• The reporters in our Interactive Fundamentals sections fanned out around the city, Flip Video cameras in hand, and asked dozens of New Yorkers: “Tell us one way the recession has changed your life.” The results of the video vox pop are plotted out on a Google map. The hits already are starting to roll in, through both the News Service site and YouTube. Thanks to all the reporters and professors involved. Special shoutouts are due to Drew Geraets, Collin Orcutt and Kristen Joy Watts who made the map presentation come to life.
• Kieran Meadows spent his summer as a Carnegie Fellow with the Brian Ross Investigative Unit at ABC. The piece he worked on – a “Harvest of Shame”-style expose of the use of children as fruit pickers – hit the ABC trifecta last week, with segments on “Good Morning America,” “World News with Charlie Gibson” and “Nightline.” ABCnews.com also ran a print story – co-written by Angela Hill (’07), our first Carnegie Fellow. It looks like the Ross story already is having an impact.
• Joel Schectman’s report about fears that U.S. satellites might be vulnerable to attack made BusinessWeek.
• Joe Walker broke into The New York Times’ Metro section with his story about a developer who was barred from selling apartments in New York State. Mike Reicher, meanwhile, wrote a piece for The Times’ City Room blog about a U.N. investigation of New York’s affordable housing situation. David Montalvo, writing for the New Jersey branch of The Local, profiled a Millburn township committee candidate, while Lois DeSocio wrote about new lacrosse nets for Memorial Park.
• Page 18 of last Monday’s Daily News was a J-School affair. Maria Clark, Mark Morales and Kate Nocera’s bylines popped up on different stories.
• Sergey Kadinsky wrote about the New Jersey gubernatorial race for CBSNews.com.
• Alana Rigal’s video piece about offbeat mayoral candidates made the News Service. It’s a version of a longer story she did for “219 West,” which now can be found online.
• In you missed last week’s live webcast of “The Aerial View,” produced by Mark Morales, Rachel Senatore and Jessica Simeone, no worries: you can catch the show here.
• How’s this for J-School teamwork: Nicholas Martinez’ feature about “pink-slip parties” included additional reporting by Aaron Adler, Aashish Jethra, Erin McCarthy. The story made am New York.
• Janet Lawrence’s profile of a maintenance worker at the Paramount Plaza is featured in Our Town.
• Emily Feldman wrote a story for NBC Local Integrated Media about three Harlem restaurants offering an unusual special: free round-trip car service rides.  Maya Pope-Chappell, meanwhile, wrote about two young brothers who gave their World Series tickets to charity.

Congrats to all – and keep ‘em coming!

Meanwhile, here are some more fruits of your summer labors – appropriate reading/viewing for Labor Day Weekend:

• Sandra Roa contributed a two-part multi-media series to The New York Times’ Lens blog about photographers who chronicled upheaval in South Africa during the 1990s. You’ll find Part One here and Part Two here.
• Speaking of The Times, Lois DeSocio wrote a three-part series for The Local’s New Jersey edition about the fate of a prime piece of property in South Orange. Mike Reicher, meanwhile, contributed a video and print package to The Local’s Brooklyn edition about who hang out at a Fort Greene bar.
• Jackie Linge interviewed filmmaker Barbara Kopple, whose latest project, a Woodstock documentary, recently aired. Check out Jackie’s multi-media report for Salon.
• Rima Abdelkader helped put together this CNN podcast about Iraqi refugees in the U.S.
• Michael Preston weighed in on the healthcare debate for True/Slant.
• Joel Schectman’s article about low-tech hackers made BusinessWeek, and he was interviewed about the story for the magazine’s website.
• Jessica Simeone contributed to the New York Post’s coverage of DJ AM’s death.
• Jenni Avins wrote about a (Mom-and-)Pop Art installation atop an Elizabeth Street roof for Dossier.
• Kate Zhao’s piece about an influx of tourists to Taiwan from mainland China made The Wall Street Journal.
• Karina Ioffee wrote a story for the AP about officers being pushed out of the Russian Army.
• Check out the latest issue of Insight, the arts magazine edited by Maya Pope-Chappell.
• Emily Feldman wrote a piece for NBC Local Integrated Media about the tell-all book by Bernie Madoff’s alleged former mistress.
• Mark Morales shared the byline on this Daily News story about an arrest in the slaying of a livery driver.
• A picture of a subway musician snapped by Ben Fractenberg made the Queens Chronicle.
• The latest issue of The Hunts Point Express is out, and includes Maria Clark’s story about the slow start of much-needed repairs to a local housing complex. Jeanmarie Evelly wrote about a green-thumbed local teen who got an invite to Michelle Obama’s White House garden. Alum Joe Hirsch (’07) covered an event honoring folk legend Pete Seeger.

