The List of Thanks

OK, let the sap flow even though it's far from spring...what are YOU thankful for this holiday season?

I'm thankful for my wife Diane who puts up with so much news nonsense even though she long ago came to terms that more than 75% of the garbage we get exorcised over isn't really worth the effort. Nice to have such a rudder when the storm winds hit. Plus love really is a wonderful thing...

I want to thank Joe Finley and Warner Mendenhall for the nice reminder to the poobahs at City Hall that elected office really isn't a life term. Regardless of whether you voted for or against, it was heartening to see there were enough people in Akron who decided NOT to be automatic votes for either candidate and make the 2007 Mayor's race an actual race...

Thanks to Don Plusquellic for taking Finley more seriously than some of my compatriots in the media did. Lord knows it would be a boring job covering government without the thin-skinned Don of Akron launching off and tearing us a new one now and then but at the very least he understood he had to run for re-election rather than sitting back and letting it slide. Of course, he was able to do that once the Primary was over and done with and it was back to globe-trotting on behalf of Akron's economy...

Thanks to John Saros and the rest of the CSB crew and Don Davies and his ADM folks and the Summit County establishment for working hard under the radar and better yet thanks to the voters of Summit County who know a good thing when they saw it this past November. Nobody likes taxes, especially when it costs more money because of the way the law is worded -- and at a time when $3.00 gasoline was just around the corner -- but once again the people proved they aren't stupid when it comes to taking care of kids and people with big needs helped by common-sense solutions. Bravo on passing the CSB and ADM issues...

Thanks to the TSA for keeping our skies safe, even if not everybody remembers to keep the heat neat and locked in the closet...Marco's back in court next week...

Thanks to LeBron for bringing us close enough to a world championship to make us remember northeast Ohio used to be the home of champions; no thanks to LBJ, though, for wearing the Yankee hat and then acting surprised when he caught a dose of reality over it...

Thanks to Eric Mansfield, Steve Hoffman and Jody Miller for their friendship and arguments after the cameras go off on NewsNight Akron every Friday. Some think it's rude to argue; for the rest of us it's a debate, so get over it...

Finally thanks to Russ Vernon. What would the holidays be without spending our savings on Killer Brownies over the holidays? And while we're at it thanks to Luigi's even though we won't be stopping in after Thanksgiving through Sunday because everyone with Akron in their blood will be there or Swenson's this weekend. Hmmmm...I wonder how a Galley Boy would taste piled high with mozzarella cheese?

Marco's Moment In Muni Court

Akron Council President Marco Sommerville is scheduled to appear in Barberton Municipal Court this afternoon, where he's formally charged with packing a gun through the TSA checkpoint at Akron-Canton Airport en route to a National League of Cities convention in New Orleans last week.

If you haven't heard about this story yet it's because you didn't read a paper, surf the web, listen to a radio or watch TV; given the usual holiday dearth of hard news this one easily bubbled to the top for the Akron newsies given the powerful combination of political power and "what was he thinking?" content.

Marco was supposed to visit with WAKR's Ray Horner this morning but it's not a real surprise defense lawyer Bob Meeker stepped in; if it were my client (I'm playing lawyer on the web now) I would've weighed in with a "what ARE you thinking NOW?" about going on the air, even for an apology, before all my legal ducks were in a row. I note, however, that Marco did phone Ray to talk with him early this morning and explain the reasoning and Meeker did the same thing a few hours later.

So here's the way it should play: we'll find out this afternoon is the Marco charges will be bumped up to the feds. The FBI reportedly examined the case but it could go either way; there was no intent to break the law and when it comes to criminal charges "intent" is the operative word. For all those screaming for Marco's head on a platter and accusing him of getting preferential treatment it is important to note the handful of folks who've screwed up and forgot about their guns in other CAK cases were also allowed to continue their travel and face the music when they got home. The tune played usually wound up as a plea to a misdemeanor, public service and a fine.

Does anyone really believe Marco intended to pack a gun for the flight to New Orleans? Is the airline snack service that bad that you need to hold attendants at gunpoint for a bag of nuts rather than pretzels.

Big mistake, not thinking doesn't lead to jail time in these cases. Whether it should is another story and something TSA reportedly wants to get a handle on so at least the pursuit of the law is uniform at each airport around the country.

More Marco Moments

Today one of my Starbucks barristas lent her voice to the talk over Akron Council President Marco Sommerville's trouble with a loaded .38 in his bag while en route to boarding a plane at CAK. She's a Christian woman, she tells me, but then whispers "what the HELL was he thinking?"

Here's the answer.

"I wasn't," he tells friends and family who were asking the exact same question (albeit some with more forceful language). That's the one-on-one Marco had with WAKR morning host Ray Horner, although not on the air -- yet. Sommerville's lawyer has already done most of the talking here and Marco confirmed for us he does have a concealed carry permit and just forgot the gun was in his carry-on luggage while moving through the security checkpoint at the Akron-Canton Airport to lead a contingent of Akron council reps to the National League of Cities get-together in New Orleans. (sidebar: is it just me or does anyone else find it interesting a leading major city Democrat has a concealed permit and regularly packs a gun, even for business purposes? I thought all those folks were supposed to be gun control wackos...)

An honest mistake, but now there are more questions on what happens next.

Marco's attorney is Bob Meeker, and he tells AkronNewsNow this isn't the first time someone has been popped with a piece at the TSA checkpoint; in fact, he says, three others were treated as misdemeanor violations when they went through the court system and it stands to reason Marco would be treated otherwise. The Council President was also allowed to continue on his trip as long as he agreed to face the music when he got back, also typical treatment in cases such as this where the perpetrator clearly acted out of ignorance and wasn't pulling an Osama by slipping weapons past the security inspectors.

But today's Akron Beacon Journal reports police may seek to serve Sommerville with a felony warrant when he gets back in town. Is Marco being subjected to a higher standard because he's a government official? The conspiracy theorists speculate Sheriff Drew Alexander, as a Republican, will push for the felony warrant and the feds will then take over throwing City government into turmoil because Marco will be turfed from office since felons can't serve. Alexander says most of that story is bunk, telling AkronNewsNow the treatment is typical and he expects the rest of the way out to be typical, too.

Makes a nice story to fill space in the paper (and online in blogs, thankfully) but don't look for it to get that far.

