route to Community Valley Hospital. One civilian who was hiding under a counter at the bank was also injured in the gunfight; he was transported to Community Valley in stable condition. No other injuries were sustained by police or other civilians. However, the wall-mounted control panel for the bank's vault was damaged in the firefight and five people who were locked into the vault during the robbery have been trapped inside.

A technical team from the vault's manufacturer is expected to arrive on scene soon. Company officials have said it will take the team approximately one hour to get the vault open and have assured the department that there is enough oxygen in the air-tight vault to sustain the trapped victims until the vault is opened.

Family members of all of the trapped, injured and slain victims, as well as the robbers, have been notified. However, the department will not be releasing any names until the bereaved have time to make notifications within their own families.

The investigation is ongoing. The department will take no questions at this time and will release all future information through written press releases.

"SING LIKE PAVAROTTI!"

"Holy Garlic Breadsticks, Scoop, you'd better make sure you're keeping the Website updated. This is the biggest story of the year, and I'm not going to let anyone say the Community Courier didn't cover it like marinara on spaghetti! And don't forget, you've got just four hours until deadline for our print edition. I want tomorrow's front page to sing like Pavarotti."

"KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN"

"Fast Freddie here. The technical team from S3 has just arrived. Looks like four guys in suits. They've got a couple of suitcases with them and one was carrying a bright yellow toolbox, but that's about it. They didn't answer any questions.

I did get to speak to another family member of one of the people who is trapped in the vault. Soon Kwon's brother, Dak-Ho Kwon, said, 'I am eager for my sister to be released from the vault. This has been an extremely sad and frightening day and we all just want it to be over.'

Also, off the record, a police officer told me that the bank manager's family would be issuing a statement later on tonight — keep your eyes open for that."

ANOTHER VICTIM IS DEAD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE —

The Community Police Department regrets to report that a third man has died as a result of wounds suffered during the firefight between the First Community Bank robbers and police officers this afternoon.

As is the case for the other victims, the department is withholding the name of this individual from the media until his next of kin has time to notify family members.

A SECRET SOURCE

"Good evening, Scoop. I'm Red Hernandez, long-time police reporter for The Courier. I retired last month after 30 years on the job, but my sources haven't stopped talking to me. And that's why I'm calling you.

One of my best marks works for the Community Police Department's internal affairs office. Off the record, he told me that the civilian who was shot during the gunfight was a guy named Bob Carlyle, a teller at the bank who was hiding behind the counter when the bank was robbed and who was the first person to call 911.

Well, it turns out poor Mr. Carlyle got shot by a cop who thought he was another robber. The officer who shot him has been placed on leave, of course, pending an investigation, but my source tells me that most everyone already agrees that the officer who shot him didn't do anything wrong. Just at the wrong place at the wrong time, I suppose.

Anyway, good luck with the story."

A STATEMENT FROM THE PACE FAMILY

The family of Chuck Pace wishes to thank the people of our community for the gracious outpouring of support that has been shown in the wake of Chuck's murder this afternoon at the First Community Bank.

Chuck has been a manager at the bank for 10 years and started working at the bank more than 25 years ago as a teller. At the time of his death, Chuck was trying to help protect the bank's customers and employees.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the other families affected by this horrible crime.

Chuck is survived by a wife (Donna) and two children (Lloyd, 23 and Janice, 19). He was looking forward to becoming a grandfather in three months. He was an avid runner and a lover of mystery fiction who aspired to write his own novel once he retired from banking.

We will miss him greatly and he will always be our hero.

A PRESS CONFERENCE

"Hey Scoop, its Freddie. The police chief is about to hold a press conference. I'll hold the phone up so you can hear what's going on."

THE CHIEF SPEAKS

CHIEF YOUNG: Hello, my name is Nora Young, I'm the chief of police for the Community Police Department. I'd like to start off by identifying the robbers responsible for what happened at First Community Bank today. All three have prior violent criminal records and our department will release mugshots later this evening.

The robbers were:
Darrin Hume, age 44
Fred Lapidus, age 37
and Ben Winslet, age 34

Although as a department we certainly strive to bring in criminal suspects alive, so that they can be tried for their crimes, by the time we arrived on the scene these individuals had already killed two people. These were very bad men and if there is any consolation to what happened today it is that they can no longer hurt anyone.

I have time for just a few questions. Please don't waste your time or mine by asking about the identities of the victims, we will not be releasing that information tonight.

REPORTER 1: What is the status of the individuals who are stuck in the safe?

CHIEF YOUNG: Well, we had hoped to have them out by now, but we have been assured that it is only a matter of time.

REPORTER 2: How was the civilian who was killed in the gunfight die?

CHIEF YOUNG: He was shot.

REPORTER 2: Right, by who?

CHIEF YOUNG: That is under investigation.

REPORTER 2: So you're saying that it is possible that he was shot by a police officer?

CHIEF YOUNG: It is under investigation. Next question.

REPORTER 3: Were the three men who robbed the bank working alone.

