The "M" Week: MODOT & Motorcycles

This week's shifts at KOMU-8 were very productive. On Tuesday, I created a roll-over flash graphic that depicts how MODOT will spend stimulus money on new transportation projects. I took a map of our viewing area and added pop up information boxes that detailed each county's projects. I also uploaded a PDF file to the internet with all Missouri county transportation project information. I figured it would be more interesting and interactive for our users to look at the rollover map than it would be for them to look at the PDF. Additionally, the PDF was not organized by county, so the information would have been difficult for our viewers to read and comprehend. On Friday, I reported on an interesting story about motorcycle helmet legislation. The Missouri house and senate have looked at a proposal to lift the helmet law to include all those 21+. This means that Missourians 21 and over can choose whether or not they want to wear a helmet while on a motorcycle. This topic  became of interest Thursday, because the senate voted in favor of it. Last year, they decided not to vote on the measure. It now moves onto the house, where it has passed before. Many officials say this time it will likely be a done deal. On Friday, I spoke with 5 motorcyclists, a Missouri senator (via telephone) and a trauma surgeon. Overall, the story turned out very well because my interviewees seemed to bounce off one another well (ie. the motorcyclists talked about how it's cooler not to wear a helmet and the surgeon said it is cooler to ride without a helmet, but the reality is you must wear one because the brain is not fixable. ) I also played around a lot with interesting and unique camera angles, and overall, I think the shots turned out pretty cool. Check out my story here.