Phillip Macri

I plan on doing my web biography on Phillip Macri. Phillip is a resident of my hometown, New Castle, PA. He was a multi-sport star (baseball, basketball, track) for New Castle High School in the mid 1980's. During the summer of 1987, while in Virginia Beach, VA, his life changed forever. It was the summer before his senior year and he was down there participating in a softball tournament. While at the beach, he dove into a wave, got flipped upside down, and hit his head on the bottom of the ocean. He broke his neck and was immediately paralyzed, and would have lost his life if not for a complete stranger who pulled him out of the water. Even though he was now confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, he didn't let this incident ruin his life. After his stay in the hospital, he returned to school and graduated, got a college degree, and now owns his own sporting goods store in New Castle. He has overcome a lot of tragedy in his life to become a successful businessman and successful member of the community.

SRU Flute Ensemble

Flute Ensemble Shines at Swope

On Saturday, November 21, 2015, I attended the Flute Ensemble at Swope Music Hall at Slippery Rock University. They played a variety of types of music, including a Christmas carol ("In the Bleak Midwinter") and a Japanese folk song ("Itsuki-no-Komori-uta"). They are under the direction of Dr. Cassandra Eisenreich, who has performed with various groups and artists all over the country. The Ensemble has also been invited to play all over the country. Last week's concert also featured three members of the SRU Dance Department, led by Ursula Payne. The Ensemble featured solos by the four seniors in the group. They did an excellent job and was well worth seeing.

Flute ensemble

For my next project in New Media Journalism, I plan on covering the Slippery Rock University flute ensemble concert. The flute ensemble is a collection of about thirteen flute players from Slippery Rock University. They are directed by Dr. Cassandra Eisenreich, who has performed regularly with the Florida Grand Opera and Florida Sunshine Pops, as well as numerous top artists such as George Benson and Pharrell Williams. They are performing on Saturday, November 21, 2015 in Swope Music Hall at 7:30 pm. The Department of Dance is also joining in on this performance. The ensemble has made a pretty good name for itself in recent years. They have frequently travelled to attend the National Flute Association Convention, and have been invited to perform in this associations conventions in Kansas City, Columbus, and Pittsburgh, as well as numerous state conferences. This is newsworthy for SRU students because it is a group made up of Slippery Rock University students. I plan on getting an interview with Dr. Eisenreich to talk about the ensemble.

Inmetco fire

ELLWOOD CITY, PA, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 11:45 AM---On Sunday, November 8, 2015, shortly before 9:00 in the morning, the city of Ellwood City, PA became engulfed in smoke. The International Metals Reclamation Company, Inc. (INMETCO) plant went up in flames, as firefighters from several different areas battled to contain the fire. According to INMETCO's website, the company is "a leading recycler of metal-bearing wastes in North America" that recycles "thousands of tons of nickel, chromium, iron, molybdenum and cadmium bearing wastes annually."

According to WPXI.com, the fire began in an area of the plant where there was lithium, liquid cadmium, and lead acid. It was contained around 10:40 am, but rekindled around 8:30 pm, when crews were called back out to extinguish the fire again. The building was destroyed.

WPXI.com reported that four fire fighters suffered chemical burns to their hands, according to the fire chief. Two of them were treated and returned to the fire scene, while the other two remained hospitalized, but are not seriously injured.

Smoke could be seen in the sky for miles around on Sunday morning. Medical officials said that there is no public health hazard and no evacuations are needed at this time. However, nearby residents are asked to stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed until the smoke clears.

Even though I missed the actual fire, I believe that this still qualifies as a breaking news story. I was there about 27 hours after the fire began and smoke was still billowing above the plant. The smell of smoke was in the air for miles even before I got to the site. I was not able to get very close to the actual plant, so all of my videos and photos are a little distance away. I stood at the entrance of the parking lot leading to the plant. The reason that I couldn't get much closer was that the whole complex had a chain link fence surrounding it that had barbed wire at the top to prevent people from climbing the fence. It was sort of like a prison, except instead of keeping people in, they want to keep people out.

When I was there, a news crew from WBKN in Youngstown was also there filming. This continues to be a breaking news story, because the threat may not be over. Just like the fire rekindled hours after it was contained, as long as it is still smoking, the possibility remains that the same thing could happen again. And with the potentially dangerous chemicals located in the plant, public safety continues to be a concern.

INMETCO recycling plant in Ellwood City, PA

Smoke still billows above the recycling plant more than 24 hours after the fire

    

The fence that surround INMETCO
 

https://ph