Post-Crescent Blog

2009-12-31T14:35:00.001-06:00

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Good night and good luck

2006-07-24T10:11:00.001-05:00

Well, folks, all good things must come to an end, especially those things that simply don't work.

We're deactivating The Post-Crescent Blog (this blog and this blog only) for a couple of reasons, the most predominant of which is that it just hasn't generated the traffic we hoped to see. Running one of these things takes a bit more work than you might think, especially when it's not a hobby or personal labor of love, like so many are. The Post-Crescent will be expanding blog coverage in other areas and for specific events. Again, this is NOT a signal all blogs will be retired.

We enjoyed putting this together and working on it, but in the end, we thought the time and effort needed to sustain the blog can be better used elsewhere, both in the newspaper and online. We'll certainly keep this in mind for the future as our online operations grow, perhaps restarting it on our actual Web site. But for now, we're going to put this baby to sleep.

You're invited to peruse the other P-C blogs, which are listed at http://www.postcrescent.com/specials/blog_directory.shtml. You can also continue to read The Post-Crescent's Views section at http://www.postcrescent.com/opinion.

We have appreciated those of you who were regular readers of the blog, and hope you'll continue to check out our other offerings. Have a good one.

Matt

Sunday's A-1 and more

2006-07-22T13:45:00.000-05:00

Appleton homeowners have undoubtedly noticed that city assessors have associated new dollar figures to their properties. The 2006 reassessment of all city properties has prompted us to offer our readers a primer on how the process works, what your rights and options are, and how even a higher property value doesn't necessarily mean you'll see a higher property tax bill. Reporter Steve Wideman and P-C Madison bureau chief Ben Jones pulled the report together.

We're also kicking off another Post-Crescent Do It! Community Campaign, the annual Backpacks for Kids fund-raiser that plans to stuff 2,010 backpacks for underprivileged students throughout The P-C's circulation area. Kara Patterson is the reporter.

Also on A-1, we'll preview this week's Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture convention in Oshkosh (and there's a special preview section in Monday's P-C).

Elsewhere in Sunday's P-C:

A special Living Well edition, Summer Home Improvement.
Our Life! section, we profile some of the volunteer groups who care for rescued pets, and Steve Hyden adds his weekly "Check It Out" pop-culture column.
An update on the investigation into the recent Ellison Bay explosion; criminal activity has not been ruled out.
In Sports, a profile of Greg Gibson, a former Appleton Xavier star athlete who will go on to pitch at UW-Stevens Point next season, despite blindness in one eye since the age of 4.
An update on the British Open, of course. Tiger Woods has a one-shot lead over Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els and Chris Dimarco heading into Sunday's final round.
Views: An editorial on the public's right-to-know what investigators learned in the Joe Paulus investigation.
Fox Valley Inc.: What do businesses get out of asking employees to volunteer time and resources for community causes?

We hope you enjoy the weekend, and your Sunday P-C. We're also online at www.postcrescent.com.

Dan Flannery

Managing editor

Fw: Saturday's A-1

2006-07-21T22:02:00.000-05:00

Our front page on Saturday includes our second consecutive centerpiece about the current spiked gas prices. Reporter Ed Lowe looks at the affect the high prices have on the Fox Valley's smaller "mom and pop" gas stations, and another story from the Gannett News Service examines the difficulty the petroleum industry sometimes has in keeping the supply satisfying the demand.

Downpage, reporter Jeannine Aquino gets reaction from Wisconsin's geocaching community to the story early this week about Appleton's Union Springs Park. An Appleton alderman accused some damage to the park on geocachers, but since the story was published, The P-C has heard from dozens of the high-tech gamers, outraged at the accusation. They're coming to the Fox Cities next week to clear their name.

We also hope to update the status of a Brillion woman who's temporarily trapped in war-torn Lebanon, trying to find a way back to her family here.

Elsewhere in the Saturday P-C, our Living Well section highlights homes that can accommodate the homeowners, and their older parents, and our Sports section presents part two of our annual Packers positional previews, today on the revamped linebacking corps.

As always, we hope you enjoy what we can offer.

Dan Flannery

Managing editor

Friday's A-1 lineup

2006-07-20T18:29:00.000-05:00

Our lead story in Friday's Post-Crescent is from reporter Duke Behnke, who says suspended police Detective Daniel Dringoli and the city of Neenah reached a settlement Wednesday to resolve Dringoli’s federal lawsuit against the NPD.

Our centerpiece revolves around our fascination and frustration with gas prices. A Gannett News Service story on the failure of the Federal Trade Commission to keep any lid on gas prices, combined with local readers' outlooks on coping with the costs.

On top of the page, we're announcing that the Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers' page devoted to all things Packers -- www.packersnews.com -- has become a free Web site, after a few years of pay-site operation. It's been remodeled, too.

Downpage, reporter Steve Wideman says that Appleton bar owners on Thursday released the latest version of a smoking ban referendum that would exempt 16 bars from the ban. City Clerk Cindi Hesse said if the bar owners collect enough signatures (3,700 of qualified elector electors in the next 10 days the question will be put on the November ballot.

Dan Flannery

Managing editor

Find this with a GPS

2006-07-20T10:19:00.000-05:00

A very small, out of the way park in Appleton has made headlines and forum and blog posts acorss the country.

P-C reporter Steve Wideman had this in a story on Wednesday, July 19:

The city's smallest park is now a carpet of flowers, much to the joy of Ald. Walter Kalata.

Union Springs Park, a 19-by-30-foot patch of dirt and small trees surrounded by asphalt three blocks off College Avenue, is awash in wave petunias that replace the ones Kalata said were killed by people apparently engaged in a high-tech scavenger hunt.

Memorial Florists & Greenhouses of Appleton planted the flowers Tuesday, said owner Tom Aykens.

"We filled that flower bed and made it look nice," Aykens said.

Kalata had planted flowers in the park early this spring, but said many of the flowers recently were uprooted by people apparently looking for clues in an Internet challenge called geocaching. The game involves using online clues and global positioning system devices to pinpoint locations, called waypoints.

First of all, let me give a nice shout out to Memorial Florists and Greenhouses of Appleton, for being a wonderful community partner and planting some flowers.

Second, I'd like to repeat a sentiment of geocachers who have been sending The P-C comments on this story. A few have written in and found it hard to believe the damage at the park was done by someone participating in the scavenger hunt-type activity. They say that when geocachers cache, it is with respect to the area they are exploring.

Less than a year ago, P-C staff writer Heather LaRoi did a recreation story on geocaching. We reproduced it on the Web on Tuesday, July 18, to add some context to this incident in this park.

Check out these links and find out more:

Technology, outdoors meet in scavenger hunt called geocaching

Appleton park gets redo after geocacher trashing

Tech hunters wreck tiny garden in Appleton

Steve Kabelowsky
online editor

Friday's front

2006-06-29T17:32:00.000-05:00

Fifty-five years ago, what some experts now believe was an F-5 tornado ripped through Waupaca County, killing five members of one family, On the front page of Friday's Post-Crescent, reporter Susan Squires revisits that tragedy, and offers safety tips for today.

Our lead story is a human tragedy of another sort: Kimberly-Clark Corp. announced Thursday that another 150 jobs in the Fox Valley will be eliminated over the next nine months, including 50 in July. Business editor Larry Avila has the story.

Reporter Duke Behnke and the Associated Press combine forces above-the-fold Friday in citing the deaths of several Wisconsin birds that were found to have the West Nile virus.

Downpage, we have an AP story on the recovery of a missing Veterans Administration laptop computer, which was apparently not compromised, and a story by P-C reporter Steve Wideman on the efforts of a Green Bay woman to start an escort service in Appleton.

Dan Flannery

Managing editor

Slow season

2006-06-28T14:24:00.000-05:00

We're getting into the slow part of the year, traditionally, for editorial pages. It's summertime, so school's out. Congress will be recessing soon, and the vacation and festival season tends to slow society down some. There's just not the usual amount of activity going on that generates hard news and controversy.

Editorial writers have to dig a bit deeper and be more creative in order to keep their pages lively.

Matt

Swing and a miss

2006-06-28T09:18:00.000-05:00

The paper's recent editorial position toward energy issues - and specifically, gas costs - generally has been to split the responsibility for solving the dilemmas between lawmakers and ordinary citizens. The first group has to realize the oil industry is an oligopoly and requires regulation of some sort and the second group must make a push to change typical lifestyles as energy needs grow and supplies dwindle.

So it's hard to say state Rep. Marlin Schneider, D-Grand Rapids, is completely wrong to voice his suspicions that Wisconsin Rapids is getting screwed in gas prices. But when AAA and a local oil executive both say you're off-base, you might want to reconsider asking the Justice Department to look into pricing irregularities. Unfortunately, this smells stunt-ish, although Schneider wouldn't be the first lawmaker to use gas prices as a political tool.

Schneider sits on the Rural Affairs and Renewable Energy committee in the Assembly. With ethanol surging in popularity, he's sitting in a prime position to advance energy policy. It'd be much more refreshing to see that than the same old complaints about gas prices.

Matt

Photo from state Rep. Marlin Schneider's Web site: http://www.legis.state.wi.us/assembly/asm72/asm72.html

Light the fuse

2006-06-27T10:58:00.000-05:00

Fireworks occupy an odd place in society, which our A-1 story got into today. Mostly, they're legal to sell, but mostly, they're not legal to own or use. However, they're so popular and such an ingrained part of our most entertaining secular holiday that everyone from the police to your neighbors just conveniently overlooks the whole legal issue.

Of course, when some poor sap blows a couple of his fingers off, we all make noise about how they're dangerous and should be supervised, etc., etc., but we don't bother to mention how hardly anybody should be using them in the first place.

In a way, it's sort of like illegal immigration: We all know it's happening, we all overlook it (at least til recently) and we all expect it since it's just become a part everyday living, even though it's against the law.

Matt

Update on ethics bill

2006-06-27T10:48:00.000-05:00

There's been some talk about a special session in the state Legislature to take up SB1, the bill authored by Sen. Mike Ellis, R-Neenah, that would combine the state Ethics and Elections Board and strengthen the enforcement capability of the combined board.
But Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, writing in his blog, provides some insight into why that might not be worthwhile.

Larry

Keeping secrets

2006-06-26T12:35:00.000-05:00

The ante has been upped in the growing battle between the Bush administration and news media. Last week, three major newspapers published stories about a secret program the government used to track financial transactions in and out of the U.S. Today, the president responded.

The scariest part, I think, is Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., asking for a prosecution of the New York Times for "treasonous" behavior. For reference, here is how treason is defined in U.S. law:

"Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States."

Well, we can all agree that the Times didn't levy war or adhere to our enemies. So we're down to "giving them aid and comfort." That's a rather broad concept, methinks. And honestly, if our enemies are just finding out about programs like these via the newspaper, they're dumb enough that we should have caught them long ago.

Matt

Editorial week in review

2006-06-26T09:44:00.000-05:00

Here's a capsule look at the editorials from the last week. To read the full editorial, go to www.postcrescent.com and click on Opinion.

Larry

SUNDAY, JUNE 18
On the trial of state employee Georgia Thompson: It has raised the public's awareness — and public officials' awareness — of the state contracting process and the perception that campaign contributions can be used to influence how contracts are awarded. A criminal case such as this might be an extreme example, but it's an example of how to shine a light on an area that the public doesn't see, even if it's an "open" process. … Thompson's conviction should send a strong message to anyone involved in the process of awarding a state contract that their motives must be pure and their decisions above-board.

TUESDAY, JUNE 20
On the need for a federal shield law for reporters: There are those rare occasions when anonymous sources are necessary. The revelations of the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of President Nixon is the most familiar example in recent history. Reporters must be allowed to protect the identity of sources, at least with qualifications. The bill in the Senate to establish a federal shield law for the media is a protection that would serve not only the press, but the public, too.
On a Milwaukee charter school giving gift cards to good students who enroll there: One school offering a financial incentive to attract students creates an uneven playing field in the competition that charter and choice school advocates claim is so desperately needed in Milwaukee schools. It might be a good deal for the school and its students, but it's a bad deal for the rest of Wisconsin taxpayers.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21
On law enforcement using data brokers to get personal information: Federal law enforcement says it doesn't encourage illegal behavior from brokers, nor would it approve. But given the nature of the business, that's a "see no evil, hear no evil" attitude. None of the police agencies the AP contacted reported researching the brokers they deal with to see if they legitimately conduct business. In other words, they want to get around constitutional law, dang it, and what they don't know won't hurt them. This is wrong on so many levels, it's appalling anyone ever thought it was OK. If police can't do their jobs without illegal help, we have much bigger worries than terrorism. These tactics are frightening and should be ended immediately, without exception.

