Black, White, and Red

Goodbye

2009-05-26T20:04:00.003-05:00

Readers, I would like to thank you for taking this crazy journey with me. With your help, we were able to solve the case.

I will no longer be posting on this blog, nor answering e-mails. This is a chapter in my life that is best closed now... yet how exciting and strange it was!

Journalism can really change things, as we have seen from this blog. What's next for me? I'm not really sure. I will be returning to Drake in the fall, however, to continue my education. I think I may stay out of the blogosphere for a little bit, however.

Yours truly,
Kate Blanche

And in the end...

2009-05-25T22:23:00.003-05:00

We've concluded our investigations and have put together this video to show what exactly happened at Murder in Black and White on May 16.

Investigators, we appreciate your support. With your help, we were able to catch this terrible criminal.

A special thanks to investigation team #17. Team members Chuck, Marilyn, and Stephen showed an incredible degree of smarts, motivation, and logic in order to crack the case. Great job, guys.

Here's what we discovered:

It's All Over

2009-05-17T10:48:00.001-05:00

Two deaths, but we found the culprit, Mrs. Ann Black, who appeared on this blog as a kindergarten teacher. We'll have a full report later.

Too Close

2009-05-15T21:08:00.002-05:00

I guess we're getting too close to the truth.

I can't go to the murder mystery. I don't want to be in such danger. But you, readers, can. She doesn't know who you are. Go there and catch this crazy person. I just hope no one gets hurt...

Be careful. This person does not seem to be stable.

Message Sent to Facebook Users

2009-05-14T17:15:00.001-05:00

Just recently a stern message was sent to around 40 Facebook members, warning them not to interfere with "A" 's plans. Again, we must proceed with caution as the date of the murder mystery grows near.

Evidently this "A" character also knows about Kate and doesn't like what we're doing at her blog--trying to crack the case before anything happens. We need you to help us solve the puzzles that we've received to stop this lunatic!

Stay on your toes and don't panic. We have to stay strong and fight whoever is doing this!

--Jonathan K. Noir, Head of Investigations

Another Puzzle to Solve...

2009-05-13T20:47:00.003-05:00

After a brief time of not receiving anything from this "watcher" guy, I received a rather frightening attachment in my e-mail today. I wonder how to put this one together...

It seems like these puzzles are getting more intense as we go on. I can't figure that out...

Thanks, Kate

2009-05-10T15:10:00.002-05:00

Hello readers!

Thank you, Kate, for that nice introduction. As she said, I am Jonathan Noir and I would like to help this investigation as much as possible. In fact, I am the head of major investigations for the nearby area. These clues that keep being sent to Kate are deeply disturbing and concerning. We have reason to believe that a major plot has been formed by this "A" person as referenced in the letter that Kate first received. We're not yet exactly sure what this plan entails; however, it seems like it will be extremely dangerous. We must proceed with caution while investigating.

Be on your toes, readers, as we do not know yet how dangerous "A" may be. It seems like one ally that we do have is "The Watcher from the Darkness," who keeps sending us clues to discover the truth about "A."

Contact me if you have any questions and, above all, proceed with caution.

I'll be in touch.

Jon Noir

A New Team Member

2009-05-09T14:53:00.000-05:00

Hey guys, I would like to introduce a new team member to this blog. His name is Jon Noir and wants to help us with these clues that we keep getting. The investigation is growing more intense and I'm becoming more concerned, especially as we've begun to unravel the true depth of these clues.

With that out of the way, I must make a recommendation for all of our readers. Murder in Black and White, a courtroom drama/murder mystery will be performed at Pleasant Valley High School at 7pm. I have seen previous productions at this school and they are very interesting and enjoyable. I will be there myself!

Also, if you mention my name while you're purchasing your tickets, you will get a special token of my appreciation for reading my blog and also seeing the mystery and supporting the arts. Hope to see you there!

More to come...

An Audio Clue

2009-05-07T16:53:00.004-05:00

It sounds like he's pronouncing something very slowly... but what?

A Name Game?

2009-05-07T16:34:00.001-05:00

The third puzzle just came. It must have something to do with music, but I'm not exactly sure what...

A New Clue

2009-05-05T20:08:00.003-05:00

This was stuck to my door. I wonder if a map could help us with this...

Clue 1 Arrives

2009-05-04T20:24:00.003-05:00

So the "watcher from the darkness" wasn't lying. I just got the first puzzle... he e-mailed it to me. Have a look by clicking on the image and see if you can find anything out. Look very carefully... it seems like anything could help us solve this.

What's Happening?

2009-05-01T19:08:00.004-05:00

This letter was slid under my door today. Something strange is going on here... perhaps something even criminal. I'm going to e-mail this person and see what is happening. It seems like we need to band together to help out to prevent something terrible from happening.

I'll update as soon as I can.

--Kate

Weird Poster UPDATE!

2009-04-30T19:27:00.001-05:00

(click to enlarge)

Okay, guys, so I got a response from Kyle, the person who sent the weird e-mail. Click on the picture above to see the response.

It turns out that Kyle didn't even send it! If Kyle didn't, then who did?! Who would have done that?!

More info when I get it!

Weird Poster!

2009-04-30T18:49:00.005-05:00

I just got this in an e-mail from "pvdramavicepres@gmail.com" Click to enlarge it.

I can't figure out why my blog is listed all over the attached image! Why could it possibly be? I'm going to get to the bottom of this!

Did any of you guys get it too?

