Seton Hill was all through the news this weekend.  I’ve never been very into homecoming (high school or college), but I have to admit, SHU did something really cool.

Oh.  And Ghaddafi was killed.  SHU even had ties with him.  (It’s nothing scandalous.  Calm down.  I see you all hitting the panic buttons.)

Starting with the heavier story, I really liked the lead for the Ghaddafi story.  It was instantly personal (maybe because I’m a student here) and gave an “I want more” feel to the piece.

“When Seton Hill University President JoAnne Boyle heard about the death of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, she thought of two students, dead for nearly 23 years, who continue to be a presence on the Greensburg campus.”

Maybe I’m alone, but I want to know what the presence is and I want to keep reading.  I like it.

It’s not just the lead, but also the quotes that lend to the story.  Quotes from SHU president, JoAnne Boyle, and the families of the victims add the emotion that the story needs.

The homecoming pieces (a media advisory and a story by the Tribune Review) both gave an picture for the man who had been injured in a car crash when he was six and SHU honored at the parade and football game over the weekend.

The press release had the basic information as well as a few quotes.  It released the information quickly and it allowed easy access to the story without being a full story.

As for the Trib’s story, the quotes from the family show just how much SHU’s outreach to this man have touched him.  Even though the football team lost, the story shows that this man’s dreams came true.

I really like that the feature story lead once again pulls the reader in.

The stories might not be hard news, but they certainly get the job done.