I mentioned yesterday that I was already sick of all the hype surrounding LeBron James‘ free-agency. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 15 hours, you already know he chose to leave Cleveland for the Miami Heat.
Here’s how the story was covered today by Cleveland’s Plain Dealer (click for a larger view):
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While the rest of us were putting fireworks and parade photos on page one last night, folks in Iowa had shocking bad news to play up.
During a Heritage Day parade in tiny Bellevue — on the shore of the Mississippi River along the eastern border of the state — a team of horses got loose and plowed into the crowd. Twenty-three people were injured, including a number of children. One woman was killed.
Dubuque — maybe 20 miles to the northwest — is the closest town of size. Here is the front of today’s Dubuque Telegraph Herald, circulation 29,162:
Not only is that lead photo — of a crowd of folks tending an injured child — a wonderful example of on-the-spot photojournalism, it’s also notable for another reason: It was shot by the reporter on the scene, Karina Schroeder. Who is surely older than the way she looks in her official TH mug shot:
Click for a larger view:
Karina writes in a page-one, first-person piece today:
The first thing that came to mind was the kids sitting on those street curbs, holding out their hands for candy being thrown from vehicles, as the horses and the carriage barreled down on them. Oh my God!
The first injury I came upon was difficult enough. A young child, wrapped in a little pink blanket that was covered in blood. Everyone was running and screaming for help or huddling in large, protective groups around victims strewn along the street and sidewalks.
It was a form of chaos I have never encountered in my short reporting career. I didn’t quite know how to handle the situation, or know how to remain calm. Nobody could tell me how many were injured, so I ran up and down the street trying to count the numbers myself.
The tally: Twenty-five injuries. Nine are injured seriously or critically. Fifteen are children. The woman killed was one of three people in a wagon being pulled by the runaway horses and the wife of the wagon driver.
In addition to steering reporters and photographers, Karina also took her own pictures. She writes:
As much as I tried to get some of my own on-scene photos that would help me report on such a nightmarish event, it was an emotional time that sometimes provoked rage and violent reactions. People told me several times to put my camera away.
I was more fortunate than one of the two TH photographers, who was assaulted by parents and bystanders as he attempted to record the event.
If you read only one story today, folks, make it Karina’s first-person piece.
Find the Telegraph Herald’s main story — and a small photo gallery — here.
The Des Moines Register — the big 151,448-circulation daily over in the middle of the state — led today with a photo of the same clump of people, but shot by Telegraph Herald staffer Mike Burley:
Scary stuff. I’ll never watch a parade again without thinking of this.
The front-page images are from the Newseum.
My daughter writes:
My name is Elizabeth Apple. I’m a 17-year-old rising senior. Tuesday, my mother and I went to see Eclipse, the third movie of the Twilight series.
My dad asked me to write what I hate or like about the following pages.
—
RedEye
Chicago, Ill.
(Free) distribution: 250,000
Elizabeth writes:
What I like about this page is the vampire teeth around the photo of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. It seems appropriate.
—
The Times of Northwest Indiana
Munster, Ind.
Circulation: 83,680
Lead photo: John Luke, staff
Elizabeth writes:
The reason why I like this is because it shows fans waiting for their tickets or waiting for the movie doors to open.
I wonder if their parents know that there are boys there…
—
Akron Beacon Journal
Akron, Ohio
Circulation: 102,981
Local photos: Karen Schiely, staff
Elizabeth writes:
I like this page because it show teens waiting for the movie to start, but also texting while they’re waiting. Make sure you guys turn your cell phones off when the movie starts!
Unless you’re texting Edward or Jacob. That, I can understand.
It also seems like two of the girls are playing a hand game. I wonder: Which game?
—
York Dispatch
York, Pa.
Circulation: 22,280
Lead photo: Amanda Dolasinski, staff (who also wrote the story)
Elizabeth writes:
Here are four girls waiting to see the movie. But the reason why I like it is this: Under the photo, there’s a photo of the new-born vampires.
I wonder if the vampires are related to the girls…
—
Index-Journal
Greenwood, S.C.
Circulation: 14,833
Local photos: T.M. James, staff
Elizabeth writes:
The page isn’t that bad. I like the way it shows the new-born vampires coming out of the water. I also like the way the two girls are sitting on the movie theater floor, waiting for the movie.
It also shows a fan dressed up. She almost looks like a cardboard cutout.
—
Daily Herald
Provo, Utah
Circulation: 30,910
Photos: Kristin Heinichen, staff
Elizabeth writes:
This page is my favorite because I like the way they set up the lines in the picture. But are there two different lines for Team Edward and Team Jacob?
Also, the poles in the background are on their sides. Maybe Edward and Jacob knocked them over while they argued over Bella.
—
Post and Courier
Charleston, S.C.
Circulation: 86,928
Elizabeth writes:
The banner is bad, it’s just, Er… I don’t know how to put it in words. Let’s just say I don’t think teens want to be caught at the movie with their mothers.
Here’s where I remind you that my wife Sharon was indeed the one who took Elizabeth to the movie last night. Elizabeth can hardly complain, though: At least Sharon paid for the tickets.
Elizabeth sighs, though:
I had to buy my own popcorn.
—
Johnson City Press
Johnson City, Tenn.
Circulation: 30,670
Elizabeth writes:
This banner, to me, makes no sense at all. I’ll bet Edward is saying “Don’t get any ideas, Mutt.”
Jacob is saying, “Wait; I wasn’t thinking about that.”
—
Daily Herald
Everett, Wash.
Circulation: 50,272
Elizabeth writes:
The banner seems to be OK, but I really don’t like it. I like the headline because it seems to bring out the movie. But shouldn’t there be at least a photo of Edward and Jacob fighting?
—
Thanks, Elizabeth. I think.
All these pages are from the Newseum, of course.
The Sanford, N.C., Herald published a nice Eclipse front on Tuesday. Find that midway down this post.
And my pals at the Victoria, Texas, Advocate put out a truly cool Eclipse extravaganza last Friday. Read all about that here.