Also in our alumni corner, Linnea Covington (’08) wrote a story for New York Press about a Brooklyn business that offers a strange combination of goods: tombstones and bread.

To the Class of ’09, welcome back and well done on a great summer. To the Class of ’10, welcome – and well done on your first week of classes.

Please feel to send me links to your work as you start amassing clips.

So congrats to all on the stories – and keep ‘em coming!

• The new edition of Mott Haven Herald is on the streets – and on-line. The issue features contributions from Sarah Trefethen (on the proposed South Bronx Greenway), Lindsay Lazarski (on a rat problem at a senior citizens complex), Jeanmarie Evelly (on a public art project involving trees – and stories), and Maria Clark (on the closing of a senior citizens service center).
• Joe Hirsch (’07), the paper’s community editor, wrote about a march to denounce gun violence (Maria contributed an audio slideshow). Incoming student Azriel James Relph (’10) wrote about artists’ fears of being forced out by rising rents.
• Geneva Sands-Sadowitz worked on this Nightline Twittercast web show about the swine flu.
• Valerie Lapinski interviewed Buzz Aldrin for this Time.com video pegged to the 40^th anniversary of the moon landing.
• Speaking of space travel, Joel Schectman wrote this article for BusinessWeek about NASA considering hiring private contractors to take on some key duties.
• Jenni Avins wrote a piece for Saveur about hamburgers that are worth a trip.
• Alana Rigal put together the slideshow for this WNYC post about Albany’s so-called Four Amigos.
• Nicholas Martinez worked on this NBC News story about Paul McCartney.
• Karina Ioffee wrote an article for the AP about the Russian government telling postal officials that cops are allowed to open private mail.
• Kate Nocera shared a piece of Page 1 and the byline with this Daily News story about a cop wounded in the line of duty.
• Xiomara Martinez-White wrote about the viral “JK Wedding Entrance Dance” video for People.com.
• Jessica Simeone, covering the Astor trial for the New York Post, wrote about disputes over money and marbles.
• Emily Feldman penned a piece about oddball jail mates Phil Spector and Charles Manson for NBC Local Integrated Media. Meanwhile, Mark Morales wrote about a report that Walter Cronkrite was floated as a possible running mate for George McGovern in 1972.
• Damiano Beltrami, who is working in Jordan, filed a long distance post for The Local, following up on a story he broke before the summer. Jim Flood wrote about the opening of a much-needed bank. Mike Reicher, along with Sandra Roa and others, led a three-day journalism training session for high schoolers in Ft. Greene, as Kristen Joy Watts wrapped up her photography training for middle schoolers. Meanwhile, a montage of some of the pictures and video captured by the high schoolers Lois DeSocio worked with in New Jersey can be found here.

In our alumni corner, Kate Pastor wrote an article for The Riverdale Press about the family that started the now-embattled Stella D’oro cookie company.