THURSDAY, JUNE 22
On a UW policy proposal to weigh nonacademic factors in admissions decisions: It's a way to give full consideration to a student's abilities, dedication and obstacles he or she has overcome. It's a way to find the best candidates for success in college. But grades still matter.
On Gov. Jim Doyle's administration missing a deadline for submitting a public petition on gas prices to the federal government: On a basic level, it's worrisome that the administration that runs an entire state can't figure out how to send a letter and list of names to the nation's capital by a self-imposed deadline. In an election year, however, that bureaucratic baloney reveals the petition to be nothing more than a hollow promise designed to garner votes.

FRIDAY, JUNE 23
On some Grand Chute elected officials keeping pay and benefits, against the vote of town citizens: It's not about the money as much as it's about responsibility and public trust. It's about how they respond to their constituents — actually, how they respond to their bosses. Their response: We don't care about you, what you think or what you want us to do. They've disregarded the recommendations of the committee formed explicitly to make recommendations. And they've disrespected the residents who came out to vote in the annual meeting, not to mention the residents who voted in the April election. Instead of serving the public, it sounds like they're serving themselves.

Community tells the story

2006-06-24T16:09:00.000-05:00

The digital world has changed the way in which media tells the story, and it also has changed the role of the reader. One of our readers, Sue Ryals, took photos following a house fire at 126 Main St. in Kimberly on Thursday.

See them here on our Web site.

This just shows another example on how readers can add to the report and can help inform, communicate with and strengthen the community.

-Steve

Close to home

2006-06-23T09:45:00.000-05:00

The news that a group of idiots in Florida were planning to bomb the Sears Tower rattled me a bit this morning.

For those who haven't gathered already, I'm a Chicago native, and my mother works in a building only a few blocks from the Greatest Building Ever Constructed. Today's news brought me back to 9-11, when rumors flew that the Sears Tower was next on the terrorists' hit list and I spent the day frantically trying to get in touch with my mom to make sure she was OK.

Just to make me feel better, the Chicago Sun-Times ran a graphic a few days later that illustrated what the extent of the destruction in New York would look like if centered on the Sears Tower. My mom's building fell well within the danger zone.

I wonder what Ozzie Guillen would call these guys.

Matt

Friday's front

2006-06-22T18:14:00.000-05:00

We're cruising into the biggest sports weekend in Fox Valley history with a profile of the volunteer organizations who are making the U.S. Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Tournament happen at fields in Appleton and Neenah. Maureen Wallenfang has the story, and Jeannine Aquino begins a seven-part series on individual volunteers.

Reporter Ed Lowe has the lead story, on Grand Chute's plans to build a new fire station in a growing area of the town. Emergency response times are an issue for the town, but so is money.

Downpage, we'll have the results of the Senate vote on the estate tax, and a Gannett News Service story on the growing debate about the new vaccine that could protect girls from cervical cancer. At issue is the ethics of immunizing 10- and 11-year-old girls, and who authorizes the immunization.

Dan Flannery

Managing editor

Finding fault

2006-06-22T11:18:00.000-05:00

Ah, and the disillusionment with government - and personal responsibility - continues.

The Wausau Daily Herald did a big story today on how citizens are getting frustrated with politicians' inability to do something about escalating gas prices. While I think they are right to a point - candidates' constant promises on what they'll do to lower gas prices rarely come close to fruition - the article subtly makes another argument: There are things we can do, too.

It lists several Wausau-area folks who have taken the initiative to change their energy use to less-costly methods. They took the time (and investment) to move part of their everyday living off of petroleum and natural gas and onto renewable energy.

Why don't more people do things like install solar water heaters? It's easier to point the finger and complain, I suppose.

Matt

Don't be cruel

2006-06-22T09:09:00.000-05:00

When someone prefaces a statement by saying, "Not to be cruel ...," you know they're about to be. The guilty party here is Jessica McBride, a part-time talk radio host at WTMJ in Milwaukee - scroll down to the post titled, "The big problem with the Travelgate hearings: Where's our Fawn Hall?"

Larry

Lots and lots of studies

2006-06-22T09:03:00.000-05:00

One of my semi-regular stops when looking for editorial topics is docuticker.com. It's a wide-ranging roundup of study results. You'll find everything from the latest analyses from the Government Accountability Office to a study from the British Journal of Sports Medicine called "Efficacy of tart cherry juice blend in preventing the symptoms of muscle damage" (in case you're wondering, the study shows it helps). A lot of interesting reading here.

Larry

Kaufert's column rebutted

2006-06-20T14:36:00.000-05:00

Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, is taking some heat for a guest column he wrote that ran in the June 15 Post-Crescent. In the column, Kaufert talks about his support for a bill in the Legislature that failed to get an Assembly vote. Democratic supporters of the bill tried to use a "pulling motion" to get the bill out of a committee and to the full Assembly. But the vote on the motion failed, as most Republicans, including Kaufert, opposed it.
Kaufert says in his column that he never supports "such backhanded attempts to thwart the process, even if it means voting against my own proposal."
However, bloggers Carrie Lynch (here, here and here) and Bill Christofferson point out that's not necessarily true.

Larry

Editorial week in review

2006-06-20T14:34:00.000-05:00

Here's a capsule look at our editorials from the past week. To view the full editorials, go to www.postcrescent.com and click on Opinion.

Larry

SUNDAY, JUNE 11
On a quality of life study of the Fox Cities: The good news is that, in many measures and in many opinions, the quality of life here is very good. Compared with other areas of the nation and, in some instances, compared with other areas of Wisconsin, the Fox Cities rates highly in categories such as low crime, education and cost of living. The bad news … well, yes, there's some of that, too. But it's best to acknowledge the bad news and then take it a step forward and look at it as an opportunity to improve our way of life.

TUESDAY, JUNE 13
On the state falling short of its minority spending goal: It's clear the state's initiative overall is lacking. It isn't just about helping minority businesses. It's about helping a community in which a little investment can do a world of good. And it's about creating a stronger economy and a stronger society for all Wisconsin residents. This is a losing streak that has to stop.
On growing sales of flexible-fuel vehicles: One of the main arguments against creating more alternatively fueled vehicles has been that consumers aren't interested in them, so manufacturers won't build them. Well, if the much-publicized waiting lists for the hybrid Toyota Prius don't shoot that one down, these sales figures certainly do.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14
On a high-frequency ringtone that older people have trouble hearing: The problem is that teens are using the ringer to signal incoming messages while they're in class, a place where cell phone use is almost always banned. ... It's certainly easy to offer some bemused applause to those darned kids who always seem to be a step ahead of those of us who once were just as determined to flout authority.
On Hortonville not being able to get stoplights at a busy intersection: Any system that dictates a small but necessary project has to wait until it's part of a bigger project is a system that's flawed. The good folks of Hortonville deserve their stoplights.

THURSDAY, JUNE 15
On people who abused FEMA aid for hurricane relief: While the reports of people spending federal aid on vacations and strip clubs represent a minority of the overall affected populace, it sends a message about that populace to the rest of the nation despite its inaccuracy, similar to those imbeciles who used the hurricane as an opportunity to commit crimes and incite mayhem. FEMA would do well to learn from this, as it has nearly every other misstep it has made since August. And Gulf Coast residents should be chastened by how a few among them have smeared the reputation of the many. But really … is anyone surprised?
On a state DNR proposal to buy land for ATV trails: The DNR is right to look at the issue. There's a need that isn't being met, and ATVs are incompatible on recreational trails. But the proposal raises many questions that haven't been answered yet.

FRIDAY, JUNE 16
On proposals to reform health coverage in Wisconsin: None of these plans is perfect. None may even be the right answer as it stands now. The point is that each of them gives the rest of the state — and the state Legislature, in particular — something solid to build from. Talk is good, but we need some action on health care reform, too.
On the National Security Agency stonewalling a Justice Department investigation of domestic eavesdropping: As Michael Shaheen, a former longtime OPR head, told National Public Radio: "No one in OPR for the 24 years I was there was denied the necessary clearance, ever, and much less one that brought to a conclusion an investigation. That just makes it smell the worse." Yes, it does.

Hitting for par

2006-06-19T13:33:00.000-05:00

Given how our recent editorial on how racism is creeping into the illegal immigration debate generated an overwhelming amount of responses from people upset because they thought we called them racists, and the latest news that state elections ballots will be printed in multiple languages, which has bothered folks (we'll be printing a call about it tomorrow), I have an observation to make that you can take any which way you please.

Geoff Ogilvy won the U.S. Open golf tournament Sunday. Ogilvy is from Australia.

A foreigner won a golf tournament named after our country. And I haven't heard one peep from anyone.

Could it be because he's white and speaks English (albeit with an accent)? I don't know; that would echo the editorial. But if printing Spanish on election ballots is so out of whack, I think it's a bit puzzling that an Australian can win a major golf tournament - a patriotically named one, at that - and it's OK to the same people.

Matt

Military formation

2006-06-16T08:41:00.000-05:00

Keep an eye out Sunday for the latest installment of Mail Call, our periodic feature that offers the words and thoughts of soldiers based in the Fox Valley who are serving overseas as well as other members of the military native to the area. The question was volunteered by a woman married to a soldier serving in the National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry, based in Appleton.

Matt

This is amusing

2006-06-15T13:59:00.000-05:00

Like any other government official, President Bush has to keep track of any and all gifts he receives for public record. The Smoking Gun published a list of all his foreign gifts from 2004. Interesting to see what the richest and most powerful men and women in the world give each other.

And how cheap the Sultan of Brunei seems to be.

Matt

An embarrassment

2006-06-15T09:54:00.000-05:00

Alas.

Turns out it was a Marine in that Internet video singing a song about killing an Iraqi family.

He said he intended no harm. While that may be so, it does not change the fact that he's a moron. I expect he'll be discharged, sacrificed on the altar of public relations, but maybe that's not such a bad thing.

In a world where psychological warfare plays out on the front pages of newspapers every day, doing something like this is stupidity on a monumental scale.

Matt

Hatred in politics

2006-06-14T09:31:00.000-05:00

In today's letters, we have the latest in an ongoing discussion about political groups and their supporters using hatred as a tool to bring down the other side.

Ms. Misco blames the Democrats for creating a culture of hate, and others have rebutted and supported her, but the whole discussion reminded me of this.

I understand there are pundits and talking heads on both sides of the aisle who spew insults and whatnot at each other. But no one else ever wishes death upon her political opposites, or violating every possible standard of decency in order to bash the other side, with the pure poison Ann Coulter does. I mean, when Bill O'Reilly is telling you you've gone too far, that's probably a pretty good indication you have.

Matt

Wednesday's A-1

2006-06-13T22:22:00.000-05:00

We have some good news and some old-fashioned interesting stuff on the front page of Wednesday’s Post-Crescent.

Our lead story and centerpiece is recap of the events that led to the Tuesday morning capture of Steven Barentson, a longtime fugitive from justice and the subject of a frantic manhunt in Calumet County early this week. Reporter Ed Lowe interviewed the cab driver who gave police the information needed to apprehend Barentson.

Our “strip story” (above the centerpiece, under the P-C nameplate) is on Gov. Doyle’s announcement of a $2.3 million aid plan to help soon-to-be-displaced workers at Neenah’s Glatfelter Paper Mill get new job training. The mill is scheduled to close June 30, but 40 workers will stay on temporarily to work on shutting it down.

Our other story about the fold is an AM-edition version of a story on President Bush’s surprise trip to Iraq.

Downpage, sports columnist Mike Woods profiles recent Appleton East graduate Andy Balliet, who in the space of four days over last weekend, graduated from high school, won a state lacrosse championship, and flew to San Diego to begin his new career in the Marines. Not your typical post-graduation weekend.

