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 7/16/00:
| The Story | During the hottest week of the year, a power failure in Decatur knocks the electricity out for four hours. "Sitting on their porches, or in their lawn chairs, people actually seemed unbothered by the inconvenience". |
| News worthiness (on a scale of 0 to 5) | *** |
| The Spin | "Honey, I didn't realize how we overrated air-conditioning. Maybe we should shut off the water as well." |
| The Story | Ed Hart, Republican candidate for Sheriff, runs a 1/3 page ad. (7/16/00 edition of the Messenger, page 8A). |
| News worthiness | *** |
| The Spin | The Spin does not recall a paid political advertisement ever being published before Labor Day. Hart appears to be ready to spend some money for the upcoming fall campaign. |
| The Story | Front page Messenger headline on 7/13/00: "Hear that barking? It's the dog days of summer" |
| News worthiness | 0 stars |
| The Spin | "What we really mean is that there is absolutely no news to report." |
| The Story | After the city was found to be "deader than a doornail", an editorial in the Messenger on 7/13/00 calls for Decatur to have an organized fourth of July celebration in the year 2001 . |
| News worthiness | * |
| The Spin | "What we really mean is that we wouldn't have to run stories about the 'dog days of summer' if we had pictures of a parade." |
| The Story | Steve Misner, head of the oddly worded "Coalition for Dis-annexation", continues to give the city of New Fairview fits by registering several domain names that the city wished to own. Misner believes the city's boundaries have never properly been set. |
| News worthiness | ** |
| The Spin | So what does mayor John Christian say to support his contention that he knows exactly where the boundaries are? "[B]efore becoming mayor he attempted to get his own property de-annexed. He said he also hired an attorney and did file the proper paperwork but was still unable to detach his land from the city". |
| The Story | Weatherford College, which has a campus in Decatur, extends the contract of school President Dr. Don Huff for two more years. |
| News worthiness | * |
| The Spin | Did you know this college president is paid $42,000 a year less than the Superintendent of the Northwest Independent School District? |