Congrats to all – and keep ‘em coming.

our

• Kate Nocera notched shared bylines on front-page Daily News stories two days in a row – including this piece about Walter Cronkite.
• Sergey Kadinsky worked on this NY1 story about an online job search site.
• Maria Clark profiled a doctor who opened a pioneering South Bronx health clinic and is now, at 80, trying to establish a charter school specializing in health care. You’ll find the story in The Hunts Point Express.
• Sandra Roa helped put together this NYTimes.com video about the uncovering of streams in Seoul.
• Xiomara Martinez-White wrote about the ongoing Michael Jackson saga for People.com.
• Emily Feldman also worked on a Jackson piece for NBC Local Integrated Media. Mark Morales, meanwhile, wrote about “prison coaches” hired by white-collar criminals.
• Jessica Simeone helped cover the Astor trial for the New York Post.
• Karina Ioffee wrote about the Jewish community in Russia for The Huffington Post.
• Nicholas Martinez contributed to NBC’s story about the appointment of Dr. Regina Benjamin as surgeon general.
• Kristen Joy Watts ran photo training sessions for middle schoolers as part of her duties for The Local, and produced an audio slideshow for The Times’ Lens blog. Lois DeSocio, meanwhile, mounted journalism training for high schoolers in New Jersey. Jim Flood is working on what could become a great collaborative journalism project: hunting down the story on an abandoned church.
• Kate Zhao wrote an article for the Dow Jones Newswire about the money to be made managing companies’ efforts to reduce carbon footprints.

In our alumni corner, Mathew Warren shared the byline on The News York Times’ lead story last Monday about racial disparities in unemployment figures in the city.

Congrats to all – and keep ‘em coming.

• Karina Ioffee, working out of AP’s Moscow bureau, shared a byline on this story about President Obama’s recent visit to Russia.
• Nicholas Martinez help pull together a segment on Levi Johnston for the Today show.
• Speaking of Sarah Palin (and NBC), Emily Feldman wrote this piece for NBC Local Integrated Media about the soon-to-be ex-governor’s plans. Mark Morales, meanwhile, contributed this story to NBC LIM about the censoring of South Park in Russia.
• Carla Murphy’s article about an exhibit of photos showing American music greats abroad during the Cold War-era Jazz Ambassadors program made The Christian Science Monitor.
• Kate Zhao’s story about how the baby clothing business is doing well amid the recession can be found on the Wall Street Journal’s website.
• Rima Abdelkader helped produce this video about the death of former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara for Al Jazeera.
• Ben Fractenberg’s slideshow about South Africans settling in Israel can be found on Haaretz’s website.
• Mirva Lempiainen covered a UN panel on the recession and gender equality for UNA-USA’s World Bulletin. Sarah Trefethen, meanwhile, wrote a piece for the World Bulletin about a worldwide poll in which UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon placed second in popularity to President Obama.
• Sergey Kadinsky’s photo essay showing College Point’s waterfront was featured on the Forgotten New York website.
• Jessica Simeone shared a byline on this New York Post exclusive about spending by City Council members.
• Damiano Beltrami’s article about how learning Spanish is becoming popular in Jordan made The Jordan Times.
• Joel Schectman’s story about a call for changes at NASA is featured on BusinessWeek’s website.
• Jeanmarie Evelly reports that St. Barnabas Hospital has halted plans to construct a health center, citing the economy. You’ll find her story in the Mount Hope Monitor.
• Heather Chin shared a byline on this Philadelphia Inquirer story about the debate over expanding state-sponsored health insurance in Pennsylvania.
• Our Local team has been busy: Kristen Joy Watts began training area kids in photography last week and contributed a photo herself to this piece. Mike Reicher put out a call for historic photos of Fort Greene in this post. Jim Flood showed the value of follow up in this story about the ongoing Myrtle Avenue building collapse saga. Lois DeSocio helped put together this well-knit slideshow for the New Jersey edition of The Local.

In our alumni corner, Henry Stewart’s capstone piece about eco-friendly burials made The L Magazine’s website. Linnea Covington’s interview with writer Neil Gaiman and musician Amanda Palmer was featured in New York Press.

Congrats to all – and keep ‘em coming!