Dan Flannery

Managing editor

What they're saying about Thompson verdict

2006-06-13T15:29:00.000-05:00

The state political blogosphere - at least the right side of it - has some red meat to chew on with the guilty verdict in the Georgia Thompson trial. With an assist to wisopinion.com, here's a roundup of what they have to say:
Above the Belt
Boots and Sabers
Fraley's DailyTakes
Jessica McBride
Wigderson Library & Pub
And here are the thoughts of a couple of blogs from the left:
In Effect
The Xoff Files

Larry

War is hell part 2

2006-06-13T14:15:00.000-05:00

Well, only a couple days after I post this, news reports come out about someone creating an Internet music video purporting to be a Marine singing about slaughtering an Iraqi family.

Sigh.

Nobody knows yet whether or not its legit, or if the guy's even actually a leatherneck. But if it is a "joke," interesting how the idiot chose a Marine as his fictional identity instead of, say, an Air Force NCO.

Matt

Back to the future

2006-06-13T11:43:00.000-05:00

This confession may shake your confidence in me a bit, but yesterday, when I read the results of the straw poll at the Democrats' convention, I saw Scot Ross had "won" secretary of state, and my first thought was, "Who is the secretary of state?"

After some quick consultation with Larry, I now understand that in Wisconsin, that post is apparently all but ceremonial (and vestigial). In my home state of Illinois, it's a very powerful post, and most people are readily aware of who sits in that seat since he or she is in charge of the Department of Motor Vehicles, among other things, so you see current Secretary of State Jesse White's face and name every time you renew your plates or license, register your car, etc.

So I was a bit pleased to see Scot Ross wants to reverse the trend in the office. I'm not saying he deserves my vote or any others because of it, but it's nice that he thinks a governmental post should, you know, actually do government stuff.

Matt

One of those days

2006-06-13T11:13:00.000-05:00

This morning was a great example of how our front page can be different between AM edition and PM edition.

In the six hours between the end of our AM press run and our PM update shift: (1) Authorities captured Steven Barentson, the subject of a large manhunt in Calumet County for the past two days and (2) President Bush made a surprise trip to Iraq.

That caused us to move a few stories around on our front page, and push one to another section.

In a way, it's a hassle. Takes a lot of moving stories, photos and pages around to get it right in time for our 11 a.m. press start.

In another way, it's a great opportunity to serve the readers of our PM (home-delivery). They expect to see the news of the day in their afternoon P-C.

Dan Flannery

Managing editor

Damage control

2006-06-13T09:30:00.000-05:00

So Georgia Thompson steered a state contract to a firm friendly to Gov. Doyle. I really can't say I'm surprised. Of course, my Chicago upbringing probably has a lot to do with my lack of surprise when it comes to political corruption.

Anyhow, an interesting thing to note is Doyle's response to the guilty verdict, particularly these two passages:

"While I have never met Georgia Thompson, I had, and continue to have, tremendous faith in our state workers, and the men and women who work at the Department of Administration. I had every expectation that the allegations against her would be proven wrong."

Four paragraphs later: "I have been carefully briefed of the testimony at the trial, and from the evidence presented by both the prosecution and the defense, it is clear that Georgia Thompson acted on her own and that no other state employee was involved."

I realize there's some spin required in situations such as these, but if the governor truly expected her to be found innocent, he's 0 for 1. Not a result to bolster trust in his judgment. So why then should we expect his evaluation that she acted alone to be any more reliable?

Matt

Tuesday's front

2006-06-12T16:47:00.000-05:00

You don't need X-ray vision to see that this is road-construction season throughout Wisconsin. But with the improvements to our roads comes a significant danger to the workers who are making the improvements.

In Tuesday's A-1 centerpiece, staff writer Ed Lowe reminds our readers that tragedy is all too easy to come by in those work zones for drivers who aren't paying attention.

Our lead story is the sentencing of former Appleton West High School principal Chad Welch, who was convicted of embezzling almost $25,000 from school activity accounts. Welch was sentenced to 30 days in jail (served on 10 weekends) and 1,000 hours of community service. Dan Wilson covered today's court proceedings for The P-C.

Also above the fold is the continuing search in Calumet County for a suspect wanted in Omaha, Neb.

Downpage, readers will see an Associated Press report on FBI statistics that show violent crime increased 33 percent in Milwaukee from 2004 to 2005.

Dan Flannery

Managing editor

'Republicans support dead people'

2006-06-12T16:23:00.000-05:00

Took an odd call on the It's Your Call line last weekend. A woman, who naturally left no identifying information, said, "I can't believe you did not put a picture of that murdering al-Zarqawi on the front page. You must all be Democrats."

I believe she was referring to the news Friday that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, head of al-Qaida in Iraq, had been killed. I was tempted to go to the Democratic Party Web site and search for the bylaw that says the party is against pictures of dead people. Likewise, the statement would seem to indicate that Republicans prefer photos of dead people.

I've heard some crazy things in this job, but being able to tell what political party someone is in based on their usage of images of corpses was a new one to me.

It's not my place to explain why we did not use a photo of al-Zarqawi's corpse, as many media outlets in several mediums (TV, print, Internet) did. I'm not a part of the regular news operation at The P-C, and I'll ask Dan Flannery to explain here a bit more how and why we handle images of dead human beings.

But I do find it disturbing that Americans now believe they can determine each other's political allegiances through behaviors that really have no political significance - "Oh my goodness, you're wearing purple, you're so anti-Bush" - with no regard for facts or background information. Of course, it's always to cast stones from a glass house, and I'm fairly certain that, even with no identifying information, I know what party that caller favors.

Matt

War is hell

2006-06-12T13:05:00.000-05:00

As the investigation into what exactly happened in Haditha, Iraq, goes forward, I can't help but feel sad. It's another bad spot of PR for the U.S. and the Marine Corps, in particular.

Given my jarhead pedigree, I admit a bias. But it seems to me that every time I hear about a former Marine committing a crime, the first thing noted about him (or her) is his or her Corps affiliation. Not his job, not his fraternity in college, not his hometown, but his military record. Haditha is different, I agree, but it plays into the same perception: Marines are nuts.

I'll grant that we play up that end, in a good way. After all, enemy units have been known to surrender immediately once hearing that Marines were on the battlefield. But the other edge of that sword is that people hear about things like Haditha and think, "Figures ... it was the Marines."

The one thing I will say, not knowing all the facts (as none of us do), is that combat is an alternate reality. I don't say this from experience, but I've had enough training and time spent with men who have seen a firefight or 10 to know that no person standing outside that reality can judge it. Even a father can't know what his son will or won't do when bullets fly. No more than you can understand why a perfectly normal person slaughters his own family. The person you are is not the person you become in those situations.

Matt

(Photo of Marines fighting in Haditha in the weeks prior to the massacre courtesy of AP.)

What's a signing statement?

2006-06-12T08:37:00.000-05:00

Part of our daily routine involves cruising the editorial pages of other newspapers. Sometimes we see a topic we hadn't thought of, and sometimes we see a topic we thought of but an angle on it we hadn't considered. We don't "copy" other people's opinions, although it's no uncommon for us to have the same stance on a particular issue as others.

Sometimes we just see good writing and it's a bit inspirational (and daunting).

One of the goals of the editorial pages is to educate and inform. One way we like to do this is to highlight a story that may not have gotten a lot of attention, and we feel it needs to be seen by more people than it may have been. This San Francisco Chronicle editorial is in that vein.

You may agree or disagree with it, but it's probably something not a lot of people know about.

Matt

Editorial week in review

2006-06-09T16:52:00.000-05:00

Here's a capsule look at the editorials from the last week. To read the full editorials, go to www.postcrescent.com and click on "Opinion."

Larry Gallup
Editorial page editor

SUNDAY, JUNE 4
On pensions for convicted state legislators: In a working world in which pensions are fast becoming a thing of the past, the idea that crooked politicians can continue to benefit from their public disservice is particularly galling. At least part of their pension — reflecting the portion of their tenure in which their corruption can be proven — should be withheld.

TUESDAY, JUNE 6
On the 25-year fight against AIDS: For the African continent and many other Third World countries, AIDS is a deadly wave that kills millions, wrecking families and economies. The World Health Organization and many other groups campaign endlessly for more money and medicine for the poor citizens of nations that lack America’s resources. In 25 years, we have turned a death sentence into a manageable illness. Now it’s time for the benefit of that knowledge and investment to be given to everyone.
On the 20th anniversary of ThedaStar: You might be familiar with the helicopter’s service during medical emergencies at the scenes of accidents. But that only accounts for about 30 percent of its work. The rest is in transporting patients from one hospital to another. In both cases, time is crucial. That’s why ThedaStar has been such a blessing to our area.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7
On cuts in Homeland Security grants to New York and Washington: Any “more sophisticated risk formula” that doesn’t recognize that New York and Washington are in monumentally more danger than any other U.S. cities has missed its mark. The formula — as well as the entire grant process — needs yet another revision.
On the FDA urging restaurants to help in the fight against obesity: The FDA should be focusing more on changing consumers’ habits, rather than changing business trends. If consumers start demanding healthier food, businesses will follow in the blink of an eye. … Just because healthier food is offered doesn’t mean anyone will want it.

THURSDAY, JUNE 8
On the start of hurricane season: With the evacuation, communication and all sorts of other problems that occurred last year, governments in hurricane-threatened areas better have plans, backup plans and backup plans to the backup plans. New Orleans and Louisiana officials say they’re better prepared this year. That wouldn’t be hard to top. The key will be communication with each other — and with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
On a Defense Department policy permitting inhumane treatment of detainees, bypassing a new law against it: Though it may be against considerable odds, the Bush administration and the Defense Department must pay heed to the State Department’s warning. The new law was a step in the right direction. This policy would be a step backward, a step we can’t afford to take.

FRIDAY, JUNE 9
On an audit of the state Department of Natural Resources’ Fish and Wildlife Account: What the audit shows is that, yes, the DNR does appear to be using the Fish and Wildlife Account money to serve those who hunt and fish. But it is indeed spending more money than it’s taking in — and that’s cause for concern. … The lesson for both sides comes in the audit’s recommendation to monitor the account’s balance. Then, if necessary, the DNR will have to decide how to cut its expenses — or raise more money.
On a study on intermittent explosive disorder: While this can be a legitimate disorder that can cause serious harm to a person and those around him, it’s no excuse for everybody who has trouble controlling their anger or reining in their selfishness. Some people may have intermittent explosive disorder. Other people are just jerks sometimes.

A subject of interest

2006-06-09T11:36:00.000-05:00

I've got a particular interest in energy issues, having attended an editorial writers' conference on the subject and its mind-boggling complexities late last year. I by no means claim to be an expert, but I have more than a passing understanding of the big picture and some fairly well-informed beliefs on the myriad angles of the topic.

Regardless, I try to keep an eye out for interesting news on energy in America, and this was a nice bit to see this morning. It's not earth-shattering by any means, but it is good news, I think, and something that deserves a round of applause, both for carmakers and consumers. I'll probably pitch that as a future editorial idea to my colleagues today.

Matt

Friday's front page

2006-06-08T18:02:00.000-05:00

One of the things we strive for in our Page A-1 design is to give it an active feel, with as many "entry points" for readers as possible.

Generally, between our stories, our "skybox" and our "rail," we try to get at least eight different items "above the fold" on A-1, in an attempt to lure single-copy customers. In those 8-10 items, we hope they'll find something worth the 50-cent (daily) or $1.75 (Sunday) investment in our product.

In Friday's paper, it's a very active A-1. Our Friday P-Cs are some of our best papers, in my humble (yet professional) opinion.

Our "skybox" (that's the two- or three-mention package of story suggestions for readers at the very top of A-1, above The P-C's nameplate) includes Steve Hyden's always-funny "Under 30" column, our Life! section cover story on the weekend warriors who participate in such events as this weekend's Neenah Streetball tournament, and a profile of the TimberRattlers' big man on the mound — a former Michigan State basketball player who stands 6-10 and weighs 275 pounds.

