Week 19

This week held more excitement in the Independent Study and Mentorship Program. I visited Mr. Jason Trahan at the WFAA Channel 8 Headquarters in downtown Dallas, and we discussed our plans for the year. I showed him the research I have completed on the Open Meetings and Public Information laws in Texas. We discussed who we are going to send open records request to in regards to the earthquake situation in Irving. It will be my job to file these requests, and they will be helpful in Jason and Byron's research on the issue. The final story will probably air mid-February.

We also decided on a story idea for the final product. Due to the large amounts of urbanization in Frisco, we've decided to pursue a story documenting the effects this has on wildlife in the area and investigation of whether or not there is proper planning in place to protect nature in Frisco.

I left the meeting with a detailed to-do list for the next week. It has been up to me to contact the City of Irving, the United States Geological Survey, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to determine who I need to ask for an open records request. I am also responsible for finding a GoPro camera for documenting wildlife, and blogging on the neighborhood website asking for pictures and video of wildlife in the area.

I am incredibly excited about all we accomplished this week and can not wait to see what next semester has in store!