• Kate Zhao’s article about an increase in counterfeit coupons made The Wall Street Journal.
• Keeping in the holiday spirit – and in the spirit of J-School teamwork – Alana Rigal and Rachel Senatore combined efforts on this multi-media preview of the annual Nathan’s hot dog eating contest.
• Speaking of holiday stories: Emily Feldman wrote a piece for NBC Local Integrated Media about the discovery of an early printing of the Declaration of Independence – it was found in the National Archives in London. Keeping with the amazing-finds theme, Mark Morales wrote about an “Antiques Roadshow” discovery: a carved jade piece worth an estimated $1.7 million.
• Veterans of the 1969 Stonewall Riots offer reminiscences in this video Jackie Linge produced for Salon.com.
• Jim Flood also put together a video pegged to the Stonewall anniversary for The Local, interviewing two longtime Clinton Hill residents about how life has changed over the last 40 years. Lois DeSocio put out the call for participants in an upcoming journalism workshop for students in North Jersey, a key part of our Local mission. Kristen Joy Watts and Mike Reicher are mounting similar efforts in Brooklyn. Stay tuned for more details.
• Joe Walker wrote a piece for City Hall about a documentary chronicling the unsuccessful attempt to unseat Shelly Silver.
• Heather Chin wrote an article for the Philadelphia Inquirer about a mentoring program that pairs students with health care professionals.
• Igor Kossov’s story about Ecuadorean immigrants who are returning home because of economic woes in New York made The Queens Courier.
• Damiano Beltrami shared a byline on a story about teenage drinking in Jordan for the Jordan Times.
• Marcella Veneziale reviewed a book about a young mom’s battle with the bottle for Parenting.com.
• Rima Abdelkader helped produce this walkup video to the Bernie Madoff sentencing for Al Jazeera.
• Mike Reicher wrote about opposition to plans to add an intake center for homeless men to the shelter in the Bedford-Atlantic Armory in Crown Heights. You’ll find his story in City Limits.
• Joel Schectman produced a video and wrote an accompanying print piece for BusinessWeek about a new iPhone and BlackBerry app that’s an English-Arabic translator.
• Jessica Simeone wrote a story for the New York Post about a proposal to use GPS technology to track alleged stalkers.

Congrats to all – and keep ‘em coming!

• Ben Fractenberg put together this video about Sudanese refugees in Tel Aviv for Haaretz.
• Our reporters turned out two stories about Iran and social networking: a BusinessWeek.com print piece by Joel Schectman and a video Rima Abdelkader worked on for Al Jazeera.
• Sandra Roa co-produced a couple of videos for the New York Times’ Vows page, including this story of a young couple setup via including this story of a young couple setup via Blackberry.
• Jenni Avins wrote a piece for Saveur about the legacy of food writer Craig Claiborne.
• Kate Zhao has been busy at Dow Jones. This piece about Proctor & Gamble getting into the online soap opera game in China is just one example of her work.
• Jessica Simeone continues to pump out the stories at the New York Post, including this Page 3 piece on road rage.
• Anastasia Economides also has been working under a daily deadline, contributing to multiple stories for am New York, including this article about subway trash.
• Emily Feldman wrote a piece for NBC Local Integrated about how Tiger Woods is laughing off drunken hecklers at the U.S. Open. Mark Morales wrote for NBC about how sharks are the newest cocaine-smuggling mules.
• How’s this for J-School teamwork: Kristen Joy Watts co-produced this audio slideshow about the golf course at Bethpage State Park – home to the U.S. Open – with Leslie Ann Caraballo (Class of ’07) for the New York Times’ Lens blog.
• Kristen and other members of our Local team offered posts last week on an important part of our mission: community training. Kristen is collecting used digital cameras so she can train middle schoolers in photography. Mike Reicher and Lois DeSocio are putting together training efforts for high schoolers. Meanwhile, Jim Flood is up to his ankles in rats. He’s hoping to use his story to kick off a collaborative reporting project.

In our alumni corner, Jessica Firger (’09) is reporting for www.oyster.com, a new travel planning website that just went live over the weekend. Check it out as you make your (late) summer vacation plans.

Thanks to everyone who sent us urls to portfolio sites/resumes so we can start linking them to News Service bylines. If you haven’t already, take a moment to go here and send us your url.

Congrats to all on another productive week – and keep those links coming!

