TEHACHAPI, Calif. (AP) _ Hundreds of firefighters gained ground Wednesday against the most destructive of two big wildfires that have burned homes and forced 2,300 people to evacuate mountain communities on the edge of the Mojave Desert and in the southern Sierra Nevada.
I shot the video and edited a loose cut, while dictating, filing and editing copy throughout the day. A producer in DC read the script and voiced the piece.
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, Calif. (AP) _ Residents evacuated from foothill communities deluged by weekend mudslides north of Los Angeles were allowed to return home Sunday as crews moved debris and cleared catch basins in anticipation of more rain later in the week.
The final evacuation order was lifted for about 70 homes in the Paradise Valley area of La Canada Flintridge, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Guillermina Saldana. Only residents with valid identification were allowed back into the neighborhood that was choked with a thick layer of mud and debris during a pummeling rain early Saturday.
LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Tara Kolla fancied herself a green thumb-turned-green businesswoman when she planted an organic flower plot in her yard and sold poppies, sweet peas and zinnias at the local farmers market. For her neighbors, it was an eyesore.
Where Kolla saw her efforts as creating a lush sanctuary, her neighbors witnessed dusty pots, steaming compost, flies and a funky aroma on their tiny cul-de-sac in Los Angeles. They complained to zoning officials — and prevailed.
Kolla and other urban farmers are fighting back by challenging city halls across the country to rewrite ordinances that govern residential gardens. They believe feeding their fellow urbanites homegrown tomatoes, fresh eggs and sweet corn will change the world one backyard at a time.
Seattle has loosened its rules for backyard goats, New York City’s health department is taking steps to legalize beekeeping and Detroit is looking into regulating compost and greenhouses.
The sports side of AP’s Online Video has kept me busy since Pete Carroll announced his departure.
I shot the presser, using my sharpest elbows to earn a spot next to the veteran cameramen. They have better gear, years of experience and 50+ lbs. on me – yet they still couldn’t cut me a break. Then I dashed back to the bureau to send b-roll and bites to NY, where a producer edited and voiced the piece.
PASADENA, Calif. – After a run of celebrity grand marshals, a real American hero led the Rose Parade on Friday.
Onlookers stood and cheered as Capt. Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III rode down Colorado Boulevard in a vintage 1928 Pierce Arrow with his wife, Lorrie, and two daughters as part of the annual armada of flower-draped floats, marching bands and prancing horses.
Sullenberger said he did not hesitate when asked to serve as grand marshal because his family has watched the parade when he was growing up in Texas.
“It’s really an American institution, a celebration of American values,” he said after the parade. “I think people see those in me, and I’m glad.”
Parade-goer Hilda Roy held a hand-painted, fluorescent sign that read, “We (heart) you Sully!” She waved and screamed the name of the man who landed a stricken jetliner on New York’s Hudson River and was thrilled when Sullenberger waved back.
This story ran on AP’s national wire, the front page of the San Diego Union Tribune, the home pages of Yahoo! News and AOL, with video that I shot and edited.
Click to play AP Video: Firefighting water balloons
By Raquel Maria Dillon | ASSOCIATED PRESS
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) _ William Cleary believes aerial firefighting could become child’s play.
Five years ago, his son drenched him with a water balloon – and got him to thinking.
“He was three stories up and I was walking, and he still managed to hit me square in the head,” said Cleary, a Boeing engineer. “I thought, why can’t we be this accurate with water on fires?”
So he started working on a system to use giant water balloons to put out wildfires.
AP’s Online Video Network sent me to St. George, Utah during the trial of fundamentalist Mormon leader Warren Jeffs to do a couple quick sidebars. I arrived late the night before and shot and edited this piece the next day. Then I did a local reaction piece the day after that.
I shot, produced and edited this piece for a class at Berkeley’s J-School and later sold it to Current TV. Their producers provided the titlecard typeface and the music.
This is one of several video pieces I produced in Park City for AP’s Entertainment Video division. Unfortunately the video is only available to paying APTN members, but here’s the story that ran on the wire and the script.
AP Photo | Amy Sancetta
By Raquel Maria Dillon | ASSOCIATED PRESS
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) _ After a career playing to sold-out stadiums, U2 did what their fans have done for years — stood in line to see U2 perform.
That concert was “U2 3D,” a film of the band’s 2005-06 Vertigo tour, shot at several shows in South America with new 3-D technology.
“I was really hoping we weren’t crap after all these years. Luckily we weren’t,” guitarist The Edge told The Associated Press before the band donned plastic glasses to watch the movie’s premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday night.
The Edge, joined by singer Bono, drummer Larry Mullen and bassist Adam Clayton, joked about the absurdity of seeing themselves perform after playing together for more than 30 years.
“It’s kind of horrific,” to see himself on stage in 3-D, said Bono. “It’s bad enough on a small screen. Now you get to see the lard arse 40-foot tall.”