If it's a felony warrant it'll be because that's the way the law is supposed to be, followed quickly by a plea on misdemeanor charges just like everybody else. Most of these cases of innocent what-the-HELL-where you thinking stupidity wind up exactly where they belong: in a muni court, not a federal case, with time served and fines paid and embarrassment serving a more fitting punishment. But in the meantime it gives ink-and-electron stained scribes something to fill space and time with, which in the greater scheme of things is a welcome change from the usual pre-holiday fare involving 765 different ways to cook a turkey, how many police will be looking for boozers, what gas costs and the hassles of flying during the busiest travel time of the year blah-blah-blah.

Shameless plug: Marco's scheduled to be in-studio with Ray Horner on 1590 WAKR Monday morning in the 8:00 hour. He's been a stand-up guy off the air, telling us he knows he messed up (even Marco asked what-the-HELL was he thinking, barristas!) and will take the medicine. Sommerville is not the kind of politician to duck questions from reporters or the public, taking phone calls many times while on our airwaves. I'm just hoping the warrant blood lust holds off enough so Marco doesn't have to call us collect from the Barberton lockup.

Another Typical Akron Tuesday

A week after the elections and already the news hounds are bored; how the last five hours provided the spice of life for the ink-and-electron stained wretches doing your news for you. Too bad we don't get paid by the hot story.

First things first the big wreck on I-77 at South Arlington that basically left the world south of downtown a parking lot for four hours. NewsChannel 5 reports the driver of a pickup truck was critically injured.

Then there was the electrical vault fire that spewed black smoke over downtown and spoiled the late afternoon for the lizards still pumping down a drink or two near Canal Park (OMG, how did the late crowd at Brico wet their whistle?) but worse yet knocked out power to just about all of the business district of America's 74th largest radio market -- including the corporate headquarters for FirstEnergy, parent company of Ohio Edison. Power may not be fully restored until Wednesday.

The resulting scramble was such a mess the Akron PD begged people to avoid downtown at all costs since it was pure gridlock. Our partners at WKYC had Akron-Canton anchor Eric Mansfield standing in the dark on their 6p broadcast and their 630p cablecast news; usually his perch beside the ballpark is a fine location to show off the lights downtown but not this evening.

Oh, by the way down the pike today the auction began on the guts of Hoover. The once-mighty worldwide sign of northeast Ohio corporate and industrial dominance has been reduced to people coming from around the country to cart off machines and whatever else is ready to go from the North Canton location where Boss Hoover once ruled a worldwide empire made possible by machines that sucked -- literally. How the King of Vacuum has been reduced to this still makes me shake my head but now even the marble topped fireplace facade in the private office where Boss used to do his business is up to the highest bidder. Hell, even the room where the Boss really did his private business is up for grabs; as of this writing I hadn't heard if anyone was able to cart off the tile floor, sink or commode in Mr. Hoover's private bathroom.

Before I wrap up: Akron Council President Marco Sommerville and a handful of other members of Council were taking their annual junket to the National League of Cities meeting in New Orleans when they ran into a snag; seems Marco forgot to pull his piece out of his carry-on. The TSA at CAK felt and FYI was DOA and arrested city government's second most powerful politician for packing heat in his bag. WKYC's coverage was anchored by Bill Safos but Eric Mansfield tells me the law enforcement community, as a whole, as unavailable to comment on this bust but the Barberton prosecutor has the case since Akron-Canton Airport is in the Barberton Municipal Court district. Early word suggests Sommerville will face charges since the feds have a well-deserved reputation for not thinking too kindly of people smuggling weapons onto planes, whether they just forgot or not. I'm guessing here that Marco has a legit reason for a concealed carry permit but that doesn't mean squat on a plane. Our efforts to get a call on the cell returned failed but we'll try again tomorrow.

I think this Friday night's NewsNight Akron program on PBS 45/49 should be interesting...

America's Real Pastime: Politics & Paranoia

It's a potent combination and Tuesday's roll call of electioneering is no exception. It is what makes watching politics fascinating in considering the wonderful gap between the true believers of fill-in-the-blank cause and the rest of us.

I won't name names but we've been on the receiving end of some great e-mails and phone calls from candidates, family of candidates, party conspiracy theorists and the spin doctors as we edge closer to November 6th.

Some of my favorites include warnings of dire consequences should X beat Y in the race to show who's political chromosome actually protects the American way; how Y accuses X of running "...the dirtiest race ever." Yeah -- like accusing President Grover Cleveland of fathering an illegitimate child, or the whispering campaign that candidate Warren G. Harding was of mixed-race heritage, hence "The Shadow of Blooming Grove" tag for the Great Bloviator, was polite campaigning.

It always amuses me to see just how thin-skinned those who speak the loudest can be. She threw mud, he's playing dirty, this party's just filling patronage, that party's just paying off supporters...you know the drill because you hear it every election cycle. Always have, always will, because political rhetoric is easier to generate than substance because it's what we political junkies enjoy so much about the process and it's usually the best way to cut through the clutter of everyday life and convince voters our candidate is less evil than the other.

Keep those calls and emails coming -- along with getting your MoveOn.org frequent whiner card punched for number of letters posted or earning extra points for your Fat Cats account you are keeping the traditions, values and entertainment of American politics alive and well.

Bill's the MAN!

A great Columbus Monthly article now making the rounds came across in email form today from a high-ranking Summit County Democrat, targeting the ratings of two prominent GOP-er's for being the biggest publicity hound and laziest legislator -- but actually reading the article provided even more mirth.

If you want to read it online you're screwed; there's no direct story link other than the alternative newspaper website that serves more as a bid to subscribe than get it for free, but I'm hoping this link to the .pdf file of the article works but if it doesn't you can try my blog entry on AkronNewsNow.

First things first: it won't come as a surprise that Cuyahoga Falls State Senator Kevin Coughlin wins Best Publicity Hound, hands down. My guess is he will probably wear the tag with pride. His stylist will also appreciate the #3 Best Hair Award.

Tagging Cuyahoga Falls Representative John Widowfield as Laziest Legislator, however, isn't a good thing even if the writer got the story wrong when he noted Widowfield was running for judge (it's municipal court clerk, but never let a few facts get in the way of a good story) and his service was a great example of why we should support term limits.

The rest of the article, however, paves the way for Medina Republican Bill Batchelder to claim he's the highest overall rated member of Ohio's General Assembly in general, covering a wide range of categories: #1 Most Knowledgeable and #2 Best Orator to outweigh tops for Worst Hair and third Worst Dressed nods. Maybe if he compared notes with Coughlin he could start working on a push that really matters when he's nailing down votes for House Speaker.

Also worth noting: Kent Democrat Representative Kathleen Chandler ranked third in the "Least Politically Savvy" category. That won't come as a surprise to those watching when the promise of Portage County's turn in the State Senate went to Summit County's Tom Sawyer...