CHIEF YOUNG: We are pursuing all leads. While we don't have any other suspects at this time, that is one of the possibilities we are exploring.

REPORTER 4: Why did the vault malfunction?

CHIEF YOUNG: We are not sure. It appears as though the computerized control panel on one of the outside walls may have been struck by a bullet during the firefight, but we have seen, as I'm sure many of you have, reports that these types of safes are prone to this sort of malfunction. It will be part of our long-term investigation into this situation, but right now the concern is simply getting everyone out safely.

OK, that's all I have time for right now. Thank you.

"GET A MOVE ON!"

"Holy Sour Cream and Chives, Scoop. We need to get those robbers' names online as soon as possible. Let's look into these guys' history to see what we can find out about them. You can start with our newspaper’s archives. There's no time to waste. And don't forget that you need to have a story about everything that happened today ready before our 10 p.m. deadline.

Get a move on!"

"I DON'T REMEMBER'

"Sorry Scoop, but I wrote more than 10,000 news articles during my career at The Courier. I vaguely remember that robbery, but I don't remember any of the details of the court case. Let me call my friend over at the Bureau of Pardons and Parole and see what he remembers."

"I DON'T HAVE THE CASE FILE"

"This is James LaDuke, chairman of the state Board of Pardons and Parole. Red asked me to give you a call. I'm afraid I can't help you too much. I don't have the case file on these three men in front of me, so I couldn't tell you why they were released so early into their sentences.

All I can say is that we at the board of pardons and parole try our best to make the right decisions about who should be kept behind bars and who should be let go. Our prisons are overcrowded, so sometimes we let prisoners go before they've reached their minimum sentence. We try our best to understand who is a good risk and who is a bad risk. But we don't have a crystal ball."

"THEY'RE OUT!"

"Freddie here. They're out! The people who have been trapped in the vault have been released. They just now came stumbling out of the bank and a big cheer went up among the crowd of people who were standing here waiting. The victims were quickly ushered into the restaurant where their families were taken earlier, so I didn't get a chance to talk to anyone."

DEADLINE'S LOOMING

"Well Scoop, you've done a decent job so far, but this is when the yogurt really hits the propeller.

You've got just one hour to put this all together for the readers of our print edition. Remember, most people who are picking up the newspaper to read this story tomorrow already know about the robbery. It's your job to put it all into perspective — to help our community understand what happened today.

I've got the press team standing by, ready to go. I refuse to pay them overtime, so you need to hit your 10 p.m. deadline on the dot, you hear?"

THANK YOU!

"Hey there, Jimmy here. I just wanted to thank you for giving me someone to speak to when I was trapped in that vault. It felt like an eternity. I'm so glad we're out.

It makes me just sick to think of the terrible loss of life. I don't know why those men felt they had to kill people. Isn't the money enough?

I'm sorry I can't talk more right now, but the police have asked us all to help them reconstruct the murders. I sure hope I can help them make some sense of all this. Right now, it just all seems so senseless."

QUOTE FROM SOON KWON

"Freddie here. This will be my last update of the night. I spoke briefly to Soon Kwon, who was one of the five people who was trapped in the vault. She didn't say much — I think she's still in shock — but I did get one decent quote from her:

'It brings me great job to be released from the dark and miserable vault. I am thankful for the Community City Police Department and especially to those whose lives were sacrificed on this sad day.'

I also spoke briefly to Sharaf Jarrah, but he said he wanted to speak to the police before making any statements. He did give me this quote, however:

'Today has been an incredibly trying day and I want nothing more than to put it behind me. I'll be ready to play football again next weekend.'

Sorry, but I wasn't able to catch anyone else before they got into their cars and drove away.

Anyway, it's been one heck of a crazy news day. I'm headinng home,

FRIENDLY FIRE VICTIM IDENTIFIED

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE —

Three Community Police Department officers have been placed on paid leave pending the results of an investigation into the shooting death of First National Bank employee Bob Carlyle. Carlyle died after being struck by a bullet fired by at least one of three Community police officers, who were returning fire from three men who were attempting to rob the bank.

"As police officers we strive to conduct our jobs with the utmost respect to community safety," said Police Chief Nora Young. "While it appears as though Mr. Carlyle's death was the result of a tragic accident that occurred in the midst of our officers' efforts to stop three robbers who had already murdered two civilians, it is important that we complete the vital and transparent process of determining what could have prevented this terrible circumstance."

The names of the other victims are still being withheld pending notification family members.

"TIME TO CALL IT A DAY"

"All right, Scoop, it's time to call it a day. And Holy Parsley Garnishes, it has been one heck of a ride, hasn't it?

Now some editors might take this opportunity to praise a reporter for their hard work and tenacity, but that's just not really my style.

All I'm willing to say is that you've still got a job — and that should be praise enough. Get here bright and early tomorrow morning. We've got more news to cover and more papers to sell.

Oh, and, before you go, would you please make sure to empty the ashtrays from my office? That would be swell."