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 7/8/00:
| The Story | A study indicates Wise County's population will increase by 17% over then next five years. |
| News worthiness (on a scale of 0 to 5) | **** |
| The Spin | Buried in the story was this tidbit: Only 68.4% of Wise County residents age 25 and over have a high school diploma. |
| The Story | Paradise hooks up to a water system that will now allow Lake Bridgeport to serve an additional 451 square mile area of Wise County. |
| News worthiness | *** |
| The Spin | On the very same page of the Wise County Messenger: Low water level at Lake Bridgeport pose a danger to lake users. |
| The Story | Two letters to the editor go on and on about the biblical meaning of The Trinity. A sampling: "You must resist the concept of smorgasbord religion . . . where you pick the verses you like and leave the rest . . . . " |
| News worthiness | * |
| The Spin | Any rumors of the death of The Bible Belt were grossly exaggerated. |
| The Story | A rabid puppy bites a woman who was baby-sitting the pet for a friend. |
| News worthiness | *** |
| The Spin | Warnings were immediately posted for rabid ducklings and rabid bunnies. |
| The Story | A letter to the editor warns against the dangers of "rave" parties: "It is not fun to drink until you vomit or be afraid of getting caught by police under the influence of drugs. It is not fun for young girls to get mauled, molested, used or date raped". |
| News worthiness | ** |
| The Spin | Woodstock 2000 was quickly canceled. |
| The Story | The Robin Hood plan to equalize school funding is criticized by various superintendents and State Representative Phil King. All concerned said (1) the gap between rich and poor districts still exists, and (2) a state sales tax is a fairer way to finance school education. |
| News worthiness | *** |
| The Spin | A truly equitable system would be to implement a sales tax, put all of that tax revenue into one pot, determine the number of students in attendance in public schools, and then distribute the money to each school district based upon the number of students enrolled. Although this will never happen, The Spin wonders what the sales tax rate would have to be in order for Decatur ISD to receive state funds equal to its current budget. Would someone at least calculate it for us? |