Ready To Play Editor?

Folks responsible for Akron-area print layout and newscast stacking had a choice to make on Monday: what plays first, the death of a five-year old Akron boy in a Sunday Albrecht Avenue house fire or the death of a Chagrin Falls co-ed in a Sunday North Carolina beach house blaze that killed her and six fellow college students.

These are the editorial decisions loaded with scrutiny; a young boy or a young woman, both deaths are tragic. One involved what firefighters believe is a pan of hot oil left over from frying chicken wings racing through an Akron home without smoke detectors; the other sparked on a deck and quickly racing through the beach house where college kids were relaxing away the weekend. Both avoidable with care, our hearts tell us, both horrible accidents ending young lives full of promise.

But what’s your lead? You’re in the news business so one story has to run first. Do you make your decision based on location? If so, Akron tops North Carolina. Is your primary consideration the date of the tragedy? You’ll be splitting some hairs on this. The Akron fatal fire came in the wee hours of Sunday morning while the North Carolina blaze broke out late Sunday night. Is the story best told by pictures, and does the more spectacular scene of huge flames caught by citizen journalist aired on CNN trump the next-day photos of burned-out home shot by your weekend crew in Summit County?

One is now yesterday’s report; the other now dominates the national headlines.

The question not many want to ask, much less answer: do you base your decision on the makeup of the victim? My question doesn’t have a right answer, especially so close to the pain two families and friends are feeling right now, but it is worth asking.

The media has struggled with charges there is a caste system in place when telling stories of tragedy. The best example is the story of missing Mountain Brook, Alabama teen Natalie Holloway during a class trip in Aruba. Many, including myself, were critical of the tenor of the continuing coverage so prominently displaying the picture of blond innocence as a poster for the story while so many other children – not so blond, not so white, not from such an affluent area, weren’t worthy of the nightly talk show spotlights.

This case makes me wonder about the decision making process, too. Two families ripped by tragedy, one white and the other not-so-white. One complete with attractive photographs, the other without the graphics. One from a middle-upper class background (hey, it’s Chagrin Falls) and the other from Ellet (I’d wager most Cleveland TV producers would be hard-pressed to point out what side of Akron Ellet is on…).

Does race matter? Does economic and social class matter? Is it inappropriate to even bring the issue up for thought and discussion in our newsrooms?

My friend John Butte thinks these are just the issues we should be talking about in our newsrooms. He’s the GM of WEWS but comes to the top job from the news director route. John’s behind a committee of Cleveland and Akron news organizations (we’re the only Akron group represented at this point; the PD, all Cleveland TV and most of the Cleveland radio groups are also on the panel) looking at issues of inclusion, and whether we do a good enough job of reporting on and portraying our communities.

Diversity does matter, including when it is more than black and white issues that come to mind when we use words such as “diversity” and “inclusion”. At the very least we should be challenging ourselves in our newsrooms to give more thought to our editorial decisions other than “what’s our lead”. We should be asking “why”, too.

The Auditor's Trigger

Some interesting chat coming out of City Hall on the appointment of Phil Young as Akron's new Police Auditor -- and what prompted the powers-that-be to get off the dime and get him on the job.

Turns out it was the job market, my sources tell me.

Everyone knew Young's appointment was coming; Eric Mansfield reported it in his blog, AkronNewsNow reported it online July 24th and anyone between a city badge and city budget knew who would fill the post...but the Mayor's media mavens pretended it wasn't official and wouldn't be until after Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh released her report on the Vinson shooting.

Well, Walsh's final report is still sitting on a desk somewhere in her office...so why did Mayor Plusquellic finally put Phil out for everyone to see before the Don left for a trip to Germany?

He had to get moving because South High Street wasn't the only government entity wanting to make sure the retired Highway Patrol Officer on the payroll. The Strickland Administration knows a good thing when they see it and they were pushing hard to get Young on the state payroll, the heck with the locals who were looking like they couldn't make up their minds. Faced with the prospect of announcing his choice for Police Auditor was leaving the job before he even started finally prodded the Administration to move.

Quickly it wasn't; there are still plenty of questions on just what the Administration was really waiting for. Young could have started working months ago and they could have easily noted he wouldn't be working the Vinson case. Would Young would be at work today if City Hall wasn't forced to man up and get the deal done?

The Amazing Mr. Harris

What an amazing experience at the Project GRAD dinner Wednesday evening -- thanks in large measure to a Buchtel alum sharing a most basic story of how his journey really began.

Leon Harris went from Akron kid to Ohio University grad to CNN intern to CNN producer to CNN anchor and now sits in the big chair anchoring for WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C. Heck of a ride for a local kid, but his homecoming talk centered on what he emotionally described as the pivotal moment in determining just who he really is.

It came, he told a riveted audience of 325+, while on assignment in Africa -- an assignment he really didn't want. With free time before a flight out of Dakar, Senegal he visited Goree Island (this Wikipedia entry doesn't do justice to the description Harris provided), the final stop for cargo (human and otherwise) bound for the Americas. Unseen hands held on to him, he recounted, forcing an epiphany of the heart and soul. It clearly drives who Leon Harris is today, and where he wants to be.

His message was powerful and clear: the miracles, he called it, of directing his DNA to this very spot and time, miracles we all share in many ways but take for granted. Unseen hands pushing and pulling us to places and roles we can choose to play in leading others.

What gave Leon Harris even more impact was the extended family sharing this First Annual Achieving Dreams Celebration, honoring the teachers such as Erie Island Principal Johnnette Snowden Curry; the parents such as Russel Neal, Jr; the volunteers such as Susan Vogelsang and James Toles and the big names who gave of their time and passion such as Akron Superintendent Sylvester Small, University President Luis Proenza, Council President Marco Sommerville, Judge Brenda Burnham Unruh, Deputy Mayor Billy Soule -- role models in their own rights for making their own dreams reality.

By the way -- best line of the night went to Small, who noted he was always nervous in the spotlight because he felt it wasn't right to be recognized for doing what God intended us to be doing all along.

This wasn't your typical non-profit dinner; I wasn't alone among the crowd perched on the edge of our seats sharing the moments and the motivations to take what we heard to heart. I expected a nice speech from Leon but not the real and deep emotion of his personal testimony on what life can bring us and the ultimate responsibility we hold in helping others make their dreams come true.

Leon Harris gives generously to Project GRAD, helping extend 50 scholarships to 100 and even signing over his usual speaking fee entirely to Buchtel High -- that's $5,000 for those of you keeping score.

