Lead exercise

LEAD EXERCISES

Write leads for the following. Assume the story will appear online today or in tomorrow’s The West Lafayette Herald. After each lead explain why you chose to emphasize the who, what, when, where, why or how:

1. Stephanie Jones, 19, is a Purdue University student. She was in a two-car accident today. Jones was driving north on State Street and Bob Reynolds was traveling east on Northwestern Avenue. He was driving a snowplow. Jones’ car, a 1998 Chrysler Cirrus, was struck by the snowplow in the driver’s side. Jones was killed. Reynolds was not seriously injured. West Lafayette Police Sgt. Ima Copp said Jones slid through a red light on the icy roads. Traffic was tied up on State Street and Northwestern Avenue at the busy intersection by Harry’s Chocolate Shoppe for approximately 90 minutes because of the accident, turning the area around Purdue Village into a virtual parking lot.

2. The city of West Lafayette wants to cut down on car-pedestrian accidents. These are most common around Purdue’s campus. Each year, there are at least 15 auto-pedestrian incidents in the city. So the West Lafayette City Traffic Commission unanimously approved a $25,000 project. According to city engineer Dave Buck, the changes will be made at the intersections of Columbia Street and Northwestern Avenue, Grant Street and North Street, and on Russell Street at First, Third and Fourth streets. The money is for five new crosswalks. A study was done to determine where to place the crosswalks by the City Transportation Department.

3. Stephanie Jones, 19, is a Purdue University student. She was in a two-car accident today. Jones was driving north on State Street and Bob Reynolds was traveling east on Northwestern Avenue. His pickup truck hit her rear bumper of her 1988 Toyota Corolla. Nobody was hurt. West Lafayette Police Sgt. Ima Copp said Jones slid through a red light on the rainy roads. Traffic was tied up on State Street and Northwestern Avenue at the busy intersection by Harry’s Chocolate Shoppe for approximately three hours because of the accident. That left traffic in the busy area going nowhere. It was at a standstill.

4. There was a fire today at a popular pizza restaurant. It is located at 356 Main St. in West Lafayette. The name is Sam’s Pizza. It was a favorite hangout of Purdue students. The cause was electrical. Damage to the inside of the restaurant was limited to the kitchen area. Some smoke and water damage. Nobody was hurt. The fire occurred at 8 a.m., before the restaurant opened. Owner Sam Smith said the restaurant will be closed for 5 days for cleanup.