Our "rail" (that's the column of story suggestions on the far left of A-1) will include content from our Local&State, Sports and Business pages, including the popular "Buzz" column by Maureen Wallenfang.

Our centerpiece, and lead story, is tonight's commencement events for Appleton's three public high schools. We'll have vignettes, photos and feedback from West, North and East.

Also above the fold is local reaction (and an Associated Press or Gannett News Service reaction piece) to the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Iraq's most wanted man. We've asked several local people, including a peace activist and those with relatives in the military overseas, their views on the matter.

We're also including a "billboard" on A-1 that tells readers in a quick and graphic manner of several major community events happening this weekend: Neenah's Streetball basketball tournament, Lawrence University graduation, the annual Brett Favre charity softball game and Appleton's Flag Day Parade. We also "refer" — that is, we make readers aware of stories — to stories that preview a few of these events throughout the Friday P-C.

Below the fold, reporter Duke Behnke tells us that no suspensions of Neenah Police Department administrators will happen, as suspended Detective Daniel Dringoli suggested last week.

And we'll include an imporant AP or GNS piece on the FDA's approval of a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer.

That's a busy page, and a pretty good look at why our Friday papers are such a bargain, in my view.

Dan Flannery

Managing editor

A gift and a curse

2006-06-08T11:23:00.000-05:00

The Internet I was so recently touting can be a pain in the butt sometimes. Specifically, right now.

Blogger.com has been having some issues lately, as also related in our sister blog, Under 30. Hopefully, this is just temporary and we can get back to posting regularly. But right now, it's a struggle just to get the darn site up.

Matt

The mystery revealed

2006-06-07T10:13:00.001-05:00

Remember this?

Did you see today's letters? If not, you can see what I'm talking about here.

We actually thought the letter was probably a hoax when we first got it, but we confirmed it was real and were rather pleased. Sure, we get letters from high-profile people on a regular basis, but they're usually tied to the area in some way. This kind of came out of left field, and I'm still not sure why Ms. Sheehan decided to write. After all, this isn't the first time someone has criticized her in the Views pages.

However, it is a testament to our Web site - and the Internet as a whole - that the conversations the Views pages are intended to facilitate are growing beyond the Valley, especially on national and international issues.

Matt

Wednesday with The P-C

2006-06-06T17:24:00.000-05:00

Wednesday's lead story: An Appleton West athletics booster club is proposing to buy 21 homes near the West campus, and relocate the owners of those homes, to expand the school's athletic facilities. It's a pretty spectacular suggestion and would literally alter the landscape around the city's oldest high school. Assistant sports editor Dan VanderPas has the story.
Wednesday's centerpiece: The latest in our periodic "World of Difference" stories. Theologian David Bruenning and about 40 volunteers work from a Neenah warehouse to procure between $8 million and $10 million in goods annually for distribution to the Third World. Neenah bureau reporter Duke Behnke contributes the story.
Also above-the-fold, we're using a "billboard" format (a graphics/text presentation between The P-C's nameplate and our lead story/centerpiece) to alert readers to changes in the schedules for Green Bay Packers' practice sessions during training camp, and ticket info for the team's Family Fun Night.
Downpage, readers will see:

P-C Washington bureau reporter Brian Tumulty reports that Wisconsin's senators, Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl, will oppose abolishing the proposed tax on multimillion-dollar inheritances.

The Associated Press reports that scientists at a Boston hospital and Harvard University have begun cloning human embryos to create stem cells for treatment of disease.

Dan Flannery
Managing editor

Hardhats or helmets?

2006-06-06T15:15:00.000-05:00

You know, I have to ask: Is this what we have a National Guard for? This is an Associated Press image (courtesy of the Chicago Tribune Web site) of Utah National Guard troops from the 116th Construction Equipment Support Company preparing to extend a wall along the U.S. border in San Luis, Ariz.

I mean, if all we needed were some people to help build a wall, we couldn't contract out the job? There aren't any civilian construction firms that could handle this? Heck, Halliburton does everything else for us, why not this too?

Why are we pulling citizen-soldiers (note how "citizen" comes first) from across the country to build a wall? This is a military force being used for a non-military purpose. Oh sure, you can argue they're providing for national security, but we didn't turn to them when we needed extra screeners in airports. Could have used a large number of trained people then, too.

If they were on the border to keep people out with force, OK. If they were augmenting undermanned border patrols, OK. But these guys are essentially construction workers and engineers in camouflage. Their military skills are all but irrelevant. I'm not necessarily against having them there, but let's do it because they're the best folks for the job.

Matt

Not quite GOP vs. Dems, but close

2006-06-06T11:20:00.000-05:00

Far be it from me to send you to a newspaper other than the best in Wisconsin two years running (that would be us), but sometimes, when you're looking for serious social and political issues that impact the daily life of the average person, you stumble across stories like this and go, "I wonder what kind of odds you can get for a deer vs. a pit bull?"

It's times like this when you realize just how valuable photojournalists are, because I really want pictures.

Matt

The usual hangouts

2006-06-06T09:07:00.000-05:00

Three sites Larry visit on a daily basis are WisPolitics.com, WisOpinion.com and the Wheeler Report. They focus on civic and legislative issues around Wisconsin and contain press releases, news stories, newspaper editorials, opinion columns and a variety of other information.

Sometimes we find our editorial subjects in these spots, sometimes we research ideas we already have and sometimes we just laugh at some of the odder things, like the word "gas-o-goguery."

Matt

Tuesday's P-C

2006-06-05T17:55:00.000-05:00

Detective Daniel Dringoli has been suspended with pay by the Neenah Police Department since January 2005. He's been charged with four felony counts of misconduct in office and one felony count of prematurely disclosing a search warrant for incidents between March 2001 and January 2005.
But last week, Dringoli filed charges of his own against the administrators of the Neenah PD, claiming offices lied, misled judicial officers, and failed to perform supervisory duties, report misconduct and take police action when necessary.
That's the lead story in Tuesday's P-C.
Our D-Day centerpiece is about a local World War II veteran, still waiting for his Purple Heart earned during Operation Overlord.
Downpage, readers will see:

Kara Patterson reports that Tuesday marks the 20th anniversary of ThedaStar, the area's only aerial medical service, which has become a Fox Cities medical icon.
President Bush made a more impassioned and public pitch for a ban on gay marriage on Monday.

In Sports, we'll have the results of Michelle Wie's bid to qualify for the U.S. Open men's golf tournament, and the FC Magic U19 boys soccer team is competing in the finals of the Wisconsin State Cup, for a spot in the U.S. Youth Soccer Region II Championships, held in the Fox Cities on June 23-28.
Dan Flannery
Managing editor

It really is the World Wide Web

2006-06-05T15:10:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned this in an earlier post, but it always sort of amazes me when people get upset that their letters or other submissions only get published on The Post-Crescent Web site. While I understand the prominence of a newspaper that's been published for more than 150 years in a community, I don't think people really understand just how far the Internet reaches. I mean, our newspaper circulates about 53,000 copies a day, even more on Sunday. We figure we reach about 100,000 people a day (with multiple people reading one copy of a newspaper).

By contrast, more than a billion people across the planet use the Internet. Slightly wider audience, I'd say.

My reason for bringing all this up? We got a letter today from someone rather prominent in the current U.S. political scene, someone with no ties to Wisconsin that I'm aware of and someone who's probably never seen a print copy of The Post-Crescent in his or her life. I'm guessing he or she spotted an item of interest on our Web site and wrote in. If that item of interest had "only" been printed in ink, I'm positive it wouldn't have drawn this particular response.

Wanna know who? Keep an eye on the paper - and the Web site - for the next couple of days.

Matt

Cool stuff about ThedaStar

2006-06-05T14:21:00.000-05:00

I just finished writing an editorial that's in appreciation of ThedaStar, ThedaCare's medical helicopter, on the occasion of its 20th anniversary. If you're interested in learning more about ThedaStar, there's lots of information here on ThedaCare's Web site.

Larry Gallup
Editorial page editor

The tip of the spear

2006-06-05T13:21:00.000-05:00

Today is the 25th anniversary of the first published medical work on AIDS, something we'll be noting in an editorial tomorrow. But it's interesting to read this L.A. Times piece by the doctor who first brought attention to a mysterious disease afflicting several gay men who came to his hospital.

Very rarely do you hear anything from the often-anonymous people at the very beginning of important social advancements: the first soldier to hit Normandy's beaches, the first person to see an atom, the first guy to kiss Angelina Jolie. So I thought it was a fascinating first-person account of the discovery of a worldwide epidemic that currently afflicts 40 million people.

Matt

Welcome to P-C Blog v2.0

2006-06-05T11:53:00.000-05:00

For those faithful readers who have stuck by us as The Post-Crescent Blog was born, grew herkily-jerkily (no, that's not a word) and offered some transparency into our 24-7 news operation, we have a reward.

A new template.

OK, so it's more than that. The PCB (it's far less dangerous than the ones in the Fox River) is going to undergo some philosophical changes, starting right now. Up to this point, it's been written by myself, Larry Gallup, Steve Kabelowsky, Dan Flannery and Andrew Oppman, five editors at The Post-Crescent, and we've stuck to explaining our various roles and disciplines at the paper. It was probably good public relations, but maybe not as interesting as this blog could be.

So starting right now, Larry and I will take over primary posting duties. Each day, we'll sort of take you through our thought processes in developing the paper's editorial opinions and Views pages. We'll post links to stories we find interesting, explain why we do or don't write on various issues, drop some gems we may find as we do our research and basically open a window into the two-man office that occupies half of a space in the newsroom we call The Double-Wide. (Yes, like the mobile home. Don't ask.)

However, our cohorts will continue to make appearances, and hopefully the blog will become a bit funnier, a bit quirkier and a whole lot more fun to read. We're also hoping to dramatically increase the amount of hate mail we receive.

And with that, we're off.

Matt

Editorial week in review

2006-06-02T16:11:00.000-05:00

Here's a capsule look at our editorials from the past week. To read the full editorials, go to www.postcrescent.com and click on "Opinion."

Larry Gallup
Editorial page editor

SUNDAY, MAY 28
On Memorial Day: We must remember that there are more heroes dying every day, that their exploits are as worthy as Audie Murphy’s or Chesty Puller’s, even though no one has written a book or filmed a movie about them yet. … Memorial Day is not a time to debate politics, to analyze and dissect our wars and find blame or defend necessity. It’s a day meant to celebrate the sacrifice of every grunt, jarhead, dogface, swabby, flyboy, leatherneck, crackerjack, gyrene and GI who never again saw amber waves of grain and purple mountain majesties. Even those who do come home never really leave their comrades. In the end, their loyalty to each other doesn’t die, as seen in those proud survivors from the USS Arizona. We owe them that same loyalty, whether they served at Gettysburg or Fallujah.

TUESDAY, MAY 30
On Appleton asking for public input on connecting the downtown and riverfront: The city held a public hearing about the issue last week, attended by about 35 people. But we know there are many more people who are interested in the issue and might want to add their input. The city knows that, too, and is asking people to send an e-mail to webpr@appleton.org or call the Appleton Parks and Recreation Department at 920-832-5905 if they have something to say.
On proposed rules changes on megafarms spreading manure: The new rules go to state lawmakers for approval. We urge them to resist the expected lobbying to weaken the protection that state residents — and state water — need.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 31
On the FBI searching a congressman’s office: If someone is being investigated of a crime and the FBI wants to search that person’s office, it shouldn’t matter that the person is a member of Congress. The outcry by House of Representatives leaders of both parties over the FBI searching the office of Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., rings with an arrogance borne of privilege.
On a survey that showed kids know more about their parents’ guns than parents think: Parents often are unaware of what their kids do when they aren’t around. Sometimes they find a marijuana joint in a sock drawer or pornography on the computer. Just as a parent tells a child these things are wrong, a parent would (hopefully) explain how dangerous firearms are. And just as a child may smoke a joint anyway, they may find the lure of a gun irresistible. Warning your kids is not enough. Lock up your weapon.

