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  Hello everyone! Here was the list of pitches I went through yesterday. Just a reminder that if this is the first news story you're doing for me, speak to me first in person so I could better discuss some section basics! Also just a heads up that I'll be talking a bit about elections coverage next news meeting, as well as showing you all a presentation on science writing I got from NASH! Ok here they are!

1. Streeters! I got a bunch of these that people can take, including some timely ones for Valentine's day coming soon.a. Favourite place to have sex/ make out on campus b. How long is your commute to campus? c. What’s the worst course you’ve ever takend. Least favourite building on campus e. Why did you choose your major

2. The post office in SUB is closing. Apparently, it was announced a few weeks ago, and it will be shutting down for good in April. I can imagine a lot of students use it to ship stuff, both domestic and international students. For this, you can interview a student who uses it alot. Ask the staff there if they could give interviews. And talk to Emma Ripka as the SU runs SUBmart. It’s worth asking what the SU plans for the vacant space.

3. Professor Q&As! I have two ideas for these:a. Right now there’s a lot of controversy around McGill university’s sports team name (the Redmen) and they will be making a decision later this term. Buuut someone can interview a Native Studies professor about their take on it (and you could touch on other sports teams too like the Eskimos.)b. Someone could interviewa EAS professor about the polar vortex, or how much the weather sucks.

4. New chemotherapy treatment. Researchers from the University of Alberta may have found a way to make chemotherapy more effective at treating cancer while blocking its harmful side-effects on the heart. It's hoped the promising work will soon be able to progress to clinical trials. Someone can do a phone interview with the senior author of the study, Gopinath Sutendra.

5. A company created by MacEwan business students will be getting food delivered to wherever you are at MacEwan University. The company has also signed on with food vendors at the University of Alberta, meaning no other companies can deliver U of A campus food to people on campus. Someone could interview the students behind this startup. More on that here: https://www.cbc.ca/…/studentseat-macewan-university-food-de….

6. A conference will be happening in Lister on Feb 8 and 9 about the Metis in Alberta. Someone can go and cover the event.7. Profile the new Rhodes scholar. Second-year medical student Julia Sawatzky will head to Oxford University next fallas the University of Alberta’s 2019 Rhodes Scholar. Someone could try to interview her about how she feels about winning the scholarship, and other details of her life! This was in last week’s list but it’s still good and I’d be really happy if someone takes it!

7. UAlberta lends expertise to development of alternate transportation for seniors in Big Lakes County. The new service, developed with the expertise of the University of Alberta’s Medically At-Risk Driver Centre(MARD), provides a remote alternate solution for seniors and others in need of transportation because they are unable to drive or choose not to drive. MARD is supported financially through the Government of Alberta’s Ministry of Seniors and Housing.

8. Did you know that students had access to the USRIs students fill out about their classes every semester? Well, neither did I! And Akanksha Bhatnagar, the vice-president (academic) of the Students’ Union is hoping to change that. Set up an interview with her and find out what she hopes to do on this, as well as grab an interview with the chair of the university committee that looks at USRIs. This was on several lists but it’s coming up again in Students’ Council so it’s still relevant! And it looks like Bhatnagar will be pushing for changes to the database soon.

9. Interview a student who wrote a guide on how to study. This is something we got via a Facebook message. A student wrote a six-page document that's publically shared on Google docs filled with tips for people who need new studying tips (he added in his Facebook post that he's tried to contact professional psychologists but had no luck, but whoever takes this could hit up the psych dept to get a second opinion!) As for the study's author, Max Kang, set up an interview with him via Facebook messenger!