The worse part of bad things happening is accepting them as they are. You have to accept that some people will never change, they might never love you as much as you need them to, mistakes you've made might never be forgiven and dreams you've had since you were little might never come true. You have to accept that people that used to be in your life may never be there again. But accepting their indefinite absence and the underlying pain that accompanies that truth doesn't mean you have to lose hope. All acceptance means is that despite all of these misfourtanes, you have to keep going and you have to keep believing that it will get better. You have to keep believing that tomorrow will be different than today. It sounds a lot easier than it actually is, though. It hurts to let go of people that mean so much to you because at the end of the day, you want to have hope. You hope that deep down inside, they do love you. That deep down inside, they actually care about your feelings. But accepting that they don't, well that's enough to make you want to chug a fifth of southern comfort. What's even worse is not knowing why you can't just accept loss. I've known people -- members of my own family -- that are able to cut people out of their lives with no questions asked. Most people can when someone does something terrible to them. Some people even have a three strikes rule: first strike is forgiven, second strike makes you recall the "fool me once, shame on you" saying and the third time.. well thats the time to say fuck you, I'm done. Well, that's not how I work, apparently. Not when it's someone I really, deeply and truly love. Not when it's someone I deeply need to need me, or love me.. or just care about me. Not when it's my father.. not when it's my sister who throughout my life has been the only person I can truly rely on. Not when it's my best friend who isn't my best friend anymore because of a mistake I made when I was 15 but she didn't know until I was 19 because I lied about it. I keep forgiving them when I shouldn't and she won't forgive me because she shouldn't. She's a lot stronger than I am and a lot more stubborn than I am. She has the ability to cut people out of her life even though she still -- somewhere deep inside of her, though she'll never admit it -- wants them in her life. I wish I could do that. I wish I knew how to accept that she'll never forgive me and despite me calling her it, she'll never be my best friend again. So not only do I need to accept the people that have let me down but I have to accept that I have let people down. The people that I let down are only doing to me which I wish I could to the people who have let me down. Can I blame them? No. I accept it and do everything I can to never hurt someone again. To never hurt someone like I hurt her and never hurt someone the way they hurt me.

I have been having the absolute worst dreams. Within the last week, I've been a victim in a mass shoot out between an ongoing mob war, my car has been stolen by a young boy holding a lime green ed hardy bag, took a shower in this HUGE warehouse.. like seriously, I can't even describe this warehouse but it was a really scary place.. and a bunch of other crazy stuff I can't remember right now. They're messin' up my shit. I'm serious. I wake up really late because apparently the dreams are so overwhelming that I don't wake up. My dreams have made me wake up late almost every day this week. I know it sounds stupid, but, it's driving me crazy.

But, as for my waking hours, I just finished my first offical week as co-editor of the paper. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be. I'm actually not sure what I thought it would be. I knew it would be a lot of responsibilty, I would be really busy and stressed out. But, there are just so many things to keep track of. I think I'm doing a good job so far but I guess we'll see when the first issue comes out.. if we can find a layout editor in time. If not, I'm going to have to learn page design reeaaaal quick.

Ah. It's late. I don't know why I started writing this when I knew I had to go to bed. Psh. I'll write more tomorrow and let you know what crazy ass dream I had tonight.

I am sure I've made one of the biggest mistakes. And that is not blogging the entire time I've been in South Dakota. I know I'll regret it when I want to remember exactly how I felt while I was here.

So, here is my last chance.

Today I went to work -- no surprise there -- and it was one of those boring days. These are usually the days I go into work without anything to do. I went to lunch early because I was so hungry I couldn't take it anymore. I went and shot a video, went back to work and read about the craziness surrounding Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and militia groups rising in the country. That got me really pissed off and I stayed that way throughout the day.

I came back to the dorm with full intentions of pre-packing to go home. I put this off until 10:45 because I was on facebook doing nothing. I really hate when facebook does that to me. So then I cleaned the dishes piling up in my bathroom sized sink, packed clothes I knew I wasn't going to wear, threw away bad food, took a lot of boxes to the recycling bin and packed the toiletries I don't need. It's not a lot but it's less than I'll have to do tomorrow or Friday.