THURSDAY, JUNE 1
On a Supreme Court ruling that could hurt whistleblowers: The decision ostensibly was to limit public disclosures of official business, yet it made keeping official business in-house a scarier prospect, which in turn makes airing out official business in public more attractive. And being that we’re in the “airing out official business in public” line of work, we applaud the Supreme Court. So we extend an invitation to those public employees out there who may be afraid to say something to a superior for fear of being suspended or fired. Feel free to drop us a line. We promise to be far more understanding.
On UW officials strong-arming U.S. Bank to get a sponsorship: There’s nothing illegal here, but it’s certainly unseemly. If the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference wants to get more money, it needs to give potential sponsors a better reason than “because we want you to.”

FRIDAY, JUNE 2
On missing campaign records in Outagamie County: The county also should conduct a full audit of the campaign files it has, to see what else might be missing that it’s supposed to have available.
On the costs of the state’s new free tuition program for veterans: The end result may be increased tuition for everyone else, which is a lousy answer. But tell that to the lawmakers who will surely have their photos taken with soldiers who enlist this fall — right before Election Day.

Charlie "Schieffer" Gibson

2006-06-02T14:49:00.000-05:00

That Charlie Gibson has been named permanent anchor of ABC's "World News Tonight" is not a bad thing. It's a very good thing.
But it's also a very predictable thing, given the ratings success of Bob Schieffer in the more than a year since he's taken over the "CBS Evening News." CBS, with 69-year-old Schieffer in the anchor chair, has moved into second place in the ratings competition for the traditional nightly newscast.
Here's why: He's comfortable. He's smart. Reporters and sources have a hard time pulling the wool over his eyes. He looks like a guy you can trust, and a guy who knows what's important.
Ditto for Charlie Gibson, who recently celebrated his 63rd birthday. He's comfortable, and fatherly, and all that other stuff.
I suspect he'll bump ABC's numbers, much like Schieffer bumped CBS's numbers. And I'm real OK with that.
Nothing wrong with getting points for competency.
Dan Flannery
Managing editor

Friday, June 2 P-C

2006-06-01T18:11:00.000-05:00

Our lead story and centerpiece on Friday is from staff writer Ed Lowe, who reports that passenger traffic at the Outagamie County Regional Airport is down 11 percent so far this year.
Also above the fold:

A decision is made on putting (or not putting) a mega-farm of 6,000 or so cattle in Calumet County. Susan Squires is the reporter.
Accused killer Steven Avery will be allowed to wear non-jail clothes in court proceedings, a judge has ruled, according to the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter.

Below the fold, you'll find:

An attorney for suspended Neenah police Detective Daniel Dringoli filed court papers Wednesday that again question the integrity of charges against the embattled and suspended officer. The reporter is Duke Behnke.
Not good news heading into the hurricane season: The National Flood Insurance Program is broke, with little chance of recovery other than a congressional bailout or large premium increases, the Congressional Budget Office says. Gannett News Service reporter Larry Wheeler has the story.

Dan Flannery
Managing editor

A helping hand

2006-06-01T10:43:00.000-05:00

Reader suggestions are a crucial component for any newspaper, and for any media organization, period. I was just talking last night with my roommate (a television reporter) who was frustrated that her station is occasionally scooped by another simply because their competition constantly advertises its reader call-in line to solicit tips.

Some may characterize this as laziness - why don't reporters find their own darn stories? - but it's actually a smart way to gain every bit of information you can while also gauging your reader/viewer's interests. Letters to the editor, It's Your Call, the Reader Help Desk and this blog, among other things, are our ways of doing this.

We can't follow up on every suggestion we get; we try and use the ones we feel we can do best and will interest the most readers. And some suggestions are simply beyond our scope. (I'm sure Dan and Andrew would love to do an in-depth, multiple-story series on the NSA wiretapping program and its effect on civil liberties, but our size and focus tend to preclude such fare.)

But keep them coming. You read stories every day brought to our attention by readers.

Matt Neistein
Op-Ed Editor

Feeling our way around

2006-06-01T07:46:00.000-05:00

One of the exciting but unpredictable things about this time in the evolution of the journalism business is figuring out how much time to spend on any one thing.

If, 10 or 15 years ago, we spent the average workday producing only a printed product for delivery to newsstands or coin-operated machines or home delivery, we had a fairly controlled schedule.

But that schedule is being tossed around, juggled, reconfigured and overhauled today. To maintain our position (and I'd guess this is true of hundreds of newsrooms around the country) as the preferred source of news in our community, we have to position ourselves in print, online and on-air.

Finding the time to plan coverage that can be distributed across those various platforms is a challenge, to say the least.

At The Post-Crescent, the job is exacerbated a bit because we also produce two editions of the newspaper each weekday. That takes some time, too.

So, at the moment, we're in the early stages of implementing a new staffing strategy that gives priority to our online presence, while keeping our AM/PM print cycles at front of mind, and keeping our television partner (WFRV in Green Bay) up to speed. We're also looking at production issues in each of the platforms that are possibly holding us back from being as good
as we can be.

Our average workday isn't just 8 hours anymore. And our work isn't always remembered as what was on a page of newsprint. People depend on our news organization — not just our newspaper — more today than ever before.

Putting the right people in the right place to make sure that our customers' trust is justified is our daily challenge.
Dan Flannery
Managing editor

The Thursday P-C

2006-05-31T18:35:00.000-05:00

The news that Wisconsin's minimum wage is getting a hike on Thursday seems like it should benefit a lot of folks. But in the Fox Valley, that's not really the case, as business reporter Maureen Wallenfang reports in Thursday's lead story.

Our Page A-1 centerpiece is another installment in reporter Kathy Walsh Nufer's recurring "Senior Year" series, with seniors finally at the end of their pre-college education, looking back at the good times (and otherwise).

Downpage:

The P-C's Susan Squires reports that the Town of Buchanan will ask the Village of Kimberly to reject a plan to annex 105 acres of choice real estate along Outagamie CE. If that fails, Buchanan might sue the village.
The woman who housed more than 30 cats at her southside Appleton home will avoid prosecution because she's allowed immediate adoption of the animals. John Lee reports.

Dan Flannery
Managing editor

Where to play it?

2006-05-31T10:11:00.000-05:00

I've heard some talk-radio chat lately about why some TV shows have suddenly gotten space in the daily newspaper or on alleged "serious' news-organization Web sites or newscasts. The conversation almost always references "American Idol" or the latest movie blockbuster ("The Da Vinci Code" is the most recent).

Today's "fluff" news example is Katie Couric's last day on NBC's "Today" show.

We have discussions fairly often about where to "play" those stories — what page or section they should go on, how much space do they deserve, how many people are affected, how much is too much, etc.

These are not new discussions. They've been part of newsrooms since readers have been affected by mass entertainment media. Over the past 50 years, you'll remember "serious" news coverage of entertainment news: Jack Paar walking off the "Tonight Show" set. Diahann Carroll becoming the first African American sitcom star. The "X" rating for "Last Tango in Paris." The Beatles, in their various phases. The impact of sitcoms such as "All In The Family" and "M*A*S*H*", and movies such as "The Last Temptation of Christ" and "The Passion of the Christ."

And that's a very short list. It goes on and on and on.

These stories are reported because they affect people's lives. Nothing more insidious than that. People talk about this stuff, and when that happens, news organizations generally take note and take action. "American Idol" is a news story because it seems to matter to millions of Americans, like it or not. Katie's last day on "Today" is a news story because millions of Americans know her, wake up to her voice and image, and because she's involved in an interesting change of her venue, to the "CBS Evening News."

Publishing these stories doesn't mean that the news media is "dumbing down" the masses. It means we're publishing stories about things the masses seem to care about, and talk about, and watch, and are influenced by. It means we're showing the reflection of the masses to the masses.

I'm not sure if that's "fluff" or "reality."

But I do know that we put the Katie Couric story on Page A-2, in our "Odds and Ends" section.

Dan Flannery
Managing editor

Playing percentages

2006-05-30T10:50:00.000-05:00

One of the unique things about letters and calls in a newspaper is that it is the only thing in the newspaper (at this point) that is completely reader-generated. Even our Reader Reaction Forum that appears each Monday is started by a question issued to that week's group from the paper. But letters and calls are essentially random, both in number and topic. Day in and day out, there's no real way to accurately predict how many we'll get or what they'll be about.

That makes the role of gatekeeper a bit of a juggling job, and a lot of it comes down to judgment. Unfortunately, that means people will disagree with how it's done. But the point I try to get across the most is that if you see a lot of letters/calls taking one side of an issue, generally that means we have far more submissions supporting that side than the other, rather than the conspiracy theory that we have equal amounts for both sides of an argument and are only favoring the one we like.

For example if 80 percent of the mail we get on a matter is "pro" and 20 percent "con," then four out of every five letters you see on the matter, ideally, will be "pro." We don't track numbers or measure to make sure we stay true to such ratios; it's more a matter of feel. How well letters are written and their level of originality also play a role. All in all, letters should reflect community sentiment on a given issue, and that is something we cannot control.

Matt Neistein
Op-Ed Editor

Monday's P-C

2006-05-28T16:56:00.000-05:00

The Memorial Day edition of The Post-Crescent is a morning-only edition. There is no PM edition.

In Monday’s paper, we profile a a Fox Cities man who has painted portraits of every Wisconsin soldier killed in service in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we’re publishing a full-page tribute to those 55 servicemen.

Our lead story, by reporter Susan Squires, details the mysterious loss of pre-1997 campaign records in the Outagamie County clerk’s office.

Also on A-1 is a story by reporter Kathy Walsh Nufer on a local group that promotes doctrine-friendly methods of conception for Catholics trying to have children.

Have a great Memorial Day.

Dan Flannery
Managing editor

Sunday's A-1 and beyond

2006-05-27T18:35:00.000-05:00

Sunday's front page keeps in the tradition of Post-Crescent Memorial Day enterprise reporting, with a centerpiece by reporter Steve Wideman on the rehabilitation and inspiring recovery of Neenah's Andrew Neumeyer, who lost his right eye and most of the vision in his left eye in Iraq.

Our A-1 lead story is by veteran education reporter Kathy Walsh Nufer, who cites changes in the cell phone policies in the Appleton Area School District, a sign of the changing (and ringing and texting) times.

Reporter Susan Squires also reports on the glorious weather (until a late-afternoon rainfall, that is) enjoyed throughout the Fox Valley on Saturday. Summer, it seems, really is here, with temps on Sunday predicted to be near 90 degrees.

Our Life! section cover is on that same theme, with our monthly "Hot List," an accumulation of entertainment venues, attractions, movie openings, concerts, family events, etc., to help you plan your June.

Our Sports section continues its coverage of the NCAA Division III baseball national championships, being played at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute.

Have a great Sunday, and enjoy The P-C.

Dan Flannery
Managing editor

Start of a long weekend

2006-05-26T17:20:00.000-05:00

While journalists are happy to accept a three-day weekend, those occurrences do put a premium on planning. We have a fairly good idea of what will be in our newspaper through Tuesday's editions, for example.

But first things first.

Saturday's A-1 will include J.E. Espino's coverage of the Brendan Dassey hearing in Manitowoc County Circuit Court, where the teen-aged accused of horrific crimes in the death of Teresa Halbach asked for a new attorney.

Our A-1 centerpiece will feature UW-Stevens Point pitcher Josh Perkins, a 26-year-old who is back this season after he and his wife served in Iraq. The reporter is Brett Christopherson. UW-SP is one of the teams in the NCAA Division III baseball championships, now being played at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute.

Down the page, P-C Madison bureau chief Ben Jones updates readers on the state of Wisconsin's war memorials, a year after his award-winning report showed how many of the state's war memorials had fallen into disrepair.

Also downpage, we'll report on the aftermath of Friday's virtual shutdown of Capitol Hill, after someone reported hearing gunshots. Turns out it was a false alarm.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend, and stay safe.

And if you see a veteran, say "Thanks."

Dan Flannery
Managing editor

A peek at Friday's A-1

2006-05-25T17:32:00.000-05:00

The Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau recently unveiled numbers that give a new dimension to the top tourist attractions in the area. The NCAA Division III Baseball Championships, which start Friday at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, is one of those, but this year it has dropped to No. 4 on the list, down from No. 1.

In Friday's A-1 centerpiece, business reporter Maureen Wallenfang examines what tourism brings to our area, in dollars and jobs and filled hotel beds.

