Articles written by Zach Benson

Track and field coach, Ralph Spry's, home: in Tamplin Farms was struck by lightning last Tuesday afternoon. The fire was under control in 30 minutes, but the house is extensively damaged. Lindsey Davidson / PHOTO EDITOR

Auburn track and field coach Ralph Spry and family watched helplessly as their home in Tamplin Farms subdivision burned after being struck by lightning last Tuesday afternoon.

“A house fire is something that you always hear of happening, but you never really think it will happen to you until it actually does,” Spry said. “That goes with any tragedy.”

Authorities responded to the call at approximately 4:30 p.m. and within 30 minutes, the house’s roof was completely engulfed in flames.

The Auburn Fire Division and the Southwest Lee County Volunteer Fire Department concluded the fire started in the attic of the Spry home and did extensive damage.

“We had a lot of lightning in the area on Tuesday because of the severe weather, and it’s always possible for lightning fires to result when that’s the case,” said Auburn Fire Division Training Chief John Lankford.

It took the two departments 30 minutes to get the fire under control, and units were on the scene for approximately 4 hours.

“We respond to several lightning related house fires a year,” Lankford said. “Most of the time, they don’t involve burning the house as heavily as the Spry home was, though. Lightning fires are usually easy to control because they just smolder.”

Firefighters were able to save many personal items from the blaze, and the Spry family was extremely grateful no one was injured in the incident.

“We’re doing OK,” Spry said. “The support the Auburn family has shown me and my family has been overwhelming, it’s been wonderful, and I am extremely grateful.”

Auburn patrolman No. 6824 Anthony J. Harris: approaches a driver's window with his ticket book. The majority of speeding tickets in Alabama are given to 18 to 25-year-old drivers. Lindsey Davidson / PHOTO EDITOR

Highway patrol and local law enforcement could be noticing careless driving before they even clock your speed on the roadways.

Last year, Alabama racked up over 200,000 speeding tickets, the majority of which were given to younger drivers, ages 16 to 25. Inexperienced drivers tend to be preoccupied with other things while behind the wheel, leaving traffic laws and speed limits potentially unobserved at times.

“Speeding is still one of the leading causes of vehicle crashes and fatalities in the state of Alabama,” said John Reese, spokesman for the Alabama Department of Public Safety.

Here are some helpful driving tips from CNN.com that could keep you under the radar and your record free of speeding violations.

Always stay within 5 to 10 mph of surrounding traffic. This reduces your chance of being singled out by the radar gun, even if you are speeding. Avoid the outside lanes while in a group of vehicles. Cars in these lanes are more likely to be noticed.

Refrain from tailgating and frequent lane changes. Nothing draws more attention than an aggressive driver. Pass with caution and only when absolutely necessary. It’s been said patience is a virtue.

Be mindful of cutout strips in the median where policeman tend to stakeout. Pay attention to common patrol car “hideouts” as you drive, and refrain from speeding if you are the only car on a stretch of road.

Three version of the touch screen phones: have grown in popularity over the past year. Each network offers different features in order to compete with similar products. Pictured above are the Verizon Dare, Apple iPhone 3G and the Sprint Instinct. These phones include turn-by-turn navigation, push

Just three days after its launch, Apple Inc. announced July 14, that it sold its one millionth iPhone 3G.

If this isn’t enough to shock you, during its first weekend, iPhone and iPod touch customers downloaded more than 10 million applications from the new App Store.

It took 74 days for Apple Inc. to reach the one million mark with the original iPhone, and with the new 3G now being offered in 21 countries, do other phones have a fighting chance to compete with the iPhone’s popularity?

Lines were out the door at stores around the world, and iTunes was bustling as new users activated their iPhones, while existing owners downloaded the 2.0 update with anticipation.

“There’s been an overwhelming response to the iPhone 3G; it’s really exciting for us,” said Sue Sperry, AT&T spokesperson. “Both current iPhone users and new customers responded with enthusiasm. With all the new features and the App store launching, the decision to purchase a 3G was that much easier.”