Lessons from the heart combined with putting his money where his mouth is: that's a great example for anyone stepping up and taking responsibility for the world around him.

Amazing work, Mr. Harris.

Pry's Perfect Planning

We aren't even into the 2007 General Election and already it's fun to check out the early sniping between the Akron Lords of the Ring.

Russ Pry will announce tomorrow (Wednesday -- AkronNewsNow story here) he will try to make appointed elected with a run for the Summit County Executive job. He's been in the post since Jim McCarthy retired last summer, holding down not only the top county post but also holding on to the Democratic Party chairmanship.

Nice work if you can get it, and so far Pry's done a nice job of showing the doubters (myself included) that he's got a pretty good handle on not only talking the talk but also walking the walk. Pry's not only got the look down but he projects the leadership style folks look for in an executive-level post in the time he's been running the show. He clearly has a style different than McCarthy's rough-and-tumble moving up the ladder: Pry is smoother, appears to work more on building consensus and he hasn't missed many opportunities to build on those relationships as a constant presence on major political issues such as CSB, the Urban League's new headquarters building, trying to find the peace over management of the Summit County Fairgrounds and even tackling animal control.

By the way, the County is still doing it's water and sewer and economic development thing, too.

Folks expecting missteps have yet to be rewarded; so far no snide wars involving some of the more mercurial members of County Council. Pry gets high marks from other county elected officials, including GOP office holders in an environment where serving as County Executive usually means wearing a target on your chest because you control the flow of dough. Summit County is unique; the only county in Ohio with a charter government, one where a legislative body works with an executive branch (what a novel thought).

There's one job Pry's been holding that preps him well for 2008's election shenanigans now that his name's on a ballot a couple hundred thousand voters will decide on: a member of the Summit County Elections Board.

The Beacon Journal got some pithy thoughts from GOP Chairman Alex Arshinkoff's (Yin to Pry's Yang on paper even though it's really seen as an Alex v. Wayne Jones fight) on Pry's plans. Arshinkoff says Pry's been acting "like a Democratic officeholder" for his first 100 days.

No kidding, Alex -- Pry has been the Democratic officeholder, and with a reported $100k already in the kitty and the likelihood of banking even more makes him a strong opponent for any Republican. Or Democrat who thinks they can take him for a spin in the March primary.

Regardless of how he got there he's the incumbent, which is golden in a year of presidential and congressional politics. So long as Pry doesn't stumble, so long as there's no negatives, so long as there's no scandal it'll be tough for opponents to tag him as a rookie (not true since July) or too partisan (talk to the GOP'ers who govern with him) to force a change.

Shy of big names such as a Robart (unlikely) or a Coughlin (now waging a fight to the death with Alex for the GOP committee) there isn't a long line of Republican candidates in the wings ready for a bruising battle with the Democratic machine behind a well-financed incumbent -- even if he hasn't won a single election for the job he's holding.

Best Weekend Political Story

A year to go before the 2008 Presidential election: the airwaves and print pages are full of this observation or that keynote on what makes Hillary or Barack or Fred or Rudy and the rest of the gang tick, who's the best, who's the wisest, who's the most caring, what their policies mean.


At this point it's just yapping...my favorite comes from The Sunday Times (that's in London, friends) and this piece on true love -- or at least the display for political gain.


Was Socks the cat dumped because it was just too difficult to keep the pet love going strong, what with Bill traveling the world to pick up checks for speeches, Hillary otherwise occupied in the Senate and Chelsea moving on in her own life? Couldn't the Secret Service protecting the Clinton home outside New York City be trusted to take care of Socks when no one was home?


Does this really surprise anybody?


Politics at this level is more about symbolism than reality; take the test of knowing what a gallon of milk costs. It's a nice media trick, attempting to show whether our candidates are human and just regular folks. But would you rather have the leaders of the free world understand macro-global-economics or what we pay for a gallon of milk?


Note: I can't tell you what a gallon of milk costs because my wife does most of the grocery shopping.


All these sidebar stories really accomplish is feeding the marketing machines known as political campaigns, desperately seeking any material to showcase their particular political horse rather than actually focus on issues and specifics. It's easier to talk about where the cat went -- or how sad Socks BFF Buddy didn't last long after leaving the White House -- than get down and dirty on what health reform really entails.

Why I Can't Watch The Tribe

I love the Indians. Have since we moved to Ohio in the 60s. Cut my Ohio broadcast teeth working Indians games for the former WWWE in the 90s. Loved the old stadium, too. Was there for the opening of Jacobs Field, both the '95 and '97 World Series runs, even last year's low times.

But I just can't watch the Indians on TV for this run.

It's because I'm convinced it's a jinx.

My cousin Gene (the Yankees fan) admits he does the same thing; tune in, see our teams with big leads, then stare in horror as it all fades away. It happened in the NY series for that one game for me; last Friday I watched against the Red Sox when they creamed us. Tuesday I tuned in late to see three Boston homers back to back to back before I turned it off, afraid another second watching meant the end.

At this point I can hear my buddy Bob Salsberg of the AP in Boston screaming at me to turn the damn game on; he's probably calling the switchboard at Fox 8 in Cleveland to figure out how to beam those pictures directly into my jinxing eyeballs so his Sox can come closer to going back home to play more baseball instead of heading south to play golf. Sorry, Bob, it just ain't gonna happen. My mind's made up: my eyes will be shut tight to any images of Chief Wahoo sending your boys packing.

The jinx doesn't work on radio; I listen, then win (most of the time this season); the jinx doesn't work in person: they win them, too. Going online to check it out? They win. But turn on the tube and the tables turn.

In the full interests of my fellow fans, I will NOT watch ANY of the game tonight. I've already got the DVR ready with reruns of Law and Order, Shark, even Two and a Half Men. I might even watch the rerun of Desperate Housewives despite Diane's wishes to keep it fresh until she comes back from an out-of-town business trip. Even she watches the games, then tells me about it the next day. She's watched her beloved Tigers and even Twins move on to win World Championships so her fandom has proven to be non-fatal. As for me: the pain of true support for my team.

Not watching. But still waiting.

FREE SPEECH: Where Do You Stand?

One of the aftermath issues following the Success Academy shootings in Cleveland is a drill just about every newsroom and journalist goes through -- or should go through.

WKYC's Eric Mansfield blogged about the student who reaped rewards from the checkbook journalists paying for his homemade video shot inside the classroom while a 14-year old fellow student shot outside the classroom, wounding four before taking his own life. A national program shelled out two grand without blinking, Eric reports, and local news shops followed suit (bidding remained in the hundreds) once word got out. WKYC did not join the tragedy auction but did air the video when NBC made it available to network affiliates.