Our lead story Friday is from an Associated Press report that states that almost 7,000 Wisconsin National Guard troops are available for duty along the U.S.-Mexico border, but that none have been sought yet. Gov. Doyle says he would deploy the trooops, if asked.

And downpage:

The Memorial Day weekend weather outlook.
Former Enron top brass Kenneth Lay and CFO Jeffery Skilling were convicted today of conspiracy and securities and wire fraud in one of the biggest business scandals in U.S. history.

A full list of Fox Valley Memorial Day events is in our Local&State section, and our Sports section covers a host of prep softball, baseball and track&field post-season competition.

Dan Flannery
Managing editor

Something different

2006-05-25T17:04:00.000-05:00

If you went to www.postcrescent.com today you may have noticed we changed the way in which we present story updates.

We put a label out in front of the headline to alert readers to new and updated information.

We decided to make the change to help control how many headlines are listed at the top of the site. We wanted a better way to present breaking news to make it stand out compared to other headlines on the page.

Like it?

Tell me what you think.

Steve Kabelowsky
online editor

10 pounds of sand, five-pound bag

2006-05-25T15:29:00.000-05:00

Jerry Seinfeld once said, "You ever notice that no matter how much news there is in a day, it always seems to fit in the newspaper?"

While critics will bypass the humor and head straight toward attacking the sentiment - we never print the stories that are really important, they say - the news side of the operation has it a bit easier in that regard. Because in the letters and calls section, people know exactly what they've submitted, and they look for it.

That leads to one of the toughest parts of my job: explaining to someone that for no "good" reason, their letter wasn't printed. It wasn't that it was too long, or inaccurate, or libelous, or anything else that automatically disqualifies a submission. It's just that there isn't enough room to print everything we get. In addition, I usually cut off printing letters on some topics because they can get repetitive or there are other issues that deserve some discussion.

Either way, most folks don't like to hear those explanations, and I don't blame them. They're essentially being told their thoughts and/or writing weren't good enough to be printed. That's a tough thing to hear no matter who you are. I don't know that there's any good way to say it, but if you have any suggestions, swing'em my way.

Matt Neistein
Op-Ed Editor

The constancy of change

2006-05-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

If you pay attention to this blog, you'll notice that sometimes the stories that we think will be on our front page don't always end up there.

To borrow a cliche, that is the nature of the beast.

In some cases, news happens that we deem more important, and it causes us to reconfigure our lineup.

In other cases, a story that we think will happen simply falls through. Maybe we were unable to reach a key source. Maybe we weren't happy with the balance in the story (that is, the story tends to tilt to one side or another), so we'll hold it until we can get better balance. Maybe we need better art (photos, charts, graphics, illustration, etc.) to illustrate the story. Maybe it's no longer a timely story. Or maybe the story wasn't what we thought it would be.

Those are fairly common changes.

In still other cases, we'll move a story off our front page to another page inside the newspaper for cosmetic purposes -- to give more space to our "centerpiece" presentation, or because we couldn't do the story justice in only a few paragraphs on the front of the paper.

It all points to the flexibility needed in this business.

We need to not be so rigid in our design and story selection that we can't make changes, either subtle or drastic. We need to be flexible and willing to adapt to the news of the moment.

With that said, the best friend journalists have is the willingness and ability to plan well. As in most businesses, we need to anticipate changes, have people in the right position to report stories, and have the rest of us in position to handle the change in those plans that is certain to happen.

Dan Flannery
Managing editor

Thursday's P-C

2006-05-24T16:50:00.000-05:00

Yes, yes, yes. We'll have the results of tonight's "American Idol" finale in the Thursday AM/PM Post-Crescent. It's slated to be on the front of our Life! section.

Our front-page centerpiece, however, is about a local event that draws new stars from around the nation: The NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, which plays out this weekend at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute. We'll preview the tournament in a four-page "wrap" around our Sports section, and focus on an Appleton native who's coming home to play in the event for UW-Stevens Point. Reporter Brett Christopherson tells the story.

Our lead story is another in a series of court actions in the Steven Avery case. Wednesday, a Manitowoc County judge ruled that Avery will not get a preliminary hearing in the additional charges filed against him in the death of Teresa Halbach.

Downpage, sports reporter Mike Woods details a federal suit filed by the parents of a Lawrence University soccer player athlete who drowned in an Lawrence swimming pool during training.

And a study shows that eight out of 10 of the youngest Americans watch TV, play video games or use the computer on a typical day. A third of them live in homes in which the TV is on almost all of the time.

Dan Flannery
Managing editor

Open season on blogs

2006-05-24T10:32:00.000-05:00

For those of us in the blogging world, here's a bit of a scary story, particularly this part:

"Buck said the threatened discipline is unfair because the student posted his opinions on a social-networking Web site not accessible on school computers. Plus, he never named an administrator or threatened any violent action."

So the kid was mad about something the school did, blogged about it, and that's worthy of expulsion? Since when did complaining about your school become an unusual thing?

I realize the Internet, in a legal sense, is largely untouched and everyone's trying to figure out how libel and copyright laws apply to it, but this is nuts.

Matt Neistein
Op-Ed Editor

Take a ride

2006-05-24T09:52:00.000-05:00

We followed Marv Hollfelder and Randy Mueller on a motorcycle road trip last year. This summer they are taking more friends along for a 6,000 mile trip across the United States.

We will be hearing from the pair as they are on the road and keeping readers updated with stories and photos.

Check out their special page here.

Steve Kabelowsky
online editor

AM vs. PM

2006-05-24T07:18:00.000-05:00

While you're getting the first cup of coffee, or paging through the e-mail that poured in overnight, or getting the kids off the school, or having a breakfast meeting with clients, a group of us in The Post-Crescent's newsroom are making changes to the daily newspaper.

It's the difference between the morning-edition P-C and the afternoon-edition P-C.

Monday through Friday, we look for ways to enhance our morning edition — which goes to newsstands, coin-operated machines and other single-copy outlets — for our home-delivery subscribers, so that they get as much fresh or updated content as we can deliver.

Our Saturday and Sunday editions are AM-only editions.

But depending on the news of the day (and obviously, the number of pages in that day's paper), we update anywhere from six to 12 pages each weekday.

Some of the changes are minor: We update the barcode on the left-bottom corner of A-1 each day, for example. And we sometimes change photos entirely, or improve the toning or cropping of photos that we've published. Sometimes we rewrite headlines, or add context to stories.

Some of the changes are more substantial: In some cases, we have completely reconfigured our A-1 for the PM edition to reflect breaking news, whether it's local or state or national/international. We have moved stories off A-1 to other locations in the newspaper, or taken the stories out of the paper completely, depending on their relevance, their timeliness and the rest of the report in that news cycle.

Many of the changes in the PM edition are updates of stories in our A-section. We update our Iraq coverage almost every day, as well as other international coverage. Our deadlines (we need to be done with our PM edition at 10:30 a.m. each morning) allow us to give home-delivery readers at least some fresh Washington, D.C., news, too.

And we always keep our eyes open in the Fox Valley and Wisconsin for breaking news that will make a difference for you. We often update the "Area News In Brief" on the front of our Local & State section between editions, for example.

Much, if not all, of that content is posted online first, at www.postcrescent.com. We want our online customers to know that we are major players in the breaking-news business, and that we're getting better at it as time goes on. Our AM/PM editions — which we've been doing since June 2002 — gave us great training.

And we hope to improve even more, in the print and online versions of The P-C.

Dan Flannery
Managing editor

Wednesday's A-1 lineup

2006-05-23T17:59:00.000-05:00

It would be easy (and maybe premature) to say of mosquitoes, "They'rrrrrre baaaaaaack!"
So, I'll avoid that easy and cliche approach. But those pesky enemies of peaceful sleep and quiet nights in the backyard (at least mine) are the subject of Wednesday's A-1 centerpiece. Kara Patterson is the reporter, and we offer you tips on how to deal with our seasonal nemesis.

Our lead story on A-1 is from Washington bureau reporter Brian Tumulty, who reports that an effort to extend federal cash aid for dairy farmers has failed to get support in Congress.

Elsewhere on A-1:

Reporter John Lee says that almost as soon as Steven Avery received money in a civil lawsuit, accused killer Steven Avery was broke.
Gov. Jim Doyle announces a new Web site to track sex offenders. Michael King is the reporter.
The Federal Trade Commission says a proposal to regulate gas prices would hurt, not help, consumers.

Dan Flannery
Managing editor

Meeting with the editorial board

2006-05-23T16:02:00.000-05:00

From time to time, I get requests from organizations that want to meet with our editorial board to talk about a topic they're promoting. Their purpose is to sell us on their point of view and, perhaps, convince us to write an editorial advocating it. We generally try to meet with these folks, especially if they're with local groups. Usually, they go pretty smoothly but sometimes there are misunderstandings or other bumps along the way.
I've come across this set of guidelines for organizations that want to talk with editorial boards, via the National Conference of Editorial Writers. It has some good advice. Here's the link:
http://www.ncew.org/web/2005/07/editoial_boards.aspx

Larry Gallup
Editorial page editor

I'm yours for free

2006-05-23T14:17:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not cleaning out your garage for you.

But part of my job is encouraging reader interaction with The P-C, and not just from behind my desk. I speak to school classes, anywhere from middle school to college, and am available for any other sort of group function where there's an interest in the newspaper and/or journalism. Best of all, you don't have to pay me.

I enjoy preaching The P-C gospel, but I also like seeing the looks on people's faces when I explain how simple the process is and how they can get involved. A couple of months ago, I spoke to two classes of sixth-graders in Kaukauna, and they couldn't ask me questions fast enough. One boy came up to me after the class with a letter he'd written.

I think the newspaper is an institution in the community, and as such it gets kind of built up in everyone's minds, when in reality it's bunch of people in an office trying to get out in time to make Little League practice (or in my case, happy hour). I like breaking down that myth and showing people how they can become a part of it. If you're ever interested, give me a shout.

Matt Neistein
Op-Ed Editor

Tribute in taste

2006-05-22T19:17:00.000-05:00

Our Beer Man, Todd Haefer, was in Chilton over the weekend for the Wisconsin Microbrewer's Beer Festival in a bittersweet situtation.

Bob Rowland, longtime organizer of the fest, recently died. Bands gave musical tributes, glasses clanked and a good time was had by all.

You can read Beer Man's coverage of the event here at www.postcrescent.com.

But you can also tell us your stories of Bob Rowland and your reflections of the Beer Festival on the Beer Man's blog, found here.

Raise a glass and share your memories.

Steve Kabelowsky
online editor

Our lineup for Tuesday, May 23

2006-05-22T17:40:00.000-05:00

It's pretty likely that many of our readers are unaware that June 1 is the first deadline for updating the car seats that their children must use: The law requires children 4 to 8 years old to use booster seats in passenger vehicles unless they are taller than 4-foot-9 and or weigh more than 80 pounds. The first six months will be a grace period. Officers will issue written warnings instead of citations.
That's a pretty huge issue for a lot of families around Wisconsin, and it's the topic of our front-page centerpiece for Tuesday. J.E. Espino is the reporter.
Our lead story is by Madison bureau chief Ben Jones, who reports that Wisconsin's senior citizens are signing up for SeniorCare at the rate of 400 per day, avoided the federal Medicare Part D drug program.
Downpage, we're publishing an Associated Press story that examines a "bird flu lab," near Madison, that will take a closer look at the wild birds that fly through the area.
Our final story notes that federal hurricane forecasters are predicting another active hurricane season this year, with four to six hurricane in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Coast.
Dan Flannery
Managing editor

Questionable content

2006-05-22T13:56:00.000-05:00

We don't print every letter or call we get. I've gone through the reasons why in other posts, but I have a question I'd like to hear our readers answer.

Sometimes we get submissions we won't print because of racist or homophobic content, or some other discriminatory content. They aren't necessarily vulgar, in terms of the actual vocabulary. But the ideas are often based on misinformation and/or plain old bigotry. We don't print them for a couple of reasons: they often are not factual and they can be offensive to some of our other readers without making a valid point.

