Your story ideas!

Jen

#1 Ok, I emailed you the de.lish info I already have. I'd like to pursue that if you green light it. With initial contact established and good rapport in place, I think I could gain more access to her daily routine and build a more intriguing narrative

#2 I copied you on the email I just sent to Latasha looking for Normandy contacts. Plus I have a customer who teaches at the elementary school who might be about to get me in the door somewhere. I would really like to do that story. It's breaking my heart. I saw Bill McClellan's little story about the kids who go to Brentwood now. We need more like that on the front page of the Post!! Geez. So I think especially with the financial collapse so imminent, following a student through that or if they at least get through the end of the year, maybe following them through the college application process. Most apps are due by April 1st (?) so I have A LITTLE time to find a student and follow the action. 

#3 I am stopping by the library today to see if that janitor is there. If he doesn't pan out, any library worker would do. I love the people that work at libraries. They are usually very weird people. The Central library has a host of characters working there -- I photographed some for my photojournalism class last spring. I would write about any of them, or even a few in, like, a mini series kind of thing. 

Amanda

1.  I could interview a Mexican woman, living in America illegally.  She lives her life in a very specific way to not get caught, such as she doesn’t drive a car so she’ll never get pulled over by the police.  I could follow her one day as she takes the bus to work.  I could watch her prep pizzas at Cici’s and ask her about other things she will or won’t do to stay undetected.  I wonder where she buys her groceries, or how she accomplishes other daily life things.  I wonder how she was able to have a baby here in the states.  She’s a single mom, and as an illegal she doesn’t get food stamps or any government aid.  I’d like to know how she compares her difficult life now to her life in Mexico, and if covering her tracks all the time is worth it.  I could interview some other people who know her, to show that she’ s not a bad person just because she’s illegal.  Should I focus on her personal story only or also include any opinions she has on legal or illigal immigration to America?

2.  I could interview a lady who recently started a non-profit for teaching English to Hispanics.  She has taught within the government-run program that American tax dollars pay for, but too often that system fails.  She was kicked out of that program because the students learned more from her than from the way that the program is set up.  Immigrants can also learn English from the International Institute of St. Louis, but that system fails a lot too. She started her own classes that have grown into a non-profit with multiple classes. I would like her to explain why she started doing this on her own instead of through the systems in place and why a lot of immigrants have quit the “system” that our tax dollars pay for, in favor of her non-profit, which is free. I could sit in on some of her classes and describe the fun things they do.  I could sit in on one of her meetings where she is training other teachers.  I could interview a few of the people in her class to get their opinions of the teacher and the class and why they like this class rather than the other programs in St. Louis

3.  There is a tiny Middle Eastern grocery store in South City that I visit occasionally. It is owned by a family from Iraq.  I’ve talked to them a few times, but I haven’t asked them yet if I could interview them.  I’d like to know why they moved to St. Louis to run a tiny grocery store.  Is seems like a difficult and not very profitable business, so I wonder why they decided this is better than living in Iraq.

Jameson

1. Jim Stevens is a jazz musician, who I actually know through auto racing with the Sports Car Club of America. So yeah, he's an interesting guy. Acquaintances are fair game, right?
2. Fred is the security guard at my office. He's super friendly and always has something to say. He's been around forever and probably has some great stories to tell. I don't know this guy at all, but he is technically a co-worker, so I'm not sure that would create a conflict.
3. Sean is another acquaintance, that I used to work with. He is a great leader, and he works at a hotel, and there are always interesting things to observe at hotels.

Joelle

1.       P. J. Hightower – the woman that rescues the dogs in E. St. Louis; hasn’t missed a day since 2001; started feeding the dogs in 1995.

2.       Suzanne Gierer – disabled two years ago following a massive stroke; unable to speak or walk; cared for at home by her 11 grown children.

3.       Stephanie Melliere – veterinarian for large and small animals; makes house calls for horses, donkeys, goats and other large animals.

4.       Mysterious guy that stands on the side of the highway in Waterloo with a cross, waving to motorists.  I once saw him walking down the side of the road carrying the cross on his back.  This story being written depends on seeing him and also timing (I usually see him on the way to work).