Wise County on the Web

A tongue in cheek review of the news published this week regarding Wise County.
Normally posted every Sunday around 10:00 p.m.
(Note: To make sure you are receiving the most recent update, hold down the "Shift" key while you click on reload/refresh).
For the week ending 05/04/02:

The Story	In a huge setback for Decatur ISD, the $38 million bond package fails by a landslide margin.
News worthiness (on a scale of 0 to 5)	********
The Spin	Prolific letter writer and bond hater H.D. Boswell could not be reached for comment - he is presumably still partying in Deep Ellum.

The Story	Citizens in Runaway Bay come to the defense of the local police department when rumors abound that a city council candidate wishes to abolition it. Council member Paula Kersten said she "was pleased when a city policeman stopped her and her husband as they were looking at Christmas lights." Resident Barbara Warner said police "responded to their call for help with beavers in their neighborhood." Bridgeport Index, p. 9.
News worthiness	**
The Spin	You might want to give that abolition concept a second look.

The Story	A three month old puppy is found after it was lost in a major accident on highway 287. The dog's owner, Jane Engemann (who broke all her ribs on her right side, smashed her left wrist, and blew out her hip socket), was recovering in a hospital bed when she heard the news.
News worthiness	*
The Spin	*From the "Careful With Your Word Selection Department": Ms. Engemann was quoted as saying she was "thrilled to death" that the puppy had been found. Messenger, Sunday edition, Page 1A*

The Story	Hail pummels Decatur on Monday.
News worthiness	*
The Spin	It was either golf ball size or softball size or grapefruit size or baseball size or tennis ball size or . . . .

The Story	Two men were arrested after being involved in a "meat scam" (details unknown) where they were "selling meat door-to-door out of small white pickup".
News worthiness	**
The Spin	We didn't know it was dangerous to buy an easily spoiled food product from two strangers out of an unrefrigerated pickup. Now we know.

**Special Highly Technical Research Project to be Conducted Throughout 2002:**
	New This Week	Year To Date
Number of new births announced in the Wise County Messenger	12	180
Number of new births announced by parents with different surnames (or no father identified):	5 (42%)	59 (33%)

See something in the local papers that struck you funny? Then suggest a topic for The Spin.

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