Brenda Sue

Well, Megan Ward's series on the Brenda Sue Brown murder has generated more interest and feedback than any non-breaking feature we've ever written. The message board thread on the subject has grown to more than 20 pages. The interactive feature we put together has been viewed more than 8,000 times.

Question: Are there any questions you have that we didn't answer? Or, any other comments on the series?

Oh deer

Like we don't have enough fun at our house ..

I get a call from my wife, who had carpool. Just after she turned toward Jefferson School off of the Cherryville Highway 6 or so deer cantered from her left (near Community Pharmacy) to her right (toward the YMCA) she slowed to a near stop, but one of them slammed into the front left of her van, denting it badly. The deer survived and scampered off into the woods.

Obviously a traumatic experience for my wife and the kids.

She called me and said my 8-year-old was freaking out a little bit. He did, however, provide a priceless moment.

As I tried to calm him down, I told him that this happens all the time and that deer are always running across the streets and stuff.

He said, melodramatically, "DAADDDD, they weren't DEER, they were REINdeer!!!!!"

Just "women"

We do some knuckleheaded things in the paper -- mainly because we're a bunch of imperfect humans.

Today was one of those times.

We wrote a story about a wreck in which two women were injured. We identified the pair as "black women."

Sometimes race is relevant to stories, but most of the time it is not. This time, race wasn't relevant at all.

We discussed this in the newsroom and there was total agreement, even by the reporter on the story, who covers the police/emergency beat for us and is a fine reporter.

So, how did it happen?

The explanation is simple: Cops reporters are in a mode of trying to squeeze every detail out of stories -- usually they are right on deadline and every morsel can add to the story. Sometimes, though, when writing non-crime stories, they forget to shift gears. That is what happened in this case.

Still, it shouldn't have. Race had no place in this story and we apologize for interjecting it where it didn't belong.

K.. K.. K.. Katie

The big talk in the media world today is about Katie Couric jumping to CBS to take over the CBS Evening News.

1) Will you watch her?
2) Will you keeping watching Today?
3) Think all of this is overblown?


My answers are:
1) Probably at the start, out of curiosity, but not over the long haul
2) I prefer GMA anyway
3) YES!

Doesn't hold water ...

It's amazing to me how scientists go out of their way to try and demonstrate flaws in Christianity or other religions. Check out this ridiculous story.

Unreal.

The New Star

OK, here's your chance to let me have it -- hope you saw the new Star.

Questions: What do you like? Dislike? Favorite new feature? Least favorite new feature? Anything else?


I appreciate your feedback.

Skip

Religion run amok

I was surprised that this editorial in Thursday's Star didn't generate more discussion. Any comments?

Major early spring snow in mountains

Hard to believe, but if you are headed to the mountains this weekend, be prepared for a winter wonderland -- could be as much as a half foot of snow widespread, with even more on higher peaks.

It's not out of the realm of possibility that we see a few flurries mixed in with light rain showers even down in the piedmont.

Brrr!

Does this bother you?

I received this e-mail today. Approaching this from a journalist's viewpoint, anybody have a problem with this? I'll see if anybody comments, then give you my thoughts.


CHARLOTTE – March 17, 2006 – The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute will host the first in a series of ongoing seminars around the topic of "Reporting on Growth & Open Space," on May 23 at UNC Charlotte. The three-year program is funded through a $225,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and reflects the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to both journalism excellence and open space protection in the greater Charlotte region. The program is designed to assist reporters, editors and other media professionals in exploring ways to effectively report on open space and land use planning issues in the Charlotte region.

The May 23 seminar is titled "Environmental Journalism for the 21st Century: Out of the Woods, Into the Great Wide Open." As the first of a scheduled nine seminars to be held over the next three years, this first seminar will explore the growing importance of growth and open space-related news in both the nation’s and the region’s media. The keynote speaker is Stuart Leavenworth, associate editor of The Sacramento Bee, and a nationally-recognized environmental journalist. Leavenworth previously worked at the Raleigh News & Observer.
In recent years, open space and land use-related news has become increasingly important due to Charlotte’s rapid population growth. This growth, coupled with the Charlotte region’s ongoing pattern of low density development, has had a pronounced impact on the region’s physical landscape and quality of life. In particular, the rapid conversion of land into suburban-style subdivisions has contributed to traffic congestion, reduced air quality, diminished tree canopies, and school overcrowding. Many new government policies and grass-roots initiatives have emerged to preserve open space and to plan for better development. Local media need to report not only on these policies and initiatives, but also on the connection between land use and other public policy concerns, such as education, economic development and public health.

