Leebrick-Stryker Blog 3101

In my analysis of obituaries, I looked at CNN's obit of Fats Domino, a famous, piano-playing, rock-n'-roller. The interesting thing about this obit was that the author chose to almost solely focus on his music and on his influence to other artists. There wasn't too much on who he was as a person. To me, that makes sense. When you think of Fats Domino, you think of songs like "Ain't that a shame" or "Walking to New Orleans." If I were working on this obit, I probably would have done the same thing. This might be a sophomoric comparison, but if you were writing an obituary for Hitler, you probably wouldn't care to mention how much he loved his grandmother or his love of bratwurst. You would mention and focus on all of the pain and death he spread. In the same sense, people will remember Domino's music more than his love for Italian food. It just makes sense to have a singular focus in an obit.

Thousands attended a rally for unity in Barcelona after Catalonia was stripped of its autonomy for declaring independence, according to the BBC.  This rally happened days after  Spain's government took control of Catalan institutions. The event’s slogan was “We are all Catalonia. Common sense for coexistence” according to the Guardian. 

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker St. Paul School District cafeteria workers voted to approve a new, two-year contract Thursday, according to WCCO.  The contract is from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2019. This includes a 2 percent increase to wages, and employees making less that $15 an hour will make $15 an hour starting on June 22, 2019, the Star Tribune said.  Additionally, workers with 10 years of service will make 5 cents more than the normal hourly pay on Jan. 6, 2019. This will increase to 15 cents and 35 cents in the coming months of 2019.

A grand jury in Washington has approved the first charges in the investigation led by Robert Mueller, according to CNN.  Mueller's Special Counsel's Office will make public an indictment on Monday, NBC News reported.  President Trump has denied collusion with Russia, calling the investigation a "witch hunt." 

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker Two brothers were killed in a fire in northern Minnesota Saturday morning, authorities said. The two men were camping in a trailer in Leon Township that they used for hunting when the fire started around 7 a.m. according to WCCO.  Firefighters were able to put out the fire and found two bodies inside, the Star Tribune  reported. The names of the victims have not been released by police.

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker A St. Paul school district leader who sent threatening text messages to his coworkers was taken into custody Thursday, the Pioneer Press reported.  Robert Jon Peterson, 42, is accused of sending threatening, violent texts against district employees on Wednesday, police said.  Peterson is the  executive director of the St. Paul Schools Office of College and Career Readiness and executive director of the Department of School Climate and Support, according to WCCO.  The school district issued a statement saying the safety and well-being of staff is of the utmost importance.

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker 50 people kneeled outside of US Bank Stadium ahead of the Vikings game Sunday while receiving boos, stares and middle-fingers, the Star Tribune reported. The protest was to raise awareness about police violence, according to Mel Reeves, who helped organize the protest.  “It’s not about the flag,” Reeves said, “it’s about ending police violence. Too many lives have been lost.” Signs ranged from  “Black Lives Matter,”  "Take a knee, end police violence,”  to “No More Minnesota Nice.” Some signs called for an NFL boycott, according to WCCO.