Was it wrong for the student, and the student's mother, do quickly jump on the profit wagon with the blood of his fellow students and teachers still fresh on the hallway floors?

It is not unusual for networks, newspapers or magazines to pay for content; after all, those out-of-town but appearing in-studio guests on programs such as CNN's Larry King and Glenn Beck, or MSNBC's Hard Ball, NBC's Today Show, ABC's Good Morning America, CBS's Morning Show, Fox & Friends -- most of the "real people", non-professional guests don't pay their own way to fly to New York, Washington, or Atlanta and then pop for a night's hotel stay for the pure joy of being on TV. In-studio means someone foots the bill for travel, and then some.

There's a fine line in television between the entertainment division programs and the news division programs; viewers usually can't tell the difference between the hard-driving CNN Showbiz Today or Entertainment Tonight or Access Hollywood, even as they air on the "news" channel or immediately following a news program. We broadcasters do a pretty good job of making that line fuzzy, and it isn't a stretch to note the public has better things to do with their time than grow sophisticated to easily recognize the difference.

Phil Trexler of the Akron Beacon Journal noted on Friday's NewsNight Akron program it is common practice for the paper to pay "stringer fees", usually a nominal amount. We practice the same policy with stringers and freelancers both in broadcast on WAKR and online on AkronNewsNow with some sports reporters, mostly Jeff Brewer who contributes coverage from pro teams as well as features on high school sports. Jeff is also a blogger on Suburban League athletics).

The newspaper/magazine equivalent to the networks is paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for that "shot" of Brittney dropping her child on the sidewalk coming out of Starbucks, or Lindsay stumbling out of a nightclub after rehab. Those photos reap huge rewards just as the video does because the public wants to see those images, despite protests of disgust. In the business, it's the "what's under the sheet?" question: driving past a car wreck, everyone looks to see even though they know it won't be pretty. It isn't one of our finest traits, but it is what it is.

Who's wrong -- the video shooter or the TV/radio/newspaper/website paying for the media?

I find it hard to condemn the young man who shot the Success Academy video or his mother; they had a product in demand and customers willing to pay for it. The responsibility on what we as journalists air, post or publish isn't with the "user generated users" or freelancers providing the content, it is ours as traditional media (newspapers, magazine, radio, TV) or "new" media (Internet) since we weild the editorial decision on what content we believe our respective audiences want.

That decision is complicated and in today's fragmented media world not just one with journalism ethics attached; the differences in acceptance by the wider media audience measured in ratings points, circulation or unique visitor page views places huge economic considerations on those decisions. Also consider the First Amendment provides for very little in the form of regulation (yelling "fire" in crowded theaters, personal health privacy and espionage secrets excepted) for a very good reason: the Founding Fathers opted to put the power in the hands of the people, and not someone deciding for us what we would see and hear.

The market reality is: if viewers, readers and listeners have such widespread revulsion and are repulsed by these images and sounds those airing, publishing or posting the material won't make a living. When most viewers, readers and listeners demand and expect this material those responsible for the editorial decisions must and will weigh the economic consequences along with their best journalistic judgment, citizen or professional.

In our version of democracy, freedom of speech isn't bound by the limits of good taste or family-appropriate values. That decision is left to us, as it should be: I'd rather have a society openly debating excess rather than authority silencing speech.

Week's End Thoughts & Tribe Stuff

This has been a rough week for the news business, leading off with the horror of the Success Academy shootings in Cleveland Wednesday. It sparked the usual gab-fest shows opinions on whether gun control would have stopped this; are our schools safe?; why weren't warning signs heeded; what led this troubled 14-year old to attack others and then take his own life.

I'm not sure there are any answers to these questions.

From a media coverage perspective we heard about this right after the first shots, thanks in large measure to WKYC's proximity right across the street from Success Academy. Frank Macek has very informative posts in his Director's Cut blog from Channel 3 on their coverage. The other Cleveland stations -- WEWS, WJW and WOIO -- also had strong coverage of this breaking news, coming at the same time a major train derailment forced a thousand people from their homes near Painesville.


One of the common threads of coverage has been the use of the 9-1-1 calls from parents relaying to police information they were getting from their children and others inside Success Academy. There is a bill in the Ohio General Assembly that seeks to restrict broadcast or web airing of 9-1-1 audio, on the grounds it discourages calls by people afraid of retribution after being tagged "snitches". One thing I took away from the use of the 9-1-1 calls and the job Cleveland dispatchers did in handling the distraught parents was the system worked, and the folks on the other side of the phone stepped up to remain calm and still try and get information to pass along which might be helpful to S.W.A.T and other emergency responders on the scene.

I've got to think some of the lessons from Columbine are still fresh, including the razor's edge situations posed for police who often don't know if someone running from the scene is victim or perp. Having the information relayed by eyewitnesses inside may not always be the most reliable (eyewitness testimony is notoriously all over the board) but it does help those on the front line try and paint a more complete picture of what happens behind the closed doors and windows of a hostage situation. Knowing the 9-1-1 system works on this level should be seen as a positive, and not an objection. Our tax dollars pay for it and most importantly it is public record -- and public understanding and support of 9-1-1 is critical to helping the system work.

On a couple of totally goofy notes:

The Indians begin their best-of-seven series with the Boston Red Sox Friday night at fabled Fenway Park. My good pal Bob Salsberg of the Associated Press in Boston enjoyed watching the Tribe dump the Yankees; of course it's not because he's a big Indians fan but more to the point it was us beating New York, and for folks in Red Sox Nation that pretty much makes the Indians fans -- until this weekend.

Some funny photos are coming out of the NY series; for example, this up-close version of Insectus Tribefanus. We owe a tremendous debt to this little fellow, captured by AkronNewsNow web designer Andrew Seese, for the Game Two 11-inning win over the Bronx Bombers. If only we could be assured warmer October nights for when the BoSox visit but alas, the forecast will be a fairly chilly Monday and Tuesday at Carnegie and Ontario so it's unlikely we'll see our little buddies lend a hand against Manny and company.


My cousin Gene forwarded this gem. It had to be one of the most painful things he's ever attached, ever.

He's a big Yankees fan and was, I'm sure, planning to find some creative way of rubbing a New York series win in my face. Without a single comment from me he forwarded this photo that kind of says it all. Please feel free to forward to your friends and family who wear pinstripes.


Finally Mark Biviano earns my thanks and gratitude for forwarding this image that bears the ultimate lesson of how money can't buy happiness.

