They’re old buds now. Rockfordian meets Ted Koppel

Add comment August 29th, 2008

Former RRSTAR intern Jackie Borchardt met Ted Koppel in Denver this week. The pair were at the Democratic National Convention. Jackie got to go with the University of Missouri, where she’s getting her master’s in journalism.

Read more about Jackie’s adventures in “Dem-ver.”

Jackie graduated from Rockford Lutheran High School and the University of Rochester in New York.

Have you tried to golf on a golf graveyard?

Add comment August 28th, 2008

Assistant Sports Editors Matt Trowbridge did. And, boy, does it look like he had fun trying.

Check out this package or watch the video below on a golf course in Paw Paw that closed a few years ago.

I love every part of the package — from the lead on the story to the memorable video. (Trowbridge has some golf swing.)

[flashvideo filename=”http://www.rrstar.com/multimedia/x81490347/Fore-gone-conclusion-Paw-Paw-golf-course-dies/@@download.flv” /]

need a smile? tired of working? look at the sweet little babies!

Add comment August 27th, 2008

a while back i told you it’s time to submit your cuties for the baby of the year contest.

well, the first round of voting is under way, and we have received more than 3,000 votes already. you have until sept. 1.

what’s this all about? each year, newspapers in education raises money by collecting the photos, asking you (the readers) to vote and publishing the winners in a calendar.

after three rounds of voting, winners will be announced oct. 3.

note: donations — $10 to submit and $1 per vote — to NIE are voluntary.

news tower under attack by giant pests

3 comments August 26th, 2008

no, i’m not trying to write a supermarket tabloid headline. it’s for real (except the giant part). so this is a light news tidbit for the day…

the register star has had spotty service recently with the delivery of “wire feeds,” aka  and other national/international news.

why? there have been hornets building a nest on the satellite dish.

sometimes our technology problems are not really technology problems!

dem-ver and st. paul the republican

Add comment August 25th, 2008

for years, the register star has opted out of sending a reporter to cover the national conventions that “choose” our presidential candidates.

but that doesn’t mean there isn’t SOME local connection.

thanks to technology, political editor chuck sweeny will be catching up with delegates from the rock river valley this week in denver and next week in the twin cities.

right now, the democrats have the stage, and we have a rockford native there who will write later this week. jackie borchart, a graduate student at the university of missouri, interned at the register star in 2005 and 2006; she’s there on an internship for the washington center to learn about journalism and the political process.

see her work at the denver post’s youth blog now. she’ll write something for us later in the week.

she did share this via e-mail.

Tonight it looks like I will have access to the hall — to hear Nancy Pelosi, Jimmy Carter and Michelle Obama, as well as several Illinois pols: Lisa Madigan, Dan Hynes and Alexi Giannoulis.

I went to the Illinois delegation breakfast this morning and ran into Sunil Puri and Freeport Mayor George Gualrapp. I’m going to go a little earlier tomorrow to see if I can get some words from them and the others about tonight’s festivities.

and……. this morning, i talked to mike hakanson of gambino realtors, who’s going to st. paul. he was with me in the rockford 40 under 40 group and said he’d be happy to dispatch.

one thing he mentioned: it’s interesting this year that the two candidates for president seem to be so far apart on the issues, whereas in the 1990s, it was a competition to be as close to the middle as possible.

save the tatas

2 comments August 21st, 2008

now that i have your attention:

this morning, i attended the making strides against breast cancer walk’s kickoff breakfast at giovanni’s. the event has a goal of raising $230,000 for the american cancer society in the rock river valley, a little higher than 2007’s total.

the 4-mile walk along the river in martin park, loves park, will be at 9 a.m. saturday, oct. 25. i’ll be there for my third year; the event is in its seventh year and still growing. you can raise money online with your own cool web page or with “walking papers”; call 815-229-1287.

so why am i writing about this here? because rockford woman holds an awesome event after the walk to “top off the morning.” the victory lap brunch at cliffbreakers, right across the rock, features breakfast buffet, pink champagne, door prizes and entertainment.

more than 400 women attended the inaugural event in 2007: we expect it to be huge this year, so get your tickets now. the cost is $20, with proceeds going toward the cancer society. you can purchase yours at woodman’s, roxy carmichael’s or j. r. kortman center for design.

roxy’s is also holding a “find your style” sale, with 5 percent of proceeds going toward the cause.

(sponsorships are still available; call bea ricotta at 815-987-1373 or e-mail bricotta@rrstar.com.)

i’ll have more from rockford woman later. new issue out this weekend! 92 pages!

the other state newspaper awards: won a few there, too

2 comments August 21st, 2008

the register star won seven awards in the 2008 illinois associated press editors association contest, which holds its ceremonies oct. 9.

