| The Story | The number of dairy farms in Wise County has dropped from 222 in 1963 to only 21 in 2001. |
| News worthiness (on a scale of 0 to 5) | ** |
| The Spin | Gives a new meaning to "Got Milk?" |
| The Story | The Wise County Messenger becomes one of thirty newspapers across the country to run a cartoon called "Off the Beaten Path". |
| News worthiness | ** |
| The Spin | We support this move especially in light of Sunday's edition which included a cartoon depicting God and his wife at the breakfast table with the wife saying: "Now, Marge and Satan are coming over at six for a nice game of bridge. Do you think you two could drop the whole 'good vs. evil' thing for just one night!?" (A little bold for the Bible Belt, by relatively funny nonetheless). |
| The Story | The Grand Jury hands down 53 indictments in one day with the majority of them being for drug related offenses. |
| News worthiness | *** |
| The Spin | That pesky drug war hasn't been won yet? |
| The Story | "Unlike the Sheriff's Department [which has received over $1.5 million in grants over the last 10 years], other smaller community organizations such as the Wise County Domestic Violence Task Force do not reap as many benefits from [grant funds] from the [Department of Justice]." - Messenger, p. 2A, Sunday Edition. |
| News worthiness | * |
| The Spin | Nor should they. Unlike the Sheriff's Office, the Domestic Violence Task Force is a private organization whose existence should rise or fall on voluntary contributions and not your tax dollars. |
| The Story | The City of Bridgeport begins to target substandard housing by making certain repairs are made or seeking demolition of the most dangerous of structures. |
| News worthiness | ** |
| The Spin | City Administrator Jeff Howell, in referring to a dilapidated structure near the elementary school said, "The possibility of a house falling in on a child is not something we would like to see." - Messenger, p. 5A, Sunday Edition |