The greatest quote coming out of the ALDS series comes from Mark Shapiro, who noted how much he enjoyed the loudest applause he savors most was the devastating silence from Yankee Stadium Tuesday evening. I'm only sorry it didn't come on the last game ever at the House that Ruth Built (that's next year) but it was great fun seeing all those empty seats as the overconfident New York fans slunk back into their subway holes to escape reality underground.

LeBron, Finley and Ted's Energy

Can TV (local and national) give the LeBron's a Yankee fan thing a rest? He's a Yankee fan. He sticks by his team. It's a game. If C.C. Sabathia doesn't care why should the rest of us? Make the point and move on...

That said, it was interesting LBJ turned the cap around and was gone by the time the Tribe made it 10-3. A fan's a fan but watching your favorites get slammed is no fun -- Cleveland fans know that feeling all too well...

Why the media (including us) really love sports playoffs involving home teams: we get to fill time and space with interviews with fans howling how much they love their Indians/Cavaliers/Browns, etc. It sure beats those man-on-the street interviews at crime scenes, high school sexual assault scenes, carjackings and armed robberies. Even the most hard-boiled street reporters get fed up at some point...

All said, it was still very satisfying to wake up Friday morning and see the score was the same as when the game ended. As an Indians fan I never take these things for granted...

Dollar General has removed Halloween products containing lead. Not Halloween candy but plastic buckets and monster tumblers kids could drink out of. It's easy to turn this into a made-in-China issue, especially since everything seasonal these days seems to come from China. Is the world's new strongest economy getting to the point yet where they'll keep the lead in the pencils instead?

Joe Finley still won't give up even though he admits there's no chance in the Akron Mayor's primary of making up that thousand-vote loss. Part of me agrees with MSM blogging buddy Eric Mansfield that it's admirable Joe sticks by his guns, but the bigger part thinks Joe should realize the point's been made...and now it's time to close the chapter. We know he's going to fight another day, show the kind of sportsmanship we try to teach kids to exhibit after the game is over. Why can't the phrase "MoveOn" mean what it says?

Jody Miller and I have a date Monday for taping a walk about the University of Akron to profile some of the remarkable changes in the Landscape for Learning. The transformation of the Akron campus is amazing and no, we haven't forgotten we paid for it. We'll do the proper gushing, I'm sure, but it reminds me how goofy I think this UA-Cleveland State merge talk is, especially when CSU exists just fine with Tri-C's downtown, east and west campus operations easily within their footprint. Want to save money? How about folding administration of CSU and Tri-C into one office?

I had the chance to listen to Governor Strickland's stump speech (note link includes audio) pushing his energy policy Thursday while attending the Ohio Association of Broadcasters convention. I've said before that Strickland's detractors (both public and private) really underestimate this guy. He's been in office for 10 months, had only one no vote on his budget, and the only major "scandals" he's had to deal with came in a missing hard drive (poor middle management decision making, not Strickland's policies) and the embarrassing departure of Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman's wife from her cushy state job (well, that one hits home). Overall his easy-going country manner and speaking style plays well with folks and his management style so far paints Ohio as a pro-business tax-sensitive place for investment. And yes, Ted's still a Democrat.

If Ohio Dems were smart they'd remember having leadership that knows how to talk and act from both sides of the aisle wins votes statewide. It sure beats having Kucinich as the lone face of Ohio Democrat politics...

Frankly, I'm Ashamed

This weekend should have been fairly routine. Diane and I headed up to see her mother in Michigan, recovering from some pretty serious health issues. The newsroom seemed in good hands with plans to cover the Road Runner Marathon, Akron's farewell to Rex Humbard, the Indians on a playoff roll and the Browns looking to beat the Ravens. What's to go wrong?

Plenty.

Monday afternoon I got an e-mail and phone message from Laurie Cramer at the Prosecutor's Office, but because of tasks on my schedule for today didn't get a chance to see until late in the day she was alerting me to our story coverage last week where we dropped the ball.

Some of you have been following the coverage of the Tayse trial, the story of the Pennsylvania man charged with abducting and assaulting a Pittsburgh-area mother and her daughter before releasing them here in Ohio. He was found guilty. They were hoping for justice in Summit County, where Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh personally handled presenting the state's case of crimes that crossed state lines.

As you'll see in our AkronNewsNow story, edited earlier this afternoon, the names of the victims of this horrible crime were included in our original coverage. Not only did we make this mistake on Thursday of last week when the trial first went to the jury, but we also repeated the error on Friday. There is no excuse.

We've since removed the names because as a matter of policy we don't normally report the ID of victims of sex crimes, especially when it involves children. In fact, the only time I remember identifying the victims of sexual assault locally was the Denny Ross rape case a few years ago, and that was only because the victim insisted upon it. My personal and professional view is that we should never report the name of the victim unless it is by prior consent or, as in the Duke lacrosse allegations case, the charges are found to be without merit by clear and convincing evidence and the accuser becomes the accused. We've had such discussions on numerous occasions in the newsroom, usually in the coverage of high-profile cases but also in coverage of other, less headline-grabbing accounts.

We failed in our coverage of the Tayse trial, and worse we failed to correct our actions in a timely and professional manner when it was brought to our attention. When the Prosecutor's office first called to alert us the victims found their names in our coverage, we should have acted immediately to correct our story and apologize; instead, we left the issue in voicemail for another day.

I contacted Laurie and apologized for our original coverage; I apologized for our failure to appropriately edit the coverage on multiple levels; and I apologized for the lack of a response deserved by not only the Prosecutor but also the victims in this crime. They were victims of our actions and our inaction, and there is no excuse. We can apologize, but that will not repair the damage.

It isn't against the law to identify victims of crime, nor do I think it should be. Many times reporting the news is an ugly business, but making these decisions should be a constant subject of debate in every newsroom. News departments will fashion their own policies according to their own ethics and standards, and news consumers will make the ultimate judgment on whether those organizations earned their trust and respect.

We all work hard toward that goal, but there are times when we don't work hard enough. The problem isn't when we worry about what we do but when we don't worry about why; in this case we didn't protect a family in Pennsylvania who deserved better, we didn't serve our audience who should expect higher standards and we weren't true to our own sense of personal values that should drive us to question why, especially when that question is turned to ourselves.

We apologize on all counts.

Being Random

Thanks to friend Stacey in D.C. for giving me a swift e-kick to get posting. The e-dust is still settling on my e-butt with her e-footprint firmly e-planted.