First thing tomorrow morning I have to go on a video assignment. Then, I have to rush back the the office, call this guy to tell him sorry I'm calling late, I'll call you after lunch, go shoot another video, go to lunch with Chuck, come back, call the guy back, call another guy, start writing my story and then go to a listening post at Lewis from 4 to 6 p.m. with the exec. editor and editorial editor, all the while shooting video and taking names (and lots of comments, I hope).
THEN I have to meet this lady who used to work for Argus because she's selling me a digital voice recorder for $8. I can't turn it down.. not when it means I can make my very own soundslides whenever I want.

THEN, I come back to the dorm to do more packing. Then, with any hope, passing out for my last day at the Argus.

Hopefully by Friday night everything will be packed because I want to leave by 7 a.m. on saturday. Hmm.. if I drive 12 hours on Saturday and 9 on Sunday, I can get home by at least 5 p.m. Sunday night. MAYBE. I'll either be really excited to get home so drive even when I get tired or be so tired that I don't want to keep driving. I'll keep you posted.

So that's my attempt at documenting my internship.

Just finished reading the last Harry Potter book. Now, I suppose, I'll need to buy another one. Actually, I should probably just buy my textbooks and start reading those. It has been an interesting day. It was one of those days when you can feel things shifting around and evolving -- or, feel yourself changing. I walked from my desk, across the newsroom when I, for some reason, thought of what I always said I wanted to be. Where I wanted to be. I might not have forseen being in South Dakota, but, I always said that I wanted to be at an internship. An internship, I thought, would give me everything I needed to escape. As I walked across the news room, I couldn't help but feeling like "It's really happening."
Those moments, when you can acknowledge that you are in them, are extremely rare. It seems that you only recognize these moments years after they have passed. I haven't been able to come up with a good reason for doing journalism yet. At least not until today. I was describing everything I had to do to my mom, and she said, "I guess journalism is more than just writing stuff down. There's a lot more to it, I guess."
I replied to a text message that asked "What is the highlight of the internship." It took me a day to respond, to come up with a good enough highlight, or, to discover the highlight. I responded that it was getting to meet, talk to and learn so much about other people. People that I would have never met otherwise. Stories I could have never heard if I would not have been given this internship.
Every job, or task, is going to have flaws, I think. I have spent most of my time here waiting for my internship to start. Now that next week will be my last in South Dakota, I think that my whole life has been leading up to this point. I am no one special in this unfimilar state. I am not the best journalist or even intern to sit in that newsroom. But I try really hard to be. I try really hard and even though that sounds really trite, it's the best I could conjure up.
Sometimes, if not always, people see things in me that I do not see. They see potential and perserverance and talent. These things, I have yet to encounter in myself, but they must be there.
This, I am starting to realize, is not going to be the hardest task in my life and it really is, just the beginning. I am truly excited to see where I end up, what I end up doing and who I end up meeting, because I have no idea. I can make plans to do more internships and plans to attend certain colleges, but I cannot plan the rest. I never planned to get accepted into AIJI and I certainly never planned to do an internship in South Dakota. I can't wait to see what fate is going to indulge in next.

I am quite proud of myself today: Instead of going to get fast food that I could undoubtedly afford -- well, sort of -- I came back to my dorm and ate Chef Boyardee. In all honesty, I crushed it like it was the best cuisine I've ever tasted. Take that, wormy wormers.

I am really disappointed that John Hughes died last night. For those of you who do not know me, or know my taste in movies, his films basically make up my top 1o lists. I did not grow up in the eighties, but, that's the thing about his movies: They were timeless and even years later, they still had a profound effect on teenagers. I watched Sixteen Candles last Friday and Pretty in Pink on Sunday. (Obviously prior to his death). I'm not just saying all of this because he died and that's what people do: pretend they really loved someone when they died even if they didn't care about them while they were alive. I really, really did love John Hughes. And I am much more sad that he died than I was that Michael Jackson died.

Anyway, I am near the end of my internship and it's quite bittersweet. I am finally getting to do stuff and really be confident in what I am doing, but at the same time, I am ready to see my family and my friends. So, there's that. I am down to my bottom dollar and I'm kind of glad. It's teaching me how to be somewhat of an adult.

My nephew turns 3 on Aug. 17 -- so happy early birthday to my buddy!! I can't wait to see him.
I want to get him a swingset for his birthday but Chris thinks I should start a college fund for him instead. I think I'll go with the swingset.

Because of You.