Through these seminars, the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute will work with journalists to enhance their understanding of complex land use planning issues, including the legal and political framework within which open space and land use decisions are made. The Institute will draw upon the experiences of other journalists around the United States to identify effective and innovative approaches to reporting on open space and land use planning issues. As part of the Knight Foundation grant, the Institute is also conducting a regional survey of citizens to help journalists assess public opinion on open space and land use issues. The results of this survey will be presented at the second seminar to be held in late summer/early fall 2006.

The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute has long served as an objective resource for reporters in the Charlotte region on land use issues, according to Jeff Michael, the Institute’s director. "Rarely does a month go by that we don’t get at least one call from a reporter in the region seeking clarification or a better understanding of a land use issue," Michael said. "The quality of any public policy debate, whether it concerns land use, education or economic incentives, is dependent upon having a well-informed public. Obviously, the press plays a critical role in educating the public about complex policy issues and their relevance to people’s daily lives. With the Knight Foundation’s generous support, we hope to assist the region’s media outlets as they strive to fulfill that role."

The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute is a non-profit, non-partisan applied research and community outreach unit of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte that, among other things, conducts research and public education on regional land use planning issues. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of 26 U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers.

Homeland security? Hardly

As this story from Reason Magazine details, the idea that the homeland security budget actually goes to homeland security is a joke.

THIS is what is wrong with the country right now.

Now THIS is a cool site

Everybody is always posting about cool Web sites, but this one I found actually meets the definition.

It's called "longbets.org" and it's a place where you can go make a prediction that is a minimum of two years away from being proven or disproven, and can then accept bets on whether you will be right or not.

Here's how it works:

One person has made the following prediction:
"By 2030, commercial passengers will routinely fly on pilotless planes."
If you think he's wrong, you can attempt to get him to bet (minimum of $200) against you.

Here's another prediction:
"By 2020, bioterror or bioerror will lead to one million casualties in a single event."

And another:
"By the year 2020, the tickets to space travel - at the least to Moon, will be available over the counter."

So, my question to you is this: All betting aside, what is your long-term prediction for the future of the planet (or just right here at home)?

Why the need for speed?

Regarding the Scott Darnell fiasco, I guess the question I'm hearing the most is: Why was there such a need for speed? Why not make one more effort to work things out? That is an especially pertinent quetsion given this big trip he was about to take at the invitation of the N.C. Sec. of Commerce which, theoretically, could have been a high-profile event for Cleveland County.

Scott Darnell

Well the shocking firing of the Chamber's VP for economic development, Scott Darnell, is certainly the talk of the town today. We are working on a story for Friday's paper on exactly what happened and why.

At the least, it appears that the Cleveland 20/20 program is encountering some rough seas.

Stay tuned.

Confessions of an American Idol junkie

Love the show. LOVE IT!

I love that I can watch it with my kids (although, it's a heckofa note that the dangerous part of letting kids watch the show is the COMMERICIALS, not the show itself!).

On the girls side, I must have been listening to a different Kelly Pickler performance than the judges. I thought she was very weak. I'd love for her to win, being an N.C. girl, but it ain't going to happen. The other blonde is terrible, too.

The only ones that can win on the girls side: The 2 16-year-olds, the large woman with one name and the one that went first last night and last on the first show.

Not as familiar yet with the guys, but clearly the gray-haired guy is fun. I'm not sold on Ace, but the short, bald-headed "rocker" is very strong.

The great thing about the show is that everybody has an opinion, so fire away!

Just plain nice

Every year for the last few years, everyone in The Star's newsroom who has won a North Carolina Press Association award has received a homemade card from the kind folks at the Life Enrichment Center.

As my wife would say, "That's the nicest thing!"

Those acts of kindness say so much about an organization.

Thanks to LEC for lifting our spirits!

At least two interesting filings today...

Betsy Fonvielle will take on Tim Moore for a N.C. House seat and school board member Jo Boggs will be running for county commissioner.

