"His trachea is exposed to the air. What do you do?"

June 1, 2007
Andy Boyle, Erie Times-News in Erie, Penn.

I did the thing I hate more than anything today. I used a quote lede! For the first time in more than 300 stories I've written, I thought it was appropriate.

And my editor liked it. Anytime you mention something gruesome, it kinda catches people's attention, like driving slowly past a car accident.

You stop and go "what?"

But then I had to explain everything with a quick nut graf. And it worked! I'm happy with myself.

And I've also got some neat photos from my sojourning in northwest PA:

Here's what I look like right now as I walk out of the building.

This is the "fleet" of mostly editorial cars. Today I discovered there might be two cars in the parking lot, but strangely no keys in the news room for them. That works out well when you have to be across town to cover people blowing things up in a military drill.

Me working at the Times-News. This is the seat I've chosen as my own -- a sporto uses it during the night usually, since they mostly work nights. But during the day, the interns shine.

More of the newsroom. That big glass office is the executive editor's, Rick Sayer. He has this awesome glass office in the middle of the entire news room. It's so cool, just smack dab in the middle of it all.

More of where the magic happens. The editors sit around here, as do some of the writers who've been around awhile.

This is from Memorial Day. I went down to East Erie, past the Presque Isle Bay where people unload their boats to fish in Lake Erie.

Lake Erie is big. Unfathomably large.

Smokestacks are everywhere throughout the town. Erie has a big blue collar history, but they've since gone away from that because of exporting jobs out of the country. They've switched over to more of a service-based and high tech center, especially with GE Transportation's headquarters located there.

This is I-29 South at 6:45 a.m. First picture as I left home and headed to Erie about four weeks ago. Gosh, I've been here that long?

Missouri Valley's flooding from when I drove past. It was intense. I can't believe I drove back from college in the weather that caused this.

More flooding. You could almost mistake this for a lake, which is what I did at first and had to call my mother to make sure I didn't somehow screw up the drive on I-80 to Omaha that I've taken 782.3 times.

World's largest truckstop! The I-80! ALL MUST GO. I sadly could not make a stop, but I've been there a few times when I visited a friend out in Davenport last year.

I stopped for gas and these little buggers were crowded around my car near the Ohio border. Now, I can't blame them since I didn't see them, but some kind of creature made a mess on the roof of my car. The mystery continues.

Cleveland. Woo.

And there's some photos! Now I'm going to spend my weekend reading David Simon's "Homicide" because it's FANTASTIC. It's the best narrative non-fiction I've ever read in my life.

I have lost 11 pounds since I've gotten here, according to my weight when I left home. That's a lot. Apparently working out and eating only hot dogs for dinner is the best diet ever. Take that, Hollywood!

	Andy Boyle will be a senior broadcasting and news-editorial major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this fall. He is working at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Penn., this summer, and during the fall he will work as the Daily Nebraskan's web editor and multimedia content manager. Email Me , View All Andy's Entries