I never realized how much my mom did for us until tonight. I told her, I don't have any food, I'm tired of eating McDonalds and I basically spent all my money. So she asked, "Ok, well, what do you have?" I told her. She gave me a meal to make: BBQ Chicken, chicken lipton noodles and green beans. I needed some stuff from the store but had less than $30 for it. She told me to know what I needed before I ever went to the store and to buy the absolutely cheapest stuff -- I know it seems like a simple task, but I've never actually been able to do it. I spent 20.61 and bought 18 things.
I'm telling this because this summer, my Dad has enlightened me that I was a mistake. He first said it when he was drunk and I was willing to let it go. But, every time it's been brought up since, he has confirmed it. He said that there was never supposed to be a second child, that he didn't want us to grow up in that environment, that he wanted better for us. I asked him why would he ever tell me that; especially 20 years later. He did not have a justifiable answer for me and I didn't expect him to. He's never been the one for explanations. He's never been the one to apologize or admit mistakes. I asked him if he remembered what he said to me when I was eight years old and he decided he was finished being our father. He said:
"I've washed my hands with this."
"You remember that?"
"Of course I remember that. How could I not remember?"
My father told me he was done with us. He gave up. He walked away.. and the worst part is that you don't care. All you can do is point the blame, saying it's all her fault, she did this. He told me he never realized how much pain he caused and I told him that until I was sixteen years old, I thought it was all my fault.
The thing is, after 20 years of fighting for him, it all makes sense. If he thinks I'm a mistake and I was never supposed to be here, then of course he would be missing most of my life. Of course he wouldn't call to make sure I made it to South Dakota safely, or to see how my trip with, or to make sure I had everything I needed. Of course.
That is why, my Mom, no matter what he or anyone thinks, is the most important force in my life. Despite her fear, regrets and mistakes, she has and always will be by my side. I never feel like I don't belong in my house. I never feel like I'm calling at a bad time. I call her crying because I miss home so much and sometimes, I don't know what I'm doing here and even though she wants me to come home, she gets me through it.
While my Dad was giving up on us, building his self-proclaimed trucking empire and building a haunted and terribly dysfunctional family, my mom was looking through cabinets desperately trying something to feed her four kids. She was working through the night to make sure that we had school clothes every fall. No, she is not perfect and I'm sure there are faults to pinpoint, but at the end of the day, she didn't walk away.
I miss her. I miss Saturday mornings and I miss home. I can't wait to be back home.

Evan Thornton

So, I found this guy on YouTube who is pretty much a video editing beast ANNNND He goes to AACC.

Oh! Oh! Got my internship assignment!

For six weeks starting July 1, I will be interning at the... Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, S.D.!!!!!!

Semi-Charmed Life: Chili Cook-off 2009

My summer break has officially begun and for a moment, I stepped back in time.

I went to DC101's Chili Cook-off and instead of acting like the "mature 20 year old" that I am, I acted like I was still a 16-year-old punk rock chick crashing Warped Tour. No joke. I got dragged into the concert by my sister's friend who happens to be my age. I told her, "DO NOT CROWD SURF, my phone is dead and I'll never be able to find you."

Well, guess what? She crowd surfed which left me in a massive pit of sweaty 20-somethings jumping, pushing, slamming and punching their way closer to Puddle of Mudd. I'm not used to this, I'm way too fat for this, I thought as I literally felt like I was going to die from heat exhaustion.




I got out of this -- alive -- and somehow found Alex when I pushed my way out of the crowd when the set ended. When I found her, she was missing a shoe, phone and camera and like me, was covered and dirt and sweat.

But, no sweat.

We migrated. Walked around. Looked for people. She asked everyone -- and I mean everyone -- if she could buy their shoe from them. I wasn't amused. In fact, I was irritated, thirsty, hot and every part of my body was soaked from other peoples sweat. I thought it was supposed to rain all day?

So Alex and I found a t-shirt stand and both bought shirts we couldn't afford. She bought a hat to use as a shoe. Actually, she took the hat and used her old sweaty shirt to tie it on with.

We found the Mystic Piercing tent and we were apparently over our exhaustion because we both decided to get piercings. This is when the 16-year-old punk rock chick came into play. We got in line without knowing what we wanted to get pierced. We got up to the table and I realized.. Oh my God, I don't have my ID on me.

This inevitably led to ME asking anyone that looked over 35 to sign for me. They didn't and wouldn't believe that I wasn't a minor.

BUT THEN, I find Kerri.

"HEY! KERRI! Give me your ID, QUICK! I'm getting my nose pierced. Stop asking questions and just give it to me!" Apparently, in that moment, I realized that I wanted to get my nose pierced for the THIRD time because I had had so much luck the first two times.