• Jessica Simeone shared a byline on this New York Post piece about a mom-to-be riding the R local when her baby decided to go express.
• Speaking of trains… Jackie Linge put together this fun video compilation of cinematic subway moments for Salon. It’s pegged to the new remake of “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.”
• More train news: Lois DeSocio contributed a story and short video to the New Jersey branch of The Local about the groundbreaking for the planned new tube under the Hudson. Jim Flood reported for the Fort Greene edition about a new flower shop, and Kristen Joy Watts snapped the picture that appears with this post about a Local meetup.
• Marcella Veneziale and Sophia Tewa teamed on this News Service video about students doing volunteer work. It packages nicely with a print piece by Sophia, which, as noted last week, made the Daily News.
• Sandra Roa co-produced a knockout video for nytimes.com about how to choose boxing gloves.
• If you missed the Independent Sources broadcast featuring Rima Abdelkader’s video about an Iraqi translator caught between two worlds, you can check it out here, about 20 minutes into the June 10 edition. The story also is on the News Service.
• Ben Fractenberg’s 219 Magazine humor piece about Twittering through history made the Huffington Post.
• Joel Schectman shared the byline on this BusinessWeek.com story about whether Palm’s Pre is living up to the hype.
• Karina Ioffee penned this article for the Daily News about teenagers competing against older folks for jobs.
• Mark Morales wrote about a dog named Jeter (not a goat named Castillo) for NBC Local Integrated Media. Emily Feldman, meanwhile, wrote about a smart teenager who put her doctors to shame.

In our Alumni Corner, Rosaleen Ortiz put together an out-of-this-world audio slideshow for ieee spectrum.

Congrats to all – and keep ‘em coming!

Our News Service was busy this week:

• Joe Walker put together a story and audio slideshow about the recent Building Green Expo.
• Maybe the Yankees’ recent woes can be attributed to karma. Maya Pope-Chappell, Lois DeSocio, Alex Green IV, Nicholas C. Martinez and Rachel Senatore teamed to assemble this multimedia package on how high school ballplayers displaced by the Bombers’ new stadium are still looking for a new home.
• Robert Voris wrote about plans for an 18-story condo that would give DUMBO a free middle school, but potentially block views of the Brooklyn Bridge.
• Sophia Tewa’s video report on asthma in East Harlem packaged well with Aisha Al-Muslim’s print story, which, as noted previously, made the Daily News.

In our alumni corner, Claudia Cruz found a local angle on Chrysler’s restructuring for the Queens Courier.

Congrats to all – and keep ‘em coming!

• The Mott Haven Herald, our latest effort to cover to journalistically underserved neighborhoods, is off to a strong start. Prof. Stein’s staffers, among them Maria Clark, Lindsay Lazarski and Caroline Linton, contributed to the first wave of articles.
• Our other local news venture, The Local, features contributions this week from Kristen Joy Watts (a fun photo) and Mary Stachyra (a piece about a Public Advocate candidates’ forum).
• Marcella Veneziale and Jeanmarie Evelly teamed to report on how pension changes could spur an exodus of nurses. Their story was featured in City Limits.
• In another sign of J-School teamwork, students from Prof. Mifflin’s class – including Nicholas Martinez, Amber Benham, Marcella Veneziale, Collin Orcutt, Maya Pope-Chappell, Kaili Boyd, Xiomara Martinez-White, Lois DeSocio, and Sergey Kadinsky — offered photos and stories about artists working out of Smack Mellon gallery in DUMBO. Their story made the News Service.
• Speaking of our News Service, Robert Voris’ piece about artificial turf wars in city parks was posted this past week.
• Sergey Kadinksy’s account of the impending demise of the Soho DKNY advertisement mural, which started as a local bane and became an icon of the changing neighborhood, was featured in AMNew York.
• Igor Kossov’s article about how merchants along Kings Highway are trying to beat the recession made the Brooklyn Eagle.
• Meanwhile, Tim Persinko’s piece about merchants’ struggles along Brooklyn’s Avenue U found a home in the Daily News.
• Joel Schectman shared the byline on this Daily News story about the murder of a family man in Brooklyn.
• Maria Clark shared a Daily News byline with J-School alum Barry Paddock on another sad murder story.

Congrats to all – and keep ‘em coming!