Apple Inc. boasts at being a mobile phone industry leader since it entered the market last year, by offering a faster network speed, GPS turn-by-turn navigation, integrated push e-mail, contacts and calendars. It also offers the iPhone at half the price of the original iPhone, which debuted last summer.

“I don’t think the 3G has any real competitors,” said Adam Wilson, a senior in mathematics. “With Apple’s interface, the speed upgrade, the price cut and the 3G’s ability to sync with Enterprise servers, there’s not really anything that can match it.”

Other mobile phone providers are stepping up to provide customers with products similar to the iPhone, in the ever-growing trend of touch screen phones.

Sprint Nextel accepted the challenge head-on with its June 20 launch of the Samsung Instinct. This full touch screen device is $69 less than the iPhone and could save customers $50 a month over comparable AT&T plans, according to Sprint’s Web site.

A cross is displayed: roadside to mourn the loss of someone in a vehicle accident. Increased gas prices have an effect on the amount of driving people do, decreasing the chance for accidents. Lindsey Davidson / PHOTO EDITOR

Throughout the summer months, drivers continue to feel the effects of rising gas prices, but that steep $4 per gallon could be saving lives, according to a recent study conducted by economists at Harvard Medical School and University of Alabama at Birmingham.

High gas prices are forcing many drivers to cut back on highway driving time, and the study projects the decline could cut annual auto deaths by one-third, nationwide.

Professors Michael Morrisey of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and David Grabowski of Harvard Medical School became interested in motor vehicle policies in early 2000.

UAB colleagues at the time were conducting vision tests on the elderly, in hopes to connect vision acuity with the ability to operate a motor vehicle safely. Many policies came online between 1980 and 2000 from studies like this, to potentially address the high rate of traffic fatalities.

“Across the board, we saw an increase in the stringency of policy, but not a subsequent decline in fatalities,” Grabowski said.

This led the economists to consider what policies were actually influencing overall driving, because roadway fatalities were not decreasing.

Gas prices have a tremendous effect on whether we decide to drive. Whether we choose to drive influences our ability to be involved in an accident. The collected research showed that every 10 percent increase in gasoline prices sustained over time led to an approximate 2 percent decrease in fatalities, Grabowski explained.

This may sound like an obscure term, but with gas prices continuing to rise with no hopes of coming down, staycation is becoming part of everyday language for more and more people making summer travel plans.

According to a recent survey conducted by the travel Web site TripAdvisor, an estimated 50 percent of American travelers are changing their summer travel plans and looking for more local, cost-effective ways to spend the summer months.

(ABOVE): The Auburn paintball team runs out to battle against the opposing teams at a regional five-man tournament in Macon, Ga., Saturday. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a week, selling TVs to upgrade gear or selling non-essential gear are common practices for most of Auburn’s paintball players to enjoy the sport they love.

These sacrifices were made Saturday when the team battled not only the extreme heat, but also 30 other paintball teams in Macon, Ga., at a regional Georgia Field Owner Association five-man tournament.

The five-minute games and skilled competitors tested every bit of skill and endurance the young Auburn team had, as it prepared for the upcoming fall season.

“The heat and humidity were definitely the toughest things we had to deal with,” said A-squad member, Alex Tigue, a sophomore in pre-vet animal science. “Playing such intense games against great competition in that kind of weather drained your energy quickly.”

The Auburn team took 10 players to the Macon tournament, broken up into two five-man squads. Danny Osborn, a junior majoring in supply chain management, led the A-squad while David Mullins, a junior in radio, television and film, led the B-squad.

Co-captain Osborn decided to take two teams because he wanted to give freshmen and other new players the opportunity to experience tournament play.

The fairly new Tiger paintball team has nine tournament competitions under its belt and plans to play two more tournament dates before the National Collegiate Paintball Association season begins September.

The GFOA tournament series is open to any registered paintball team, and the NCPA is open only to registered collegiate teams.