So, I got my nose pierced and they gave me a lollipop.

"What is that line on your forehead?" My brother-in-law asked when I ran into him.

It was then that I remembered that crowd surfer who crash landed into my head (this BUMP is finally gone now).

Okay so I'm going to skip over the rest because it was pretty uneventful. Well, sort of. No, you know what? It was pretty damn eventful. We found everyone, I got a wristband (because I had Kerri's ID) and was reuniting with people from Berwyn Heights.. at least some of them.

When finally.... THE RAIN CAME!! Oh, it was beautiful. Imagine playing in the rain with thousands of drunk people.. it's a great time.

By this time, Third Eye Blind was about to come on and even though we had missed almost ALL of the bands performing, we all made it to see them.



My favorite thing about concerts is when the entire crowd is singing. The singer stops, the band keeps going, and no one skips a beat. Your forever bonded with those people. You look around and when your part comes up, all of a sudden everyone starts jumping at the same time, somehow managing to jump, throw their arms in their air and sing all at the same time. It's pretty amazing.

And I realized this is the reason I loved going to concerts when I was 16 - Even though it's hot, you inevitably get injured and at some point fear death, it is all worth it in that moment.





And, I have one last question to ponder: Why do people think it's okay to bring babies and children to a rock festival?

Peer Learning Partnership Hosts Open House

Peer Learning Partnership, a continuing education community for older adults at Anne Arundel Community College, is hosting its fifth anniversary open house on June 12 at 10 a.m. until noon in CADE219.

PLP was developed in 2004 to facilitate intellectual enrichment for retired people who still have a yearning to learn new things.

“I first learned about it in one of the college catalogues,” said PLP member Randall Pack. “There was a class featuring physicist Richard Feynman and I was just fascinated that it was a course being offered.”

Pack soon found out that the course was taught by his peers and he found that he was extremely intrigued by the concept of fulfilling his intellectual curiosity with peers who are experts in their fields.

It started out with only 12 members but now has upwards of 140 members – most of which are retired, said PLP President Bill Daney.

Enrollment has been steadily increasing, partially because many baby boomers are beginning to retire, said PLP curriculum coordinator, Krista Hamel.

“The concept is very appealing to that age group,” said Hamel. “Really, it’s a wonderful social outlet for them.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Anne Arundel County alone had more than 55,000 residents over the age of 65 in 2006, many of which still have the need to remain active, said Daney.

Though, Pack insists that being a member is extremely interesting in the sense that many of the people involved are former professors or fairly educated.

“This is not a group of people who got tired of playing shuffle board,” said Pack. “For example, when we’re discussing a novel, you’ll find someone who knew the author!”

Even though members are not being graded, there is a fair amount of preparation that goes into presenting new information, teaching a class, or partaking in a discussion, said Pack.

For example, one of the benefits of being a PLP member includes participating in “Fridays with Friends,” a lunchtime discussion group that meets once a week. Each week of the month has a different theme: current event discussions, current topics in science, book discussions, a travel group and a film discussion.

Most of the discussions try to reflect what the members are learning in their individual classes and each member takes turns presenting new information.

“When we did current topics in science, I had the chance to present on the 2008 Nobel Prize in Science,” said Pack. “I was just fascinated by the discussions we had. It isn’t like that movie, ‘Ferris Bueller’ when he says ‘Anyone? Anyone?’ You almost have to tell people to settle.”

The social aspect of it is very beneficial too, said Pack.

“It’s an incredible group of people,” said Pack. “When you get a lot of people who have been taking the same classes and meeting once a week, you get to know them!”

PLP offered eight peer taught classes in the spring and hopes to offer more as the enrollment increases.

The open house will allow prospective members to learn about joining, the costs, and get a chance to get to meet other members. Registering for classes offered by PLP requires signing up for PLP membership as well. Each class costs $26 and PLP has a membership of $26 per semester. For more information about attending the open house, contact Krista Hamel at 410-777-1806.

The Death of Storytelling

Recently, I have read two different stories in two different papers about student journalism. It is strange to me that the media is covering themselves, that newspapers and journalism are the news. I've only been studying journalism for a short time, but I had the impression that the journalists, were supposed to be read but not ever seen -- so to speak.

Though, as the death of print becomes the news, the media finally has a chance to talk about themselves.

The first article I read was in the Annapolis, Md. paper, The Capital. The reporter told the story of Broadneck High School's newspaper who is putting their publication completely online. The newspaper's staff is afraid that putting their paper online will diminish their presence at their school.

