NEWSDAY (LONG ISLAND)

Leah Lupo

Newsday (Front Cover Stories)

JOURN 100

Professor: Jeremy Fox

Study: Suffolk County’s Route 25 Most Dangerous Road For Pedestrians In Tri-State Area

February 6, 2014 10:20 AM

This story makes note of a very dangerous road on Long Island located in Suffolk County. The road is Route 25 also known as Jericho Turnpike. According to The Tri-State Transportation Campaign there have been 1,236 pedestrians that were killed crossing the street throughout New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York between 2010 and 2012. On Route 25 in particular, 16 pedestrians were killed in the past three-year-period. This is pertinent to Long Island readers because Route 25 is a high-traffic road and spans across Suffolk and Nassau County and even extends into parts of Queens. The road is challenging to cross because of the enormous size of the intersection and many people tend to stop in the middle of the road, and wait for the alternate side of traffic to pass. As a result, accidents occur often on this particular road. This article caught my eye because I live on Long Island and cross this street often, I also drive on it. Once I saw the photo with the red hand (stop signal) along with the title, I was immediately intrigued. Therefore it is good for me to be aware of the high-level risk. This is a fact-based article that was written after statistical results showed these startling numbers. This is an important safety issue for the residents of Long Island to be aware of.

NIFA chief proposes possible end to wage freeze

This story was directly under the front page feature story and was placed to the left, which traditionally means this is the second most important (as we read left to right). Included in this story is important information about wage freezes (or lack thereof) for union workers in Nassau County. According to Newsday, the chairman of Nassau’s financial control board has proposed an end to the three-year-old wage freeze on the union pay. This is a conditional proposal and is contingent upon if the unions give back wages…until the county is able to collect supplemental earnings. This caught my attention because the word ‘Nassau’ is bolded and in all capital letters and therefore indicates to me upon seeing it, that this is an important story affecting Nassau county (where I live). The story seems to include facts but the irony is that the premise is based on the opinion of “experts” on the financial board.

This article is on the front page of Newsday, placed under the top feature story to the right. This indicates it is the third-most important story of the day because (as previously mentioned), we read left to right. This attracted my attention because the word ‘LIRR’ (Long Island Rail Road) is written in all capital letters and is capitalized. I read anything having to do with the LIRR because I use this system to commute to work. When I saw the word, ‘strike’ next to it, I immediately wanted to read this article as the fear set in – could the LIRR be closed? As it turns out, the article notes that the union members have positioned a contract detail that can allow them to strike as early as next month, if they do not get raises. I do question this, because fairs just went up for the MTA by $30 for a monthly ticket, that is $360 per year more which commuters spend from my station to get to NYC. If you are further east, you will be spending even more than that! The article seems to be factual as notes are taken directly from the union meeting.