Oakwood Arson/Kellner 1

FIRE DESTROYS OAKWOOD DUPLEX

By Jamie Kellner








KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- A suspected arson that started at 2 a.m. destroyed the duplex at 1275 Monroe St. causing the death of a child and $250,000 worth of damage, according to fire officials. Firefighters from companies two and four responded within five minutes of being called to find that most of the tenants were out of the building. Three children were still inside on the second floor and were rescued by Samuel Walshe of Company 4 and James O’Brian of Company 2.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but fire officials have said that arson is suspected and an accelerant was found at the scene. Vincent DeNofrio, 33, of Mattawan, and a juvenile also from Mattawan were seen running from the building with an unidentified canister around midnight according to police. Police believe there is a connection between DeNofrio and Marie Blanchard, the apparent target of the fire whose children were rescued by firefighters.
“There is a definite nexus between Vincent DeNofrio, Marie Blanchard, and the fire,” said Lt. Regina Santarpio of the Kalamazoo Police Department.
The three children, Tiffany, Tory, and Terry Blanchard were taken to Bronson Memorial Hospital and admitted to the emergency room at 3:12 a.m. Tiffany succumbed to smoke inhalation and was pronounced dead at 3:57. Her brothers were released to their mother’s custody at 10 a.m. this morning having been treated for minor injuries.

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Narrative Story

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/nyregion/04twins.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin

From the Sunday New York Times, this is a story about two conjoined twins, Carl and Clarence Aguirre, who went through separation surgery but still aren't doing well a few years later.

The writer begins by talking about how their separation was filmed (I myself saw it on Discovery Health) and how most people would expect them to do well after their surgery goes as well as it did. The next few paragraphs quickly segue into all of the various problems facing the twins and their mother. I like how the writer did this because it manages to get you into the meat of the story quickly, but without bashing you over the head with the bad news.

The story continues in this vein for a while, talking about financial concerns and upcoming surgeries, noting that the boys' mother is not allowed to work as she is a visitor from the Phillipines supported by charity. What's interesting is that the story doesn't usually find some silver lining at the end like you (or maybe its just me) would expect a story like this too. Of course, this family lives in the New York area and it may be that they're trying to use this story as a way of bolstering donations, so a silver lining wouldn't be extremely helpful.