The second article was in the Baltimore Sun and it said despite the uncertainty of journalism's future, enrollment in journalism schools is steadily increasing.

The ultimate question is: What do journalism students have to look forward to? Whatever comes after the death of print, it is sure to be something unprecedented. So, if this is something new and no one is sure what is going to happen, how are we supposed to be taught? We are taught by professors who experience is in print, the dying medium.

We are blindly preparing ourselves, dedicating ourselves and hoping that whichever path we take is the right one.

On game shows, they sometimes show three doors and say, choose the right one for a new car, or something similar. I feel that is the state of student journalism: We have to choose the right door. Instead of playing the luck game, we as students are told to prepare for it all:

Learn to write in print AND online.
Learn to make/edit video and be a broadcast journalist.
Learn to be a photographer and make slideshows.
Learn HTML so you can build your own website.
Learn to Design your own graphics and layout your own paper.
Be a mathematician, a politician, a caregiver, an educator.


Journalism students are the ultimate students because instead of mastering a specific field, we are expected to learn them all. If we want to succeed in journalism, we must have something that no one else has, and do it better than anyone else does.

And on top of it all, we still need to be good, precise, unbiased and compelling reporters. We still have to learn how to interview someone, how to research and report a story, how to write a lead under 35 words and above all, how to make a deadline.

While print is moving gracefully to the grave, it is my belief that the need for news will never die. People want to be informed, want to criticize their government, read about car accidents, discuss movie stars and hear about a child who won a battle against Cancer -- they just don't want to pay for print when they can read it online.

So, in the midst of mourning print, perhaps we as journalism students should embrace the future. We should be grateful that we have so many different ways to enhance our stories. We don't necessarily have to decide "Print" or "Broadcast" as a major. We can make our words literally come to life and that is something that should be celebrated.

If we are good reporters and geniuenly care about our work, it will be read - one way or the other. So the best we can do as students is to learn, wish for the best and well, hope we don't end up working at Barnes and Noble.

Notice anything different?

I've apparently learned how to make blogger layouts. Infact, I made everything on here -- the layout, the header -- and It took me all day. I'm super excited that my blog doesn't look so boring anymore! :)

Someday I'll get a giveaway

"Someday I'll Get There" blog is giving away (GASP!) free stuff! She is giving away seven handmade cards and a journal -- a journal I hope to use when I go to South Dakota! I strongly suggest checking it out and doing it by tomorrow!!!

http://remembermoments0823.blogspot.com/2009/05/giveaway-premiere.html

When I reread stories or poems that I have written, I always wonder where did this come from? Perhaps it is because I use writing as an outlet or perhaps it is because my favorite author to date is Joyce Carol Oates. She just released a short-story collection titled "Dear Husband". Of course I haven't been able to buy it yet, but, New York Times did an Q&A with her and I think the most interesting thing she has said thus far is:

If you’re going to spend the next year of your life writing, you would probably rather write “Moby Dick” than a little household mystery with cat detectives. I consider tragedy the highest form of art.

I think if I could choose a role model, an idol if you will, I would choose Joyce Carol Oates. I love everything about her writing; that she has the ability to start a story telling the reader exactly what happens in the end but still write a page turner. The fact that she can make an one word chapter just as meaningful as a 30 word chapter. The fact that "Where are you going, Where have you been?" has so many different interpretations from religion to pop culture to teenagers independence.

I think I am really biased when it comes to Oates because I've gotten to the point that I don't read any other author now. I'll blame my English 102 professor for that.

Read the interview

MCASE debates the Death Penalty

One of the main reasons Maryland Citizens Against State Executions hopes to repeal the death penalty is the fear that a death row inmate might actually be innocent, said MCASE Executive Director Jane Henderson.

"It's not reversible," said Henderson. "You can let someone out of jail if they're wrongfully convicted and spent 20 years in jail; you can't bring them back to life if you've executed them."

Despite the efforts of Gov. Martin O'Malley and MCASE, a repeal bill died in the General Assembly this year. MCASE, a non-profit organization, believes that the bills failure had nothing to do with public opinion but with leadership in Annapolis.

"We had a narrow margin and a Senate president who was working completely against us," said Henderson. "And frankly didn't like the bill that came out - he wanted the bill to get recommitted back to committee and be dead for the year."

The bill would not have died if it would have had enough legislature support and until they have a larger margin, the leadership's motives will prevail, said Henderson.