My question would be, should we print them? After all, they are voices in a debate, however shocking and wrong they may be. And many people often don't realize that there are parts of our society that think these ways. Would it be worth it to publish them, just so others can see that such thoughts are out there? Or are we correct in not allowing them to see the light of day?

Matt Neistein
Op-Ed Editor

Editorial board community members

2006-05-22T09:50:00.000-05:00

Every three months, the editorial board chooses two or three people outside The Post-Crescent to serve as community members on the editorial board.
Readers are asked to apply for a position on the board, sending a letter about why they want to serve and some information about themselves.
Then each of the current board members goes through each of the applications and chooses their three favorites. After all the votes are tallied, the board talks over the results and the final decisions are made.
We'll be starting our fourth year of the program in July and about 40 people have served as community members. They add a lot to our board and our discussions.
If you're interested in applying, we'll be taking applications in early June for the July-September quarter. You can apply me e-mailing me at lgallup@postcrescent.com or by mail at P.O. Box 59, Appleton, WI 54912.

Larry Gallup
Editorial page editor

Editorial week in review

2006-05-22T09:49:00.000-05:00

Here's a recap of The Post-Crescent's editorial positions of the last week. To read the full editorials, go to www.postcrescent.com and click on Opinion.

Larry Gallup
Editorial page editor

SUNDAY, MAY 14

On illegal immigration: There has been vociferous opposition from many American citizens to some of the reform proposals, particularly those that would provide amnesty to illegals already within our national borders. Even more Americans are upset by what they perceive as the entitlement inherent in claims by illegal immigrants that they deserve all the rights and privileges of U.S. citizens. And recent rallies supporting immigrants, illegal and otherwise, have certainly raised the ire of plenty of onlookers. All of that is well and good. A difference of opinion not only is to be expected, but welcomed. Debate and compromise — checks and balances — are the hallmarks of our society. However, they only work in a rational frame of mind. Racism, by its definition, is irrational.

TUESDAY, MAY 16

On the decrease in state tax filers checking the box on their tax return to send $1 to the public campaign fund: More and more, fewer and fewer people are checking the box. It doesn't mean that fewer people are in favor of public financing of state political campaigns, though. More likely, it means they don't see a purpose in contributing — or they don't know what it's all about. That's a failure of the state's campaign finance system.

On Winnebago County seeking a new intersection on U.S. 41 between Neenah and Oshkosh: While Winnebago County's interest in developing an exit off U.S. 41 at County G south of Neenah is understandable, the Fox Cities have a bigger interchange need — where 41 crosses State 441/U.S. 10. That location still doesn't have a fully functional interchange, and it serves far more municipalities.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17

On a report about the worsening finances of Social Security and Medicare: There is time to take corrective measures — and they don't necessarily have to be dramatic measures. But each year that goes by without Washington trying to work together on solutions that aren't mainly based on politics is a year when the danger of a larger problem grows.

On the Internal Revenue Service cracking down on predatory credit counselors: Those who find themselves at a low point in their lives financially should be confident they'll receive information and help from a counseling service without being taken advantage of.

THURSDAY, MAY 18

On the drawbacks of e-mail communication: So maybe the lesson here is that we also need to take a moment to think about the e-mails we're sending or getting. Are we saying what we really intend to say, in the way we want to say it? When reading an e-mail from someone else, are we seeing something that isn't really there in the words? Could be. It's best that we all keep that in mind the next time we feel ourselves headed into an e-mail conflict. And maybe we can pick up the phone instead.

On the need for a stronger seat-belt law: Officers can't do the best job they can stressing safety with no primary enforcement law on the books. Wisconsin recently mandated booster seat usage for children with an eye toward protecting people in moving vehicles. A primary enforcement law is necessary for the same reasons.

FRIDAY, MAY 19

On the sentencing of former Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen on corruption charges: We'll see in time whether the sentences to Jensen, et al, will put legislators on the straight and narrow or, with politics and legislating still "hopelessly intertwined," some will merely find a different way to show their disrespect of Wisconsin taxpayers in exercising their power.

On a call for a new state commission on placing sex offenders in the community: It's hoped that the commission will produce some new insight into the matter and some fresh ideas on how to balance community safety with the need to reintegrate convicted criminals into society.

Gas tax vs. gas profit

2006-05-19T11:23:00.000-05:00

In the debate on gasoline prices, a large number of people seem to take the stance that we can't complain about oil company profits because "the government" makes far more in taxes off gasoline sales.

Well, OK ... so what?

It's apples and oranges. Yes, the government taxes gasoline and makes billions on it. But the government doesn't change the tax percentage daily, and all that money goes into public coffers. Oil companies change prices constantly in order to maximize profit, and all their earnings go into private pockets. You can be pro- or anti-Big Oil, but that argument only works because people hate taxes, and it plays into the feeling that we all have that we're overtaxed. It doesn't actually work, because the two numbers are unrelated.

And even assuming they were, prices are going up so fast, taxes are irrelevant. In Wisconsin, taxes are about 32 cents a gallon, highest in the nation. Let's say government completely eliminated all taxes, and knocked 32 cents off the price per gallon. By this time next year, the price would be up a quarter anyway. For example, the average price for a gallon of gasoline (across all grades) in 2003 was $1.55; in 2004, $1.78. Getting rid of taxes would be a short-term savings, and that's assuming oil companies wouldn't jack up prices to take advantage of the 30-cent gap.

Matt Neistein
Op-Ed Editor

Friday's front

2006-05-18T19:33:00.000-05:00

'Tis the season for politics and proud graduates, and Friday's A-1 has both front and center, pretty literally.
Our lead story precedes this weekend's state Republican Party convention in Appleton. P-C Madison bureau chief Ben Jones reports that the gubernatorial campaign begins in earnest now.
Friday's centerpiece also previews this weekend's commencement ceremonies at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley, with an emphasis on UW-Fox students who have earned their four-year engineering degrees at the school, through a relationship with UW-Platteville.
Elsewhere on A-1:
Reporter Duke Behnke says that a teachers' contract may be imminent in the Neenah School District, after four years in the making.
An FDA advisory panel OKs a vaccine for cervical cancer.
The state Supreme Court rules that police are allowed to give laxative to a suspect to find a bag of heroin.
Have a great night.
Dan Flannery
Managing editor

American Idol, schmamerican schmidol

2006-05-18T11:24:00.000-05:00

I've had three different girlfriends try and get me to watch that show over the years. Now they are all ex-girlfriends. Coincidence?

Anyhow, on to my blog thought. With "The Da Vinci Code" opening tomorrow and the Kelly Romensko controversy capturing headlines across the nation, I wanted to drop a little reminder that we don't allow proselytizing in the letters section. Religious debate is more than welcome, but we stop short at printing lists of Bible quotes, or letters that simply praise God, whoever you believe Him to be.

It's a fine line, I'll concede. But when you want to pass along your thoughts on those issues or others on faith, please remember this. I want to print every letter I get (and it's an ongoing to fight to print as many as I can), but that starts with receiving printable letters.

Matt Neistein
Op-Ed Editor

Well, OK ....

2006-05-17T23:07:00.000-05:00

... so I was a little off on the "American Idol" picks.
So was most of America.
Easily the weakest "Idol" final in series history.
Taylor "One-Trick Pony" Hicks vs. Katherine "Uneven" McPhee.
Whoohoo.
Somewhere, Diana DeGarmo is doing cartwheels.
Dan Flannery
Managing editor

The Thursday A-1 lineup

2006-05-17T18:30:00.000-05:00

Thursday's centerpiece focuses on the controversial new motion picture, "The Da Vinci Code." Religion reporter Cheryl Sherry collected Fox Valley comment from a variety of sources, with a variety of responses. And at least one person who ... JUST ... DOESN'T ... CARE.
Our lead story is the action taken by the Appleton Common Council on the purchase of a new fire truck, either accepting the recommendation of a study group that recommended one from a company outside of the Fox Cities, or one from a firm in the Town of Menasha. It's been a controversial issue in the Fox Cities for two months.
Downpage, Cheryl Sherry examines how other religions have treated in-vitro fertilization, the process that led to the pregnancy of Kelly Romenesko, fired from her teaching job at an Appleton Catholic school because the church does not approve of in-vitro.
Also downpage, an Associated Press story on the Senate's work on dealing with illegal immigrants. It was a contentious day on The Hill.
In our Life! section, we'll have a look back on eight years of "Will and Grace," the NBC sitcom that ends its run tomorrow night.
And oh, yeah ... we'll have the results of tonight's "American Idol" cut down to the final two. My money's on Elliott and Taylor.
Dan Flannery
Managing editor

Know about knots?

2006-05-17T15:41:00.000-05:00

Outdoor writer Ed Culhane has picked up a couple of things here and there while out in Wisconsin's wilderness.

He teamed up with photojournalist Mike De Sisti to provide a little how-to on tying knots. We sometimes tell stories, sometimes share photographs, sometimes are the government watchdog ... but sometimes we get to share a little of what we have learned, and that is what Ed does here.

See it here.

Steve Kabelowsky
Online editor

A preview of Wednesday's A-1

2006-05-16T19:06:00.000-05:00

We're using Wednesday's centerpiece to give readers insight into the local planning in place in the event of an avian flu epidemic or pandemic. The short story: It won't be pretty, even in the best of the worst-case scenarios. Susan Squires is the reporter.
Another A-1 story gives the local Hispanic community their voice in reaction to President Bush's immigration policy address to the nation on Monday night. It's reported by J.E. Espino.
Downpage, reporter Duke Behnke tells us the Neenah School District's decision on whether to accept money from a booster club to replace the high school fieldhouse's aging synthetic floor. It's a highly flammable topic in the district.
Our other two A-1 stories are from Madison:

Former State Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his role in campaigning for public office on the taxpayers' dime.
Wisconsin voters will have a voice in November's advisory referendum on whether to lift the state's ban on the death penalty.

Dan Flannery
Managing editor

Is It's Your Call confusing?

2006-05-16T16:20:00.000-05:00

I personally dictate all the messages left on the It's Your Call line, and quite often, we get callers who will listen to the introductory message, very carefully leave their names, phone numbers and addresses, and then wait. And wait. And wait. Dead silence. Until they start muttering something frustrated and hang up. Often they'll call back a couple more times, with the same behavior.

I'm assuming they're waiting for someone to pick up the line, or call them back, or I don't know. I think it's rather clear that you call It's Your Call to leave messages answering machine-style, but maybe that's because I'm looking from the inside. Does the introduction on the recording not make this clear, or is it something else? Let me know, if you can.

Matt Neistein
Op-Ed Editor

Information to deliver

2006-05-16T12:47:00.000-05:00

Sometimes we don't have enough room in the paper to print everything we would like to get in.

For instance, last Sunday we devoted a lot of coverage in the paper to Mother's Day. It makes sense: we all have moms, or know someone who has one. We had a number of our readers write about their moms and we printed some of the good things people in the Fox Valley had to say.

We had more than 100 letters sent to us that day. We couldn't fit them all in the paper.

The nice thing about online, space wasn't an issue.

We ran all 112 letters online. You can read them here.

Steve Kabelowsky
Online Editor

Tuesday's A-1 lineup

2006-05-15T18:01:00.000-05:00

Our front page has a few alterations on it from the earlier version.
We'll stick with the A-1 centerpiece on President Bush's immigration speech tonight, plus local reaction, and reaction from state and area lawmakers.
We'll run an "strip story" (so named because it occupies a "strip" of the page above the centerpiece) on the brisk ticket demand for "The Da Vinci Code" motion picture, which opens Friday.
Elsewhere on A-1:

Winnebago County Dist. Atty. Bill Lennon says he won't run for another term this fall. Lennon was defeated in an April election for a seat on the county's circuit court.
A Gannett News Service story helps those who missed today's deadline for filing for Medicare Part D benefits.

Dan Flannery
Managing editor

Who would have thought?

2006-05-15T17:43:00.000-05:00

No clue how this happened.
But less than 12 hours after The Post-Crescent published a Flannery column that recommended former Gov. Tommy Thompson should not make another run for his old job, he announced that ... well, .... he's not running for his old job.
Hmmmm.
The column is here.
And here's the Associated Press story on Thompson's announcement.
Coincidence?

