| The Story | Based upon a press release issued by the Wise County Sheriff's Office, the Messenger reported that one of the Era men, Jeffrey Don Stevens, was arrested after last week's WWF Smackdown 2001 in a Wise County pasture. The press release was erroneous in that Stevens had not been arrested. |
| News worthiness (on a scale of 0 to 5) | * |
| The Spin | "The Wise County Sheriff's Department contacted the Messenger Tuesday and asked where the newspaper got the information about Stevens". - Wise County Messenger, p. 1A, May 31, 2001 |
| The Story | Jonny Dennis, who had graduated from Bridgeport High School hours earlier, was careflighted to Harris Methodist after falling between two trailers during a hay ride. Reports indicate that Dennis was jumping between the two trailers and missed. He is now in fair condition. |
| News worthiness | *** |
| The Spin | Ironically, the hay ride was part of "Project Graduation", a program designed to entertain graduating seniors in a "safe environment". |
| The Story | Figures for the in-house alcohol sales in Wise County for the month of April are released. The winners, in order of sales, are (1) Linda's Watering Hole, (2) The Club at Runaway Bay, and (3) The Bridgeport Country Club. |
| News worthiness | * |
| The Spin | Since Linda's Watering Hole is adjacent to the Bridgeport Golf Course, the conclusion is obvious: Golfers are really thirsty people. |
| The Story | The normally reserved Messenger fires off a scorching editorial regarding the way the Mike Putnam arrest and release was handled by county officials. The paper is primarily irked because it cannot get the information it has requested. |
| News worthiness | *** |
| The Spin | What's the old adage? "Never start a fight with people that buy paper by the ton and ink by the barrel." |
| The Story | A former Wise County Jail female employee files a sex discrimination complaint. The WCSO says she was fired, not because of her gender, but only after several codeine pills were missing and the jailer subsequently testing positive for the same drug. Claiming that the jail is an equal opportunity employer, Sheriff Phil Ryan said "Out of 19 workers in the jail, 12 of them are women." |
| News worthiness | *** |
| The Spin | The Spin, who is a big fan of any and all Women in Cages prison movies, is pleased. |