I'm still wondering just what happened with this week' s ruling that 200+ citizens in the County of Summit saw their votes hijacked because their absentee ballots weren't delivered on time. Judge Tom Teodosio was right to rule state law says the County Board of Elections couldn't just count the new-found ballots on their own but part of his reasoning was that Mayor Plusquellic and the City didn't have standing to file suit. Why wasn't anyone among the Silent 200 included since they had an obvious standing? Eric Mansfield's point that the votes should have been counted anyway (loved the reference to TV reality shows as an example...) makes a good point: there shouldn't be any harm in providing citizens a glimpse into what needs to be fixed about a system that says voters can play by the rules to make their voice heard but when the ballots don't get delivered they're out of luck.

Craig Simpson has a pretty extensive report on AkronNewsNow on what may be an intense battle brewing right here in Akron, and all the components are there for the kind of poster-case Eminent Domain critics dream of. The Dead Poets neighborhood has some crummy houses but there are also plenty of homes that counter the "blighted" tag City Hall attaches to the land they hope will keep Goodyear here. This could wind up being one of those cases used to make national "soup" with all the ingredients: big government (City of Akron) wants to help big business (Goodyear) and the little guy (Poet Streets homeowners who won't sell) gets knocked aside. Some homeowners are happy to sell their homes and get on with their lives; others may be holding out for higher prices (hell, isn't that the American way?) while others will plant their feet firmly in the dirt within the shadow of Goodyear and say home is home and they aren't moving -- effectively dismantling the City and State's efforts to keep Goodyear in Akron.

I'm a capitalist: those homeowners should be able to get maximum cash for making way. The City and State (Don and Ted's Most Excellent Adventure) should make every effort to keep Goodyear in Akron. Despite the wine-and-cheese sniffers who want to pretend Akron isn't the world's Rubber City anymore it is our history and Goodyear is not only a representation of the past but also a picture of the future on what Akron should strive to become: a center for something, and why not polymers and plastics and rubber?

That said, the spectre of Big Brother exemplified by the City's clumsy repainting of the neighborhood as blighted shouldn't come without debate and plenty of pain on the part of the politicians. Taking a home, no matter how modest, should be something requiring more hoops than a couple of public meetings and a hasty vote no matter how grand the benefit. At the very least the critics both local and national will keep the process honest and centered on what should remain a core issue: that government shouldn't take the power to condemn and destroy as its birthright.

Now after all this aren't you angry at Stacey for reminding me to post?

Politically Incorrect Football

Some observations on Saturday's University of Akron-Kent State University football game at the Rubber Bowl:

• It truly was wonderful to see such an outpouring of humanity for the game; it helps prep the taste buds for what crowds could be like once there's a stadium facility the entire region can be proud of;


• Unfortunately those watching at home got a real taste of what kind of disrespect the MAC and even the #2 and #3 schools in northeast Ohio suffer at the hands of the media. Poor WEWS-TV likely had little choice but to toss game coverage at 3:30 to the #1 northeast Ohio football program -- Columbus-based Ohio State University -- with more than a minute left in the Golden Flashes-Zips game;


• Poor Sue Ann on Channel 5 was left with the task of playing "Heidi" (that's a reference to the stain left by broadcast switching away from a great comeback for a movie profiling the Pixie of the Alps before the NFL figured out how to buy the networks) and telling us since Akron had it in the bag they were switching to the OSU-Northwestern game. KSU could have mounted a last-minute drive if there had been a turnover -- which is the point of the Heidi reference;


• Maybe it is just me but would it be possible for the Zips to abandon the shooting of the cannon with every score against Kent State? I know it's been 37 years but hey -- give us a little love on this one, will ya? I think having the ROTC do push ups for each point might be reconsidered as well...

There is some great news coming out of the MAC and Zips programs; Zippy busted Virginia Tech's "Hokie Bird" in the battle of the mascots. Zippy is undefeated...hope for our future.

By the way, for those of you who say I show poor editing skills: you won't believe the restraint I showed in choosing Shirley Temple for Heidi rather than supermodel Heidi Klum. Sometimes the choices journalists must make in the pursuit of truth...

Cleveland + Minus Akron & Canton

So much for regionalism; what I'm sure was an off-handed remark to a couple hundred Cleveland big shots reflects more of the real thinking along the lakefront when it comes to regionalism and just how far folks will go in turning "Cleveland, Akron, Canton Youngstown" into Northeast Ohio.

Kudos to Tom Beres of WKYC Channel 3 news for even including the comments from Continental President Jeff Smisek in a "plea" (Beres' description) during a meeting to discuss Burke Lakefront Airport. "Don't fly Akron Canton", Smisek is quoted as saying, in a bid to pump up the volume at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE). There wasn't exactly an outpouring, according to the Beres story, of folks downplaying airport wars.

So much for raising Northeast Ohio by bringing everyone up.

To be fair it is perfectly understandable why Smisek is pushing CLE over CAK; they have a HUGE investment in their Cleveland hub (just as they do at Newark and Houston, their other major hubs) and more traffic equals bigger expansion leads to more profits and more jobs in Northeast Ohio. Granted as well CAK has been a pesky competitor to CLE, what with easier parking, less hassles in the terminal and even getting those massaging lounge chairs for long waits before Hopkins. Also note AirTran just loves CAK over CLE and the smaller airport takes their own shots at "that other airport" in their ad campaigns to the point where Cleveland's TV and radio ads now spend valuable time talking up just how highly Hopkins ranks in passenger satisfaction ratings.

But this is more about political leadership. I've said for years Cleveland always talks regionalism unless Cleveland has to give something up; TBC (The Big City) primped and fluffed when the Plain Dealer built their new production facility off I-480. There was substantial grumbling behind the scenes when radio giant Clear Channel moved to Independence; I've got to believe the Cleveland Mayor's office wasn't happy with the Cavaliers building their new practice facility in Independence, even after Cleveland stole back the team from Richfield after Nick Mileti bought the promises of extending rail lines and commuter service into Summit County when he built the Coliseum. Those promises were worth about 20 years of regionalism and Cleveland drivers learning how to go south of the Turnpike; now Cleveland holds the cards again, northern Summit County is still a drive, not a rail commute, and the Coliseum is home to trees and birds, not the NBA and future Larry Birds.

Both Cleveland and Akron have their regional water systems but both cities still run the departments, not regional boards; the sewer system at least is regional in Cleveland but in Akron the City still sets rates for non-city customers who don't have a voice in the management of the system. Mayor Jackson says Cleveland would be foolish to give up the Hopkins plum to a regional group.