Enterprise Reporting: Tie First Place, Rockford Register Star, Staff, NIU Special Section

Deadline News: Second Place, Rockford Register Star, Staff, NIU Killings

Sports Columns: Third Place, Rockford Register Star, Emily Tropp

Informational Graphic: First Place, Rockford Register Star, Margo Morgan, Justice Center

Page Design: First Place, Rockford Register Star, Chris Soprych, Airfest

Photo Features: Third Place, “Work It,” Scott Morgan, Rockford Register Star

Spot News Photo: Third Place, “Staying Dry,” Amy J. Van Horn, Rockford Register Star

register star wins 23 awards in state competition

1 comment August 19th, 2008

this week, we learned that the register star won a record 23 awards in the annual Illinois Press Association 2008 Excellence in News contest (for may 2007 through april 2008 work). we won’t learn how we placed until october. below are the winners, so we are proud:

General Excellence — Staff

Local Editorial — Staff

Editorial Cartoon — Bruce Quast

News Reporting, Single Story — Midway Theater, Sean Driscoll

News Reporting, Single Story — Policing overtime, Isaac Guerrero

Taxation coverage — Isaac Guerrero

News Reporting Series — Not Again (Flood coverage), Staff

News Reporting Series — No. Not Here. (NIU), Staff

Sports Feature — No place like home, Emily Tropp

Sports Feature — Scoring 1,000, Emily Tropp

Enterprise/Feature writing — City takes tough stance to clean, Georgette Braun

Feature Writing — Letting Go, Geri Nikolai

Reviews — Georgette Braun

Info Graphic — Criminal Justice Center Overview, Margo Morgan

Info Graphic — Congress Votes, Margo Morgan

Info Graphic — Quake, Margo Morgan, Kelley Simms, Chris Soprych

Headline Writing — Adam McHugh

LifeStyle section

Art/Entertainment Section

Special Section — Woman of the year (Rockford Woman)

Best Web Site

Best Web Project — Belvidere Tornado

Most Innovative Project — BusinessRockford.com

What kind of coverage do you expect when bad things happen?

3 comments August 18th, 2008

Since I’ve become an editor, I spend most of my time in the newsroom. In my first five years here, though, I was a reporter covering news and business. Sometimes I miss those days because I enjoyed getting out of the office and talking to people. I wanted to tell stories that were full of emotion, that readers could connect with. Sometimes those stories were of happy times; many times they were not.

On Saturday, we got word there was a shooting death in Rockford, the city’s 13th homicide this year. I went out to the home in the 100 block of 15th Avenue initially so I could get a photo to publish to rrstar.com. I snapped a few pictures and then walked over to a few men who were standing outside the Polish Falcons Club next door. The men told me the victim, Jeremy Butera, was a nice guy who had just bought the home less than a year ago.

“This is not good in any neighborhood,” said Jim Cooper, president of the club. “But it’s really tough when it happens next door. It’s too bad, really.”

When I got to the house 30 minutes earlier, I saw a young man pacing on the porch and talking on his cell phone. I dreaded going up to him, but I saw him talking to a reporter and photographer from WREX-13.

So, I took a deep breath and headed his way. His name was Dan Egbert, and he was Jeremy’s childhood friend. I met Jeremy’s 2-year-old son Tre and talked with Jeremy’s mother Bonnie. At such a sad time, this family welcomed me into their home and shared their stories. Dan allowed me to shoot video of him sharing a memory of Jeremy.

It’s important we try to talk to victims’ families, but you hate to be intrusive at such a tough time. Sometimes the families say no. Sometimes they say yes. I understand both answers.

I often wonder what kind of coverage our readers expect of us in cases like homicides. I understand the answers will differ depending on perspective. So, what’s yours?

rockford’s very own michael phelps works on the first floor

Add comment August 14th, 2008

did you know that the rockford register star has its very own michael phelps?

the ad designer, who lives in rockford and has worked here for six years, is a good sport (ha ha) about sharing his name with the olympic superstar, though he usually goes by “mike.”

he said he actually got more reaction to his name during the olympics four years ago. a friend of his sent him the cover of sporting news, with the headline declaring “michael phelps is the sexiest man in a swimsuit.” it’s framed and hanging on his kitchen wall.

“a headline like that? i love it!” he said.

the father of three, who has coached basketball, volleyball and soccer, has watched some of the games this time around, especially when you-know-who has been in the pool.

“it’s always fun sitting around and hearing my name on tv like that.”

p.s. cool story here about phelps’ dolphin kick.