(Left): Former student Nicole Hage hits the ball at a tournament during her time at Auburn. (right) Cydney Clanton strokes the ball during a tournament this past season. Hage and Clanton both attempted the U.S. Open this year.

Auburn freshman All-American Cydney Clanton experienced the pressures of playing with the pros at this year’s 63rd Women’s U.S. Open at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn., June 23-29.

Tying for second place after posting a 5-over 76 at the par-71 Georgia National Golf Club in McDonough, Ga., allowed Clanton to advance to the second and final local qualifier held at the Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in North Carolina.

Showing no signs of letting up, Clanton fired a spectacular 69 and 71 during the 36-hole event, which promised the First-Team All-American an amateur invitation to this year’s Open.

“Cydney was all business when she stepped up to the first tee,” said sophomore Candace Schepperle, Clanton’s caddy for the event and fellow teammate. “I was really proud of how she handled herself in such a big tournament.”

Although this was Clanton’s first major appearance, numerous Auburn Tigers have played in the Open. Past U.S. Women’s Open Auburn Tigers include Courtney Swaim Trimble, Celeste Troche, Diana Ramage, Missy Tuck Gordon, Maria Martinez and Nicole Hage.

Cars: with bumper stickers, such as the one above, have been linked with aggressive driving, according to a study released by a team of psychologists from Colorado State University. Expressing your views via these stickers can affect people in traffic around yo

“Get off the phone and drive,” “My kids think I’m an ATM machine,” “W the president,” “I’m still hot, it just comes in flashes” and the ever popular, “My kid beat up your honor student,” are a few of the bumper stickers you might see decorating a vehicle’s back bumper or window while driving around town.

Did you ever think there could be a direct correlation between aggressive driving and the number of stickers a car has on its rear?

In a recent study at Colorado State University, social psychologist William Szlemko and his team of researchers claimed drivers should be leery of vehicles covered with such decals and even customized accessories, such as rims and flashy paint jobs.

The study showed there is an undeniable relationship between aggressive driving and bumper stickers on a car.

The Colorado State University research group surveyed a select group of drivers and asked them to answer various questions about past driving experiences, and those with personalized items on their vehicles were more prone to harbor aggressive driving tendencies than drivers without.

Michael Carroll: a senior in electrical engineering, enjoys a conversation using the first model of the iPhone. The new iPhone 3G, set to make its debut to the public next month, is cheaper than the original iPhone with a starting price at $199. It will offer faster downl

Apple announces a slimmer, more affordable version of its latest product

Remember when you were amazed at Apple’s first iPod?

Your favorite tunes right in your hand.

Digital music will never be the same.

Apple Inc. CEO, Steve Jobs, continues to be on the cutting edge of consumer electronics and music distribution with no signs of letting up.

Soon after the launch of the popular iPod, Apple Inc. shipped out its best idea yet, the iPhone June 29, 2007.

Sales soared to new company heights, and the smart phone was revolutionized forever.

Still less than one year old, stores are sold out as first generation iPhone sales topped an overwhelming 6 million.

Apple Inc. wasted no time as it strategically introduced the newer, faster iPhone 3G and iPhone 2.0 software platform at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco June 9-13.

Apple boasts the iPhone 3G is twice as fast and half the cost, hopefully making it more available to potential buyers who just couldn’t fork out the $399 for the 8GB first generation iPhone.

“This is the phone that has changed phones forever,” Jobs said at the WWDC keynote. “Just like the first iPhone, this new iPhone 3G is one of the most amazing products I’ve had the privilege to be associated with.”

The performing arts group from Guangxi, China will be performing the Chinese Opera “Liu San Jie,” which can be translated as “Sister Liu,” in the Ballroom of Foy Student Union at 7 p.m. June 13.

This classic opera is based on a love story of an ethnic (Zhuang) minority in Southern China.

The opera, performed by 27 nationally acclaimed artists, is full of humor, wisdom and courage, and it is these elements that led to the story’s popularity in China.