A (sometimes) tongue in cheek review of the news published this week regarding Wise County.
Normally posted every Sunday around 6:00 p.m.
For the week ending 7/1/00:
| The Story | Despite earlier projections of a crowd of about 2,000, a "rave" party in Paradise fails to materialize with only 200 to 250 people in actual attendance. As part of a law enforcement crack down, "[t]he deputies made a large number of traffic stops, partially to find out who was attending the party". |
| News worthiness (on a scale of 0 to 5) | **** |
| The Spin | All were charged with "Driving While In Search of a Really Big Party That The Rest Of Us Do Not Really Understand". |
| The Story | Northwest I.S.D.'s Superintendent receives a raise to boost his salary to $140,000 a year. Former superintendent John Brooks was paid "only" $96,272 in 1999. |
| News worthiness | *** |
| The Spin | The Spin wonders in N.I.S.D. still has its homestead exemption in place. |
| The Story | Milburn Benson of Paradise is to be charged with allegedly using a Wise County bulldozer to pull his vehicle out of the mud after it had become stuck near Lake Bridgeport. "Benson said he jump started the dozer using a screwdriver, according to police reports." |
| News worthiness | ** |
| The Spin | The Spin isn't sure how a guy smart enough to hot wire and operate a dozer could get his vehicle stuck in the first place. |
| The Story | The Boyd City Council "made it official that the Boyd Volunteer Fire Department cannot fill private swimming pools". |
| News worthiness | ** |
| The Spin | The Spin wouldn't have even thought to ask. |
| The Story | The Rhome Fire Department opens up its annual fireworks stand. Interestingly, the city has designated an area of land within the city limits where the fireworks can legally be set off, and "it is free for those who buy fireworks at the fire department's stand and $5 for others." |
| News worthiness | *** |
| The Spin | We don't know what part of the story is more confusing: (1) The fact that a fire department sells fireworks at all, (2) penalizing those who buy their Black Cats and bottle rockets from somebody else, or (3) the realization that many folks, frustrated with the price, balk at the $5 fee and go shoot their fireworks off in a grassy field somewhere else. |
| The Story | The Bridgeport Police Department writes 48% more traffic tickets in the first six months of 2000 than for a similar period in 1999. |
| News worthiness | ** |
| The Spin | Maybe the Chamber of Commerce can put this statistic on the city's billboard that can currently be seen in Jeterville. |
| The Story | The Slidell school board fails to eliminate the homestead exemption due to a tie vote: 3 to 3. |
| News worthiness | *** |
| The Spin | Number of board members that failed to attend: 1
Number of taxpayers in the audience: 1 Time Spent on Discussion: 1 hour |