Every Friday, the Fives takes a look at the week that was.
In a week of some pretty compelling news, there was no doubt what dominated traffic counts at the www.rapidcityjournal.com. That girl next store turned professional athlete and WNBA star Becky Hammon's surprise announcement that she would play basketball for Russia in the upcoming Beijing Olympics.
We'll also take a look at the top videos, the top polls and an editor's pick or two of things you might have missed at www.rapidcityjournal.com.
Top Five Stories
No. 1 Becky Hammon opts to play for Russia
OK, so the headline was a little misleading as Hammon's "options" were to play Olympic basketball in Russia or watch the Olympics from her couch, but it's rare that a story rises so quickly out of nowhere such as this one.
Especially considering that it was an AP story that was available for all to see. However, here in Hammon's hometown, it drew far more attention that most other Web sites.
No. 2 Hammon defends decision to play for Russia in the Olympics
It was obvious after a day under seige at Rapid Reply central here (the story has 222 comments now, but most were filed in the first six hours after the story hit the Web) and national exposure on ESPN, Hammon's decision might not sit well with some.
Sports reporter Jeff Budlong got an opportunity on Wednesday afternoon to talk to the former Rapid City Stevens standout about her decision, and it was a great follow.
As a side note, I hopped the Hammon bandwagon with an all-Hammon "The Fives" on Thursday. I didn't end up in the top five most read, but it was worth a try.
No. 3 Tribal police chief resigns
The fallout of non-commissioned officers' cases getting thrown out by the Rosebud Sioux Tribal judges continued as police chief Charles Red Crow resigned last Friday.
A whopping 290 cases have been dismissed so far in tribal court, most involving offenses such as driving under the influence and possession of a controlled substance. Tribal officials say none of the cases involved victims.
Don't expect this story to go away anytime soon. One thing about stories involving tribal government - they tend to stick around.
No. 4 Police: Man aimed bow and arrow at cars
Bizarre. Nothing gets people reading like news of the wierd, and this fit the bill.
According to police report, an intoxicated Loren Two Bulls on Monday walked to the center of East Boulevard North and began taking aim at passing motorists with a bow and arrow.
Nobody was injured in the incident. Two Bulls has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of misdemeanor theft or mislaid property.
You see, the bow and arrow weren't even his, apprently.
No. 5 Jurors wait for dead defendant in drug trial
Accident stories often get strong traffic at www.rapidcityjournal.com, but this one got a little extra lift when it turns out one of the victims in a two-fatality, one-car accident east of Newell, was supposed to be in court Wednesday for a drug trial.
Jurors, attorneys and judges waited for Kevin Olmsted to arrive, but he never arrived.
One Rapid Replier summed it up:
Average Jane wrote on Apr 10, 2008 11:13 AM:
" I was a potential juror yesterday…I took the time out of my daily duties to go and do my part in society….I felt soooo bad for this man and for his family. I didnt think about myself nor the state $, the taxpayers, nothing like that…Just "poor guy". In my opinion he is innocent until proven guily. Now God will decide..not you or me…I will keep him and his family in my prayers… "
Top Five Videos
1. 8 Teens Arrested in Taped Beating
Eke! This story is one of the most disturbing caught on camera, but people didn't seem to be able to turn away.
2. Baby With 2 Faces Born in North India
This one is also a little disturbing. At least this little one will be treated well, as her community considers her a goddess.
Now, on to some good news. Nothing warms the heart of a print journalist than a story about kids reading literally thousands of books. Of course, the reward is what attracted all the viewers.
My only question is, if a video about readers is more popular than the written story, what does that mean?
4. Spring Snowstorm Wreaks Havoc in the Plains
Rule No. 1 about story selection - weather sells. Well, especially this time of year when anything can happen. This story wasn't local (although it did speak to us regionally), but viewers checked in anyway.
OK, this one may have been a bit misleading, but it was completely unintentional. Videographer Tim Appel was out in the field shooting video for our own weather update and he came upon this two-car accident.
Appel got the info and turned it into a short - very short - video, and it got a surprising number of views. All we can figure is, we don't generally chase accidents, so viewers must have thought it was going to be a doozy.
We'll try to be a little more selective in the future.
Best Rapid Reply of the Week:
On one of the two Becky Hammon stories:
CHUCK J on 04/10/2008 07:43:57 said:
"JEEEEZ PEOPLE! IT'S NOT AS IF SHE PERFORMED AN ABORTION ON A MOUNTAIN LION ON TOP OF MT. RUSHMORE WHILE BURNING AN AMERICAN FLAG. IT'S JUST BASKETBALL. GET OVER IT!"
Most popular poll of the week:
Why don't you drive a hybrid car?
Too expensive
1487 Votes, 60%
Too small
407 Votes, 16%
Too ugly
224 Votes, 9%
Too liberal
381 Votes, 15
Editor's pick
I'm not one who usually hands out shameless plugs, but I'm going against my long-standing practice to give proper credit to our online products team of Chris Donohue and Eric Remboldt for the exceptional work they did on Black Hills Discovered.
They've totally revamped the site to be visitor friendly and offer more of what visitors to our area are looking for. Hey, it ain't news, but it isn't hard on the eyes, either.
And it has a bunch of really cool features, including some great photo galleries and more.
Check it out at http://www.blackhillsdiscovered.com.
Editor's pick No. 2
Ok, this isn't the most enthralling storm video shot this week, but it is by far my favorite.
Why? It's simple.
I lived in Duluth as a boy and spent most of my grade school and junior high days in the frigid city at the far western point of Lake Superior.
This video does two things for me. It gives me fond memories of my boyhood, walking down to Park Point and the lift bridge. And, it reminds me why I'll always be a visitor to one of the top five coldest spots in the continental U.S.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
