Credo Journalism-Susanna Griffith

2005-10-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

Referendum C is a crucial issue on the ballot this November. Voters must decide which hole to bunch, they must decide what they value more, their tax refunds, or the government having the money to build roads, schools, and more.

According to the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, Referendum C is a proposal that would implement a temporary income tax reduction (4.63% to 4.5%) after the five years as the first method of refunding revenues collected above the TABOR revenue limit; and at least one “implementing bill” which outlines for voters how the retained revenue will be spent.

If Referendum C passes, there will be no increase to tax rates as they are right now. Citizens will still have the same taxes. But the money does have to come from somewhere. While taxes will remain the same, if Referendum C passes it will allow the state to keep and spend the money from taxes, instead of giving some back to the citizens in the form of tax refunds.

The way that Referendum C proposes going temporarily overrides TABOR. TABOR is the Colorado Tax Payer’s Bill of Rights which has been a successful spending limit for America.
TABOR does cut government money that the government believes should be spent on roads, education, etc. Referendum C provides $3.1 billion in revenue services that won’t be available if C does not pass. However, there is no real guarantee how this money will be spent.

Governor Bill Owens has stated his support for Referendum C, although his signature was not required to get Referendum C on the ballot this November.

2005-10-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

Student Life

This department will contain all sorts of information about Credo Students including birthdays, and student accomplishments. There will also be a ‘Student of the Week’ featuring two students who have been noticed by the Chronicler Staff. If there is a student you would like to see featured, please contact Susanna Griffith. The Student Life section will share details about lives of students, from the most exotic food they’ve tasted, to the most exotic place they’ve traveled. The Credo community can look forward to getting to know students better through this department.

2005-09-26T20:13:00.000-07:00

Credo Communicators attend Aurora Teen Court open house

On September 21, 2005, the Credo Speech and Debate Club took a field trip to the Aurora Teen Court open house. Credo communicators observed attorneys and jurors in action and got a feel for the way things work at Aurora Teen Court. Four mock trials were carried out by the staff at Teen Court.
According to Joanna Griffith, a Credo student attending the open house, “The teen attorneys were gaining valuable knowledge about litigation and the court system through the teen court program.” She added, “The Credo students participating as attorneys demonstrated good maturity and carried themselves in a professional way.” She was pleased and impressed with the way teen court is being run.
The teen court attorneys from Credo were dismissed at 3:30 pm to go help set up the open house. Mrs. Anderson dismissed the rest of the Speech and Debate class 4:30 pm. The students quickly cleaned up the classroom and then caravanned up to the courthouse in Aurora.
Upon arriving, students went into the courtroom and took there seats. After a few announcements and some information about the teen court program, the first trial was started. The audience observed teen court staff at work as they carried out the mock trial. Unlike a real trial, the jury did not deliberate and a sentence was not decided on.
A small room was set up with a few chairs and a television set playing a video with more information about teen court.
Attendees also enjoyed cake, lemonade, and chatting with each other and the attorneys and jurors during breaks.

2005-09-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

Americans open hearts to Katrina victims

Hurricane Katrina has left many American citizens homeless, poor, and without much food. But American citizens have opened there hearts, homes, and wallets to help victims of Katrina. On Friday, American citizens united in a national day of prayer for God’s guidance and for the victims of the hurricane. Churches, families, and other organizations are coming together and donating time, money, and possessions to help the needy.
According to AP, friday, September 16, 2005 was declared as a National day of Prayer and Remembrance. While many churches and houses of worship did not observe it, and President Bush’s declaration may have come too late, there were still those who set aside time to pray for, and remember, victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Across the nation, thousands of American citizens have opened their hearts, their homes and their wallets to help those affected by the hurricane. The government is giving a large amount of money to the cause, but the American people have given more. Everyone is pitching in where they are able.
Although Katrina has left her victims homeless, without food, shelter, clothing, and more, God has worked through the pain. He is bringing together families, who are depending on each other for their lives. He is also bringing together the American people, who are working together to reach out and help Katrina’s victims.

Articles I used: (I'm still not able to make words show up as links)

U.S. Observes Day of Prayer for Victims

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/K/KATRINA_DAY_OF_PRAYER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

2005-09-16T12:46:00.000-07:00

Katrina’s toll on the United States economy

(This article is written from an Obadiah point of view. It is written to an audience that is not Christian.)

When hurricane Katrina tore through Louisiana, it hurt trees, homes, businesses, families and lives. But it also hurt the economy. As all drivers in the United States have noticed, gas prices have sky-rocketed since Katrina. Some have climbed to $6.00 in areas that are geographically close to Louisiana. In addition, Katrina has cast a heavy financial toll on the United States.

The reason that gas prices are so high is due to a shortage of fuel. According to
Bush officials, it may take months to restore natural fuel production. Because of the
hurricane, 1/3 of the gulf coast’s fuel production has been disrupted. This disaster has hurt millions of Americans. Not just residents of New Orleans or surrounding areas but also millions of drivers who are now struggling to pay the gas money to get them around.

The United States budget has also been hurt. So far, congress has approved of over $63 billion in disaster relief money. This country was already in severe debt, and the hurricane has only made the situation worse. Now, money that could have helped make education, roads, and other things better is being used to help victims of the hurricane.

Hundreds are dead, thousands are homeless, millions are affected. Without a known reason, Hurricane Katrina has harmed those who didn’t deserve to be harmed. But, this makes one think, was there a reason behind Katrina? Or perhaps, it was just another reminder of how unfair this life is.

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The resources I used to write this article are the following:
Lawmakers prepare Katrina probe, financial aid
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&summit=&storyid=2005-09-06T232603Z_01_SPI673962_RTRIDST_0_POLITICS-CONGRESS-DC.XML

Senate sends Bush more storm aid
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&summit=FundsSummit05&storyid=2005-09-08T235448Z_01_SPI885217_RTRIDST_0_POLITICS-CONGRESS-AID-DC.XML

Natural Gas Shortages Worry Bush Officials
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/K/KATRINA_ENERGY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

2005-09-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

This is my review on a Reuters: US News article on President Bush's new appointee for Supreme Court Chief Justice, John C. Roberts. The article can be found at: http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&summit=&storyid=2005-09-05T182049Z_01_ROB565964_RTRIDST_0_USREPORT-BUSH-COURT-ROBERTS-DC.XML

The news values we discussed in journalism class on 9/14/2005 were as follows:

Timeliness
Impact/Signifigance
Conflict
Proximity (Geographic and Social)
Human Interest
Objectivity

Timeliness-Rehnquist passed away only two days before this article was written so the journalist chose a proper time to write this article.

Impact/Signifigance-The decisions that the new chief justice is expected to make will have large impact on Americans. Rehnquist's succesor will make crucial decisions on issues such as gay marriage, abortion, the Ten Commandments, and other important matters. If Roberts is approved, his impact on the nation will be huge.

Conflict-Just like any other major political issue, there is bound to be conflict with this issue. Although the majority of the senate is republican, there are several democratic members as well who will have plenty of questions for Judge Roberts in the hearings.

Geographic Proximity-All United States citizens as well as their children and grandchildren will be influenced by the new chief justice. This article was written to citizens of the United States so the journalist did well writing to the correct geographic area.

Social Proxmity-This subject applies to members of all social groups. Everyone from the Rich and Famous living in Hollywood mansions, to the homeless on the streets of New York City will be affected by the decisions of the Supreme Court, which is led by the chief justice.

Objectivity-The journalist does an excellent job keeping himself invisible and not stating his opinion. He just gives the facts and doesn't state his own personal opinion on the issue.