That means primaries on both sides of the commissioners race.

Local political musings

I would expect a flurry of late filings Tuesday morning, especially among Democrats.

I would be stunned if Tim Moore did not have opposition, given that he is from one of the most Democratic counties in the state for Republican House members.

Also, even with the filing of Eddie Holbrook, I would expect at least one more Democrat to file for the board of county commissioners.

And, could there be a surprise filing for sheriff? You never know!

Sleeper cell?

Thought you might like to read my column from Sunday's Star:


Well, the tease of an early spring quickly faded to the gray of winter this weekend. Meanwhile, my kids are going a little stir crazy. While they’re on my mind, here are a few snippets of life with family.

-- My 3-year-old is really figuring out just how much destruction and mayhem he can initiate. He’s developing some favorite techniques. Here are a few:
The ploy: "I wanted to play with that"
How it works: One of his siblings finds some toy hidden back in the corner. The sibling dusts of the cobwebs and determines the toy still works, then begins to play with it. "HEY, I WAS GOING TO PLAY WITH THAT, IT’S MINE!" screams the 3-year-old. Never mind that we’ve had the toy since he was minus 3 years old. It’s still his and he was JUST about to climb over 46 other toys to pick it out from the back of some closet that he didn’t even know existed.
The ploy: The pre-emptive tattle
How it works: The 3-year-old commits some sort of foul and before his sibling can alert mom or dad, the 3-year-old runs and tells on the sibling for something that probably never happened. By the time mom and dad sort out what happened, both children end up being chastised and the 3-year-old has claimed a victory.

--Honestly, if I didn’t know better, I’d think he was a member of some sort of toddler sleeper cell. They look like they’re off playing in the sandbox in the corner of the playground, but actually they are plotting their next move. The conversation would go something like this:
My son, in a low voice: OK, look, start shoveling that sand into the bucket so nobody suspects anything. Every once in a while somebody start giggling.
Boy No. 2: Chill out, they’ll never catch us.
Boy No. 3: How are things going with your brother?
My son: Oh, I’ve got that taken care of. Let’s just say that when mommy finds her fine linens in my brother’s closet, covered with paint stains, he won’t be playing Playstation anytime soon!
Boys No. 2 and 3: Awesome!
My son: Now, here’s the plan for taking over this day care…
OK, OK, it’s not all bad — he loves to play golf, he’s becoming quite the sports fan ("Daddy, who are the Panthers playing?" — "Actually, buddy, that’s basketball.") and he’s got an infectious laugh.

Now, on to other observations:
--Idea for the mall: Allow young people to be at the mall unattended so long as they have receipts showing they spent at least $20 that day at mall establishments.
--Even though North Carolina lost to Duke a few days back, Tar Heel fans should feel good about the direction of the program.
--Panthers draft needs: wide receiver, offensive line, running back, defensive tackle. I’m not buying this trend in mock drafts that has Carolina taking a tight end. By the way, if Chad Jackson of Florida is available, I’d snatch him up.
--Can anybody explain to me why some of these snowboarding events are in the Winter Olympics, but golf — one of the most widely played sports in the world — isn’t a Summer Olympics event?
--There’s a guy who looks like Peter Brady from "The Brady Bunch" who is one of my early favorites in "American Idol." He was the last one to make the final 24 on Wednesday night.
--If you are a fantasy baseball player, these are tough guys to figure out where to draft: Carlos Beltran, Curt Schilling, Barry Bonds, Rafael Furcal and Alfonso Soriano. If you play, you know why they’re tough picks and if you don’t play, you don’t care, so I’ll leave it at that.

Skip Foster is the editor of The Star.

Cool map

Here's a neat map showing the storm total from the winter storm last week that hammered the mountains.

Hurray for Allison!

A big thumbs up to Allison Hendee, a fifth-grader at Marion Intermediate, who donated her hair to "Locks of love," which takes donated hair and gives it to children who have lost much or all of their own hair because of illness or treatment.

Allison had her hair cut in front of the large crowd at Marion Tuesday night for a talent show held for Relay for Life.

Allison's mom died of cancer last year, which gave her donation special meaning on this night.

All the talented students performed well -- it was a great night for a great cause!