Local Convent to Close

2009-04-30T18:11:00.002-05:00

The Little Sisters of St. Vitus will close in early to mid-May following their annual dance-a-thon. Mother Mary Agnes Ithew cited a drop in funding for the closure. Additionally, she attributes the closure to the departure of the only other nun at the convent.

"It is deeply saddening to have to close the convent, but it is a necessary evil. I will transfer to another convent somewhere else and continue my close relationship with His Holiness," said Sr. Mary Agnes. "Indeed I became depressed when Sr. Ann came to me and said she was, 'outta this joint.' I knew from that point that the convent's days were limited."

(author's note: This covent has done so much for the community. I would like to thank them for all of their hard work. Where is Kitty Fane when you need her?)

Teacher's Bulletin Boards Win Prize

2009-04-29T19:31:00.004-05:00

Many classrooms have a boring, sterile atmosphere and decor.

Not Miss A's!

"Her bulletin boards are so cool! She lets us even help sometimes!" Exclaimed kindergarten student Kyle Labeck.

"It just makes me so happy to brighten up this school and classroom with a some color, creativity, and occasionally some strange items," says Miss A.

Using everyday items, Miss A and her class managed to create a beautiful bulletin board emphasizing recycling and conservation. Toothbrushes, drill bits, and even lasagna noodles were used in the creation of the board.

"What may may not know is that there is a huge amount of competition to create the best bulletin boards. Ordinarily nice teachers may even steal ideas and materials!" explained Miss A. "I consider that plagiarism and theft. When it comes to bulletin boards, teachers play hardball."

Her completely original idea was featured in the March issue of Family Time magazine. She received the coveted "best bulletin board design" award, along with a lifetime supply of bulletin board butcher paper.

She laments that she took down the board before I came, but stated, "It's springtime, so we were needing a change. We're thinking about decorating it with some beautiful flowers and insects and animals, like spiders. I just bought some pastel construction paper on sale, so it should be a great success!"

"We turn ugly boards into beautiful works of art," said the teacher.

Indeed she does! Great work, Miss A!

Wealthy Man Remains in Coma

2009-04-27T18:09:00.002-05:00

Resulting from injuries from freak accident in his billiards room, Mel Black remains in a coma after an intense frame of Snooker. The accident occurred a short while ago in the reclusive billionaire's home.

The incident occurred with a spider, a type of cue used to play the game. According to police reports, this another player moved the black-colored spider quickly from the table, accidentally hitting Mel Black on the head, rendering him unconscious. After failing to respond after a prolonged period, doctors and nurses declared him as in a coma.

"A coma can be caused by a number of things; however, in Mr. Black's case, head trauma caused the coma," said Dr. Whitney Miller, Mel Black's doctor. "We hope that Mr. Black will wake from the coma in a few days and that he recovers fully; however, it may still be a few weeks until he is fully healed."

"It appears that this incident was completely accidental," says police chief Alan Hewit. "Who knew a fancy pool cue could do such harm?"

My thoughts are with Mel Black and his family. Let us hope that he recovers quickly!

Waitress Saves Choking Customer

2009-04-26T17:50:00.004-05:00

Have you learned the Heimlich?

Well, perhaps you should, as you never know when it may come in handy.

A regular customer at the Finer Diner in Bettendorf suddenly began choking on a large piece of kielbasa yesterday during luncheon. Annie, who requested that her full name not be printed in news reports, responded quickly to her diner's situation and performed the Heimlich Manuever, which succeeded in dislodging the piece of sausage from the customer's throat.

"Shoot, I saw that ol' Stinky was turnin' blue and only did what Valerie Bertinelli would'a done," said the waitress.

Forunately, all ended well and the diner did not need to recieve any medical attention.

"She saved my life, by God, and I must thank her for that. If only I could provide her something in return... she is turly my guardian angel" said the diner, who also requested to not be named.

Since its introduction in 1974, the Heimlich Manuever has saved over 100,000 lives. Pioneered by Dr. Henry Heimlich, the manuever has been used in various cases in which the victim's windpipe is blocked, most often in which the patient is chocking on a piece of food. For more information, visit http://www.heimlichinstitute.org/.

Author's Note: What a fantastic story! It shows how each of us is able to make a huge difference in someone's life. By learning life-saving techniques, we all can be heroes.

Got a news tip? Questions?

2009-04-13T16:37:00.005-05:00

Hey guys!

I definitely want to know what you think of my news and blog. So, you can e-mail me at this address:

kateblanchereports@gmail.com

I'll try to respond to your e-mail as soon as possible, but I do get busy sometimes. In fact, I'm working on an interesting story right now!

Talk to you later,
Kate

And so we begin...

2009-04-13T16:37:00.000-05:00

Hello!

I'm Kate Blanche, an aspiring reporter from Pleasant Valley, Iowa. One day I would like to become a serious investigative reporter, like those seen on 60 Minutes and Dateline, but for now I think I should start with the blogosphere. Start small, grow big, right?

Anyway, I'm here to bring you the most important news from Pleasant Valley and Bettendorf, Iowa. And this won't just be any news, but the "people's news." This means news that focuses on the citizens of the two towns and the happenings there. On first glance, both seem rather dull, but I would tend to disagree. Sometimes, things are not always what they seem and appearances can be very deceiving.

I'm running out of time for this post, but if you would like to learn more about be, check out my profile. It can be accessed through the right hand column of this blog.

I promise to bring you the most intriguing news of our area. That's the mission of Black, White, and Red.

Sincerely,
Kate Blanche