To The Others

            I was raised very conservatively, raised to believe in working hard for what you get and that nothing in life is given to us for free.

            At 16, I got my first job at Edible Arrangements and from then on I’ve held a job ever since.

            Now, at 23-years-old, I hold down 4 different jobs as I finish out my college education. I still hold some of the values that I was raised with, but over the years I’ve developed my own thoughts and opinions that are neither strictly conservative nor liberal.

            I would call myself a feminist because I believe women are equal to men and should have the same rights that everyone else has, believe in standing up and making our voice heard and I will always be thankful for the women who fought so hard to get us to where we are today.

I consider myself to be a strong, independent woman who is self-sufficient – a woman with goals for the future – and one goal is to someday be a wife and mother.

            Lately, the word “feminist” has become skewed. I have felt many a time degraded, by other women, when I tell them that I WANT to get married and have a family one-day.

            I’m not striving to be June Cleaver by any means (although I do love to wear dresses and pearls from time-to-time;) I won’t be sitting at home with the kids all day, waiting until my husband comes home to serve him dinner.

            However, the idea of waking up next to the man I love every day and one day creating a life that has my eyes and his nose makes my heart flutter.

            I also dream of traveling the world and soaking up all the culture I can in one lifetime, I dream of having my own photography studio and freelancing with photography for magazines and papers. I have dreams, goals and aspirations – and yes, being a wife is one of them.

            Being a feminist means many things for many different women. For some, it’s actively fighting for rights, or going after your dreams and achieving them because you have the freedom to do so, or maybe for others it’s raising a son to believe that women are to be treated as equals and with respect or a teaching a daughter to grow up realizing she can do whatever it is she sets her mind to.

            So, here’s to the others: to the feminists who feel like their voice isn’t heard because your opinions may differ, to those who make a difference in their own way. The war is not over, but we’ve come a long way and will continue.

Final Story Progress

Since the final story is right around the corner, here's a short update on my progress.

So far I have had an interview with Marshall University's interim president, Gary White, that went very well. The interview lasted about 20 minutes and I left feeling like I had good material to work with. I'm going to contact student body president Duncan Waughaman as well as former interim president Alan Gould about setting up interviews this week or next week to finish my story. 

Stay tuned. :)

Consumer Fraud

04/06/15

JMC 414

Consumer Fraud, ch. 9

Since chapter 9 focuses on consumer fraud and ways to deal with being a victim of this matter, we shared personal experiences of our own during class.

The one instance I can think of where I was subjected to consumer fraud was when I was around 16-years-old.

Since I had an after-school job, I had a debit card where I kept some of my money from paychecks so I could order things online. Well, one morning while I was at home I saw a commercial for a 10-minute palates workout DVD that was supposed to tone your abs in about 7 weeks.

Of course I decided the best decision would be to order this for $19.95 + shipping & handling, so I did. The DVD came and I started using it every day (which, obviously being a 10-minute a day "workout" did not actually tone my abs.)

A little over a month after I received the DVD and was charged the $19.95 + shipping & handling to my account, I received another statement from the bank telling me my account had been overdrawn. I checked into it and saw that the company whom I had ordered the DVD from continued to charge me another amount the following month, but this time the charge was double. They charged me one more time after that before I was able to get it cancelled.

Apparently, when ordering the DVD you automatically sign up as a member and are charged monthly fees. However, the infomercial did not make this clear and neither did the website during the time of purchase.

I never received my money back, but I did learn not to trust any sale without reading the fine print first.

If I had known what I know now, I would have reported them to the Better Business Bureau as well as fought harder to get my money back.

City Council Meeting, 03/23/15

The Huntington City Council came together Monday and approved the budget for the city for the fiscal year of 2015-2016.

According to Mayor Steve Williams, the new budget includes the addition of two new field auditors in the finance department.

The revenue for the city will increase by $650,000, which ensures $1 million in place for street construction.

The budget passed 5-4 and will go into effect July 1.

Later in the meeting, Williams made a point to acknowledge the cities losses: Josh Martin, 21, and Rudy Magana, 28.

“The to events are separate from one another, and they’re tragic,” Williams said. “Our hearts beak for the families, and I pity the poor fools we find who conducted the second murder. I have the ultimate faith in the Huntington Police Department.”

Communications director for the City of Huntington, Bryan Chambers, asked for any assistance possible from the community in search of the perpetrator.

City Council Meeting, 03/09/15

The Huntington City Council applauded the success of receiving a national grant Monday and gave permission for Mayor Steve Williams to request for resources on behalf of the Healing Place during their meeting.

Williams said that there are great opportunities we have before us in our city and that the property between Marshall University and Highlawn represent a magnificent opportunity, but it’s also a reminder of recent failures.

The next step, according to Williams, is cleaning the potentially harmful areas and creating recreational areas and transforming Riverfront Park.

During the meeting, a resolution passed to authorize the mayor to request for a Governor’s Community Partnership Program to help fund the Healing Place.

Besides the approval for the request of grants, the council moved on to discuss, as well as praise, the efforts of the Public Works Department in their efforts of snow removal.

Williams acknowledged complaints addressed about the cities pothole issues and said to submit all appeals to their districts council member by March 20.

At the end of the meeting, the council unanimously selected Michael J. Emerson for is first term with the Huntington Municipal Development Authority.

in class assignment, JMC 414 - 022315

Andrea Steele

JMC414

In-class assignment

Second-day lead

02.23.15

With the rising number of addictions found in our Huntington Community, Mayor Steve Williams will continue in his journey to a better Huntington.

During his State of the City address, the mayor said that there have been 87 overdoses since January 1. “We had 87 missed opportunities to save a person’s life,” the mayor said.  

The various projects happening throughout the city, such as the removal of Northcott Court, are a part of the mayor’s vision in relieving the city of its drug problem. In September, the mayor commissioned all churches in the tri-state area to pray for our city and began the “Prayers of Huntington” campaign.

One of the main concerns the mayor has is keeping the Marshall Community safe. Through the Coffee with the Mayor meetings that are given once a month on Marshall University’s campus, students have been able to approach the mayor and express their concern for safety in our town.

            The city will continue in the effort to clean up Huntington through their Drug Control Policy office as well as through the partnership with the Wellness Council of West Virginia

JMC 414 City Hall Meeting

City Hall Meeting

Monday, Feb. 23

            Concerned citizens of Huntington, W.Va., braved the frigid temperatures Monday evening and came to City Hall to attend the monthly meeting and voice their own concerns for the city.

            Mayor Steve Williams began the evening with a specially thanks to the public workers of Huntington who have delivered tireless effort throughout the two winter storms Huntington faced this past week.

            Firefighters and police officers battled snow, ice and sub zero temperatures to be on call for wrecks, busted water pipes and other issues that the weather caused.

            The city will continue in their efforts of snow and ice removal on Huntington streets and sidewalks.

            Citizens raised more questions about the icy Huntington sidewalks and handicap accessibility. City Council assured citizens that the city is doing all that they can to remove ice and snow.

            The mayor also brought up the continuing of the cities renovations and said that, in the process of project completion, the financing would not require a rate increase.

           The next City Hall meeting will be held Monday, March 9.