Rough weather across US sesponsible for 17 deaths

17 deaths of Americans have been attributed to the winter storms that recently hit from New England to the Midwest area.  According to ABCNews.com, 12 states have already received over 1 foot of snow, as well as brutal winds and dropping temperatures.  The official start of winter is still 11 days off, but people are still feeling the effects from the recent storms.  46 states were hit by the blizzard conditions, with Wisconsin receiving the most snow at 20 inches.  Most of the deaths were a cause of traffic accidents in poor driving conditions where visibility is rare.

My Take: This story is certainly newsworthy because it has effected the entire nation.  When deaths start to accumulate as a result of the weather, it is definitely news worth reporting.

Anybody now eligible for H1N1 vaccine

New York state has announced today that all citizens are now eligibile to received the H1N1 vaccine, according to Syracuse.com.  Previously, the vaccine was reserved for people with priority, such as women and children.  This has been the case since early October, when the flu hits its peak.  The reasoning behind this new development is a growing supply of vaccines, as well as less demand from those who are considered to have priority.  The state of New York has received over 5 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine.  3 million of those are allocated to areas outside of New York City.

My Take: News of the vaccine become available is important and must be reported because it has been of great debate this winter as to whether the vaccine should be available to more than just children, pregnant women, and the elderly.  It is about time the vaccine becomes available for all.

Fighting Irish nab Cincinnati's Kelly As next coach

Notre Dame fired their much maligned football coach last week after an embarrassing end to the season.  They now have a new coach, as it was announced this evening that Cincinnati's Brian Kelly has earned the job, ESPN.com reports.  Kelly has lead the Bearcats to an undefeated season and a berth in the Sugar Bowl after being denied a chance to play in the national championship.  It has not yet been determined whether Kelly will coach in the bowl game.  Kelly has met with Notre Dame officials throughout the week on the idea of taking the job.  Connecticut's Randy Edsall and Stanford's Jim Harbaugh were also in consideration for the job. 

My Take: Although it does notapply directly to this market, it is still newsworthy because Notre Dame football is considered by many to be America's team in terms of college athletics.  There are Notre Dame fans all over the country, and a new coach is something worth reporting.