"Maybe one of the lessons from this is that when you're working on hard issues in the legislature, you have to either have the leadership or enough of a margin that you can override the leadership," she said.

Among several reasons why she is against the death penalty, Henderson says that capital punishment gives the government an opportunity to abuse power.

"My personal position against the death penalty is that, you give the state a power to kill, it's ultimately going to be abused," explained Henderson.

Though, she notes, the possibility of an inmate's innocence is a prevalent factor in her opposition.

"I think it's important to note that we often don't know until the very last minute in the cases where people have been exonerated," said Henderson.

Although there are only five inmates currently on death row, Henderson said that the death penalty is dealt out unevenly and there is not a certain formula in determining who is sentenced to death and who is sentenced to life without parole.

"Everyone convicted of murder gets sentenced in some way... we pick a handful of cases in which we're going to invest immense resources with the goal of ultimately seeing them executed," said Henderson.

The legal costs of a death penalty case are astronomical, said Henderson. She argues that putting those resources towards services to a victim's family would be more effective.

"I think most victims families in this state aren't thinking about the death penalty," said Henderson. "They're thinking about how to get through the next day."

The poorest families, who are more likely to experience a homicide, cannot afford to seek mental health services – a service that they must desperately need, said Henderson.

MCASE is not waiting until they achieve a repeal to start helping the victim's family and the recently passed bill had language that would extend services to the families, said Henderson.

The death penalty does not accomplish anything or even deter murder, and until a repeal is passed, other problems cannot be solved, said Henderson.

"I don't think that you can fix these problems - I think all you can do is say we're going to take death off of the table, and then you begin to try to fix these problems," said Henderson. "Clearly issues of racial bias and jurisdictional difference aren't limited to the death penalty, but you know, when life and death is on the line, I think the Supreme Court of the United States has made it clear that death is different."

"I gotta focus on what I can do and not what I can't" -- Jesse Billauer comes to AACC

Just pray to the fragility of life and you’ll be on to something, advises Jesse Billauer, a quadriplegic surfer who came to inspire Anne Arundel Community College students on Disability Awareness Day.

Billeaur described the surfing accident that broke his neck in 1996, recalling that he said “Today’s gonna be a great day.”

He told students that he could have let his accident devour him, but instead he kept going.
Despite his disability, he told students “I am living my dream.”

Jesse Billauer delivers inspirational messages to AACC students.

Video/Editing by Melanie.

This part of the story is just the beginning -- there will definitely be more!

Nate and Jesse!

HERE NATE!

The Side of The Road.

Have you ever thought about the things you see on the side of the road? Where they come from, how they got there and what moments in their life led them to be a forgotten part of society?

The things you see on the side of the road are devastating.

On a back road I take to get home, there has been a dead deer lying dead for over three weeks. Everyday I drive by it, it is more gruesome. The deer is so decayed that you can now see its decaying flesh revealing rib bones. No one has bothered to move the carnage.

Now, I know this is road kill to a lot of people and maybe I saw Bambi too many times but I can't help but feeling horribly sad for the animal. I can't help but wondering what the person who hit it was thinking after they felt their car hit the deer.

A dead animal killed by cars speeding on a dark-lit back road is one thing, but, what about the people you find on the side of the road? Some of them are wandering aimlessly, some with their thumb in the air, some just walking with their heads down. Have you ever wanted to stop and talk to them? I just want to ask them what happened. I can't keep myself from thinking: What if that was me?

Town mourns the loss of well-known fire chief

A fire chief is dead after a fatal car crash in Sudlersville Wednesday night.

Officials say Charles "Buck" Clough Jr. died Wednesday after crashing into a grove of trees.

He was en route to a small appliance fire on Main Street.

Residents are shocked by the loss and members of the fire department are still too emotional to speak about their loss.

The firemen are being comforted by women bringing food and plants.

Funeral plans are still underway.

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78 words.

Virginia Tech Students Honor Victims on Second Anniversary of Shooting

Two Virginia Tech students are honoring the second anniversary of the mass shooting by participating in a 3.2-mile race.

Katelyn Carney and Derek O'Dell are both survivors of the shooting. They were shot by student Seung Hui-Cho while they were in a German class.

The two students are joined by more than four thousand people.
O'Dell says, "We're celebrating their lives, but remembering, too."

Also, two victims' families are suing the state after rejecting an eleven million dollar settlement.

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78 words.