Dan Flannery
Managing editor

An early look at Tuesday

2006-05-15T14:39:00.000-05:00

We're planning on an A-1 "centerpiece" based on President Bush's address to the nation on immigration policy. We'll report what the president says, of course, and we'll get local reaction on this important issue.

We also have a "heads-up" story planned on ticket demand for this Friday's opening of "The Da Vinci Code" motion picture. You don't have to wait in line to get tickets anymore; advance tickets are available.

Also on the front page, in a "P-C Watchdog" installment, we profile the problems caused by reckless drivers along a curved stretch of State 114, between Calumet County N and State 55 in Sherwood. A resident of the area is fuming about reckless motorists and seemingly lax enforcement by police near his home.

Dan Flannery

Managing editor

Sunday editorial

2006-05-15T13:53:00.000-05:00

I generally try to leave discussion of our editorial stances and the opinions we write to Larry, but I think our Sunday editorial struck a bit of a nerve with some people. You can find it here.

We've already had several people respond with a level of indignance, as if we'd called them or others racist. I don't think that's what we did, and it's certainly not what we intended, in a specific sense. The intent was to get people to look in the mirror, and ascertain how and why they feel the way they do about immigration and illegal immigrants, because there certainly has been some overtly prejudicial commentary in the process on both a local and national scale. To deny this is silly.

We've received several reader calls and submissions that contain racist material, most always left without names, of course. That was a large part of the drive to write the editorial. It is indeed out there. If some people feel we called them racist because of their feelings on immigration, I would urge them to again read the editorial. We made it very clear we feel conversations on the subject can be made without a wisp of bigotry.

How did you view it?

Matt Neistein
Op-Ed Editor

I'm just a whippersnapper

2006-05-12T13:31:00.000-05:00

A bit of a personal post here, but it does relate to my job and the way your opinion pages run. So permit me the indulgence.

When I talk to people on the phone regarding their letters or editorials we've written, about half the time I get the comment, "You sound young, though. How old are you?" Often, it's been said in a cheerful sort of way, and no offense is intended. Occasionally, though, it seems the inference is that I'm too young or not wise enough, or something along those lines, to perform my duties. Maybe it's just that I am indeed unusually young for an opinion editor, but I remain curious as to what people think.

For the record, I'm 28 years old. But I'd like to know if people think my youth is a hindrance to the job or not, from a reader's perspective. Please, be honest. I think it'd be interesting to see whether people really are concerned about the age of the person they correspond with at their newspaper.

Personal indulgence over.

Matt Neistein
Op-Ed Editor

Editorial week in review

2006-05-12T10:40:00.000-05:00

Here's a capsule look at The Post-Crescent's editorials from the last week. To read the full editorials, go to www.postcrescent.com and click on "Opinion."

Larry Gallup
Editorial page editor

SUNDAY, MAY 7
On the controversy over a Spanish-language version of the national anthem: Freedom of speech allows someone to make as many versions of the anthem as they want, but new interpretations can’t change the fact that there’s only one national anthem. Only Congress can. We shouldn’t allow ourselves to be led by lawmakers and social commentators using knee-jerk emotion to
distract us from talking about the real issues at hand, no matter what language we use.

TUESDAY, MAY 9
On how neighborhood input changed Appleton’s plan for Linwood Park: Residents of the Linwood Park neighborhood should be proud of their effort to speak up and let their opinions be known. The Parks and Recreation Department and other city officials, led by Ald. Michael Smith, should be proud of their effort to listen to the residents and come up with a plan that’s a winner for the whole city. On the state Assembly passing a bill that prevents legislators from getting campaign contributions directly from lobbyists: Just for fun, the next time you see your state Assembly representative, ask him or her what the difference is between taking campaign checks from lobbyists and taking campaign checks from lobbyists that have someone else’s name on them.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10
On calls to extend the deadline to sign up for the new Medicare Part D prescription drug plan: Simply giving people more time, but not helping to ease their confusion, is of limited value. If these politicians want to do more than just send out a press release and hope they’ll get a headline out of it, they’ll put some of their political clout behind some of the real solutions that are already out there to help people navigate the Part D process. On soda companies agreeing to curtail sales in schools: The willingness of the corporations to go along with the plan is underappreciated. For all the daily complaints about corporate America, when was the last time an entire industry vowed to depart a market voluntarily, without threat of legal or legislative action, especially when that market is the ever-valued teen segment? This is just good news, something that doesn’t happen very often.

THURSDAY, MAY 11
On Waupaca County Judge Philip Kirk’s moves to keep a 20-year-old convicted of having sex with underage girls from having to register as a sex offender: If Kirk’s decision sparks a discussion about the purpose of the sex offender registry — ideally, to keep track of and alert the public to sexual predators — and perhaps leads to a change in the law, he will have succeeded in getting his point across. On government’s bird flu warnings: One of the first steps in preparation is awareness, and the blunt nature of the report demonstrates how important it is for Americans to realize that this is a potentially catastrophic event.

FRIDAY, MAY 12
On the National Security Agency collecting Americans’ phone records: Who knows whether this phone-call collection has been within the law or not? Beside, as we’ve said time and time again, even if it’s legal, that doesn’t make it right. In all, it’s another previously secret operation come to light that raises questions about the federal government’s protection of Americans’ privacy rights as it also tries to protect America from terrorism. And it raises questions about what other operations might be out there that we don’t know about yet. On a survey that shows Wisconsin manufacturing CEOs are most concerned about health care costs: So we have state businesses highly concerned about health care costs that think they have to pass those cost increases on to their employees. It’s a problem that affects businesses and employees. These survey results only confirm that. Yet what’s being done to address it?

Thursday's lineup

2006-05-10T18:41:00.000-05:00

Thursday's A-1 centerpiece examines the complex Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, and how area senior citizens from Wisconsin are registering before the May 15 deadline. The report is written by Washington bureau reporter Brian Tumulty.

Also above the fold is reporter Steve Wideman report that a group of Appleton firefighters has again recommended that the city buy a fire truck from Elite Manufacturing of Tilleda, and not one from their competitors at Pierce Manufacturing in the Town of Menasha.

Elsewhere on A-1:

We hope to have a follow-up story on Kelly Romenesko, the Appleton teacher who has filed a discrimination complaint against the ACES/Xavier Catholic-school administration. She was fired because she and her husband used in-vitro fertilization to successfully conceive children. Tuesday's Post-Crescent story by Susan Squires broke the story, and we've received quite a bit of feedback on the story, from various points of view.

Iraq's new president is asking all warring parties in his country to stop the killing. A total of 952 Iraqis died in internal, "terrorist" conflicts in April.

Dan Flannery

Managing editor

Question of the Week: Do you listen to podcasts?

2006-05-10T09:26:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed Steve Kabelowsky's recent blog entry about an Appleton man's podcasts. It got me thinking about The Post-Crescent's participation, or more accurately our lack of participation, in this medium.

What do you think? Would you listen to a daily podcast of Fox Valley headlines? Weekly topic-specific chats by writers and editors? A "Meet the Press"-style interview show with a newsmaker? Do you listen to podcasts?

Respond to this blog or e-mail me at editor@postcrescent.com.

__________________________________
Andrew Oppmann, Executive Editor & GM
The Post-Crescent, Appleton-Fox Cities WI

Wednesday's A-1 lineup

2006-05-09T17:53:00.000-05:00

As is the case pretty often, Wednesday's front page is full of local news that affects a wide swath of our readers.

Our centerpiece concerns summer jobs for young people. It's not uncommon for young people to hold jobs they fit around their school schedules. We talk to four Fox Valley teens about how they manage and what they use the money for, and get advice from local financial experts.

Our lead story could be one of two things (remember, news can, and usually does, change): Our first choice is on the more than $140,000 in legal fees paid by Neenah in relation to the investigation of suspended police Det. Dan Dringoli.

Our next choice would be an Appleton committee meeting that could produce news concerning the city's water plant, which opened six years ago with high expectations, but has fallen short of those goals.

Also on A-1:

A reminder that the deadline for application for heating assistance is Monday, May 15.
Ashwaubenon PCBs: Georgia Pacific and the DNR have announced a plan to put dredged PCBs from the Fox River into an old G-P landfill near the airport and casino. This could be very controversial once the neighbors learn what's happening. Details might be scarce until the June meeting to announce the plan.

Dan Flannery

Managing editor

Name and number, please

2006-05-09T16:38:00.000-05:00

It's Your Call is a nice avenue for readers to submit their opinions that many newspapers don't have. It takes less time than typing out a letter or e-mail and allows an immediacy that writing doesn't; i.e., you can get your thoughts and feelings out much quicker in response to whatever's sparked your mind.

However, we still need the same identifying information that we require of letters: your name, your home address and phone numbers to reach you at. Without these, your thoughts, however interesting or valid, won't see print, and throwing out calls isn't something we enjoy doing.

In their haste to get out what they're thinking, some callers forget to leave this information despite the message's reminder. Please remember to do it (and spell your name); I hate to lose valuable reader contributions over a technicality.

Matt Neistein
Op-Ed Editor

Appleton reads

2006-05-09T16:30:00.000-05:00

The Appleton Public Library is asking the public to pick a book to read.

At www.postcrescent.com, we set up a place to cast your vote.

The community-building effort seems like a worthy project, but it will only be as good as the participation it gets from the public.

Participate, make a choice.

Military coverage

2006-05-08T16:36:00.000-05:00

Regular readers of the Views section will probably have seen Mail Call, a periodic feature we instituted a couple of months ago that essentially functions as a survey of Fox Valley-based soldiers serving overseas, primarily in the Middle East. We ship them a question every few weeks, and they're allowed to answer however they like. Responses are edited for grammar and spelling, but not content. They are edited for length in the paper, but run in full on our Web site.

This week's Mail Call can be found here: http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060507/APC06/605070532/1036/APC06

So this post has a dual purpose: If you know any soldiers, Marines or sailors from around the Valley who would be interested in joining Mail Call, please let me know. And if you have seen it, let me know what you think and whether there are ways to improve it.

Matt Neistein
Op-Ed Editor

In your ear

2006-05-08T13:53:00.000-05:00

Tell the story.

That's what podcasters do. They share thoughts and ideas with others through audio recordings on the Internet.

You don't need an iPod to listen, but you do need to be online and have a way to hear MP3 files.

In the Fox Valley there are a number of podcasts being produced, some by media outlets, but the majority are by average people who do it as a hobby.

Chuck Tomasi of Appleton is one of them. In his basement, he built a studio and twice a week co-hosts a podcast called Technorama. He also does other podcasts, including one called Freestyle he records with his daughters. Check them out here at Chuck Chat.

Regularly Chuck reaches the world with his podcasts, but on Sunday the world reached him.

Richard Vobes and Jimmy Hastell from West Sussex in the United Kingdom are podcasting across America and made the trip to Appleton.

"Things are so wide," Vobes said, commenting on his first trip to the U.S. "The horizons, the roadways, everthing is so much wider here. "

Vobes and Hastell said that many of the sterotypes of America didn't hold true.

"We thought there would be gangsters on every corner ... people stressed out for driving in traffic, horns and police cars blaring. It isn't true."

The two blokes enjoyed a little walk to Copps grocery store on Wisconsin Avenue, interviewing a local resident for their own daily podcasts at http://www.vobes.com/.

They are in America because a group of podcasters paid for them to come here.

Here they were, in Chuck Tomasi's basement, with Appleton residents Bob Pankratz and Scott Reynolds and an online editor from the local newspaper.

The world, and the Internet for that matter, is a large place. But relationships made by telling stories brings people together.

Steve Kabelowsky
Online Editor

Community columnists

2006-05-08T10:50:00.000-05:00

The Post-Crescent is in its third year of hosting a panel of Community Columnists. Aspiring writers from around the area apply for the panel each fall. They're asked to submit a letter of application and two sample columns. From that pool, we select 20 people to serve on the panel for a year.

We publish two columns each Sunday, and each columnist writes five time a year.

It's been a very popular feature among our readers. Our columnists get quite a bit of feedback.
We enjoy hearing different points of view from people in our community and we take pride in providing a forum for some extremely talented writers.

Larry Gallup
Editorial Page Editor