Seems like local governments talk a good game about regionalism so long as it comes to taking money out of our pockets, but it is a different matter when it comes to representation and actual control of these institutions. Cleveland Plus is still more about marketing, a canard to convince northeast Ohioans we all get along and we're all in it together -- until the time comes to actually pony up. At least with Akron's JEDD agreements participants have a voice; note Copley's foot-dragging that cost time and effort to find a new home for InfoCision. Copley's loss eventually became Bath Township and Akron's gain, and while the decision may have been short-sighted by Copley at least they had some control over their own destiny rather than being swallowed up by Akron.

Then it becomes Cleveland Minus.

Why Air O.J.?

A nice debate this morning in our newsroom as we kicked around the story everyone says they don't want to hear -- but perk up when it comes on anyway.



What to do about O.J.? He's being arraigned in about an hour (11:00 a.m. eastern, first thing Vegas time) on a host of charges including kidnapping for that Palace Station robbery.



Was it at gunpoint? Was the stuff really his? Should he go to jail because he used bad language in the supposed heist? How the heck did someone get away with recording the whole thing anyway? Do you really care -- or more importantly, will you really ignore it?


These discussions are going on in newsrooms all over the nation now, especially radio and TV stations with plenty of live coverage available. We will be carrying ABC Radio's coverage, expected to last about 10 minutes max, on 1590 WAKR and will also have streaming video on AkronNewsNow. Most of the folks here in our newsroom were conflicted, some downright disgusted over breaking into our regular music program for the live coverage.


In fact, the person with the strongest "no" is Marcy Pappafava -- ironically the one who will be anchoring the 11:00 news on WAKR, now with the added duty of monitoring the network and joining the coverage during her newscast. Just what qualifies a story for breaking into program, she opines? If Bill Clinton were taking his posse to a casino to get political memorabilia it would be a story worth coverage because he was elected, she felt, and a former President. O.J.'s just a dumb criminal, she says (not alot of disagreement on that point) and this doesn't meet the standard we've set with breaking news on wars, political upheaval, AMBER Alerts, major traffic problems and severe weather. Chuck Collins weighed in earlier and feels it isn't worth the live coverage.


Flip side came from Ray Horner, who admits it's not world-changing but this is something everyone is following even if they won't say it. Isn't it our responsibility to report what people are interested in keeping track of, regardless of our personal feelings? Larry States and Tina Kaufmann held similar conflicts; Tina notes that if people wanted to know that bad they'd watch it on TV.


Oddly enough that's the point I considered the tipping point. Have to make a decision one way or the other, I favor bringing the coverage to listeners who aren't able to watch it on TV -- it is a breaking story with great interest.


Most of the time it is the media's job to judge what stories and how much will fit into limited time and space. Newspapers, for example, haven't had to worry about live coverage but they do now with websites; broadcasters have 60-seconds in 60-minute intervals for each 24-hour period. Even on the web there's only so much space on the home page or section front to direct your attention. We strive to make sure it is the important stories you need to see that rise "above the fold" or "in the A block" but sometimes it isn't for us to judge whether a story is deserving.


Ultimately you are the judge of what you hear, see and read -- even if the O.J. saga leaves us feeling a tad bit dirtier for the viewing.

Count The Vote!

There pretty much seems to be unanimous agreement that the sacks of undelivered absentee ballots uncounted in last Tuesday's primary election should be part of the process.

I talked with Joe Finley this morning and he was glad to see the movement from City Hall as well as others to make sure those 200+ ballots left on the sidelines aren't just totally blown off. Council President Marco Sommerville and Mayor Don Plusquellic made the call last night in the closing minutes of Council's regular meeting; Law Director Max Rothal made it official this morning.

When is the last time you heard agreement from Finley, Sommerville and Plusquellic? State Representative Stephen Dyer was quick to move on the issue, as noted in AkronNewsNow coverage here where Dyer explains why those votes should count. I'm also told that the Board of Elections was sympathetic but couldn't because of the spanking they would take for reaching into the think-for-themselves-common-sense political cookie jar if they just went ahead and did it. Want to get the votes counted? We can't do it but go ahead and take us to court and get Judge Tommy to order us -- we're good with that.

This one is really a no-brainer and even the Board knows it, but they are handcuffed by state law (I'm translating from SCBOE Director Bryan Williams, who always notes it is the Ohio Revised Code -- state law for guys like me) that forces the Board to ignore ballots that aren't in their hands by 7:30 p.m. when the polls close on Election Day. This year's snafu came when the Post Office didn't have ballots to pick up Tuesday but instead delivered them Wednesday.

Why do we have these conflicts in the law? Thanks to lawmakers pushing the Helping Americans Vote Act to upgrade early voting in the aftermath of the 2000 Bush-Gore battle and not making sure the due diligence extended all the way down the rest of the line. Helping people vote early by using mail-in votes (Oregon's done it for years) saves time and effort and helps avoid longer lines at the polls, but it also places you at the mercy of the postal system.

"Dave" notes in a comment on my earlier posting the USPS doesn't promise delivery on-time unless you pay extra; there's nothing in the law mandating an earlier deadline, say two days before the election, or even guaranteed delivery options. The law simply says get it in the mail, and a postmark should do the trick especially since official results aren't really official for a week to ten days later.

Back to Finley & Plusquellic: the City paid the $250 filing fee to get the lawsuit before Judge Tom Teodosio and asking for an order that the BOE count the votes, but Finley's on board on the principal of the issue. Those 200 or so votes, even if he gets every one of 'em, won't help shrink that thousand-vote deficit but it may have huge impact on the Ward 4 race Deandre Forney won over incumbent Renee Greene (four votes at last count) and the Ward 6 race where incumbent Terry Albanese squeaked by Wayne Kartler by a dozen picks. We really won't know until the forms are actually fed into those scanners and the votes are counted.

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has a visit planned to share time with the local Elections board in the next two weeks; expect this kind of thing to be on the agenda.

Note: Forney spelling corrected 9/23, thanks for catching...

Akron's Uncounted

Now the Secretary of State's office has weighed in; spokesman Jeff Ortega (formerly the statehouse bureau reporter for Dix Newspapers; his column was a regular feature in local suburban newspapers printed by the Record Courier as well as the Wooster daily) tells the Akron Beacon Journal the local board of elections can't count the 200+ ballots delivered days late after the 9/11 primary.

No real surprise; the state law is pretty clear on this. What was striking was USPS's Dave Van Allen's comment to the Beacon's Rick Armon, that the postal customers themselves bear some responsibility for waiting until the last minute to drop something so important in the mail.

Uh, Dave, that's what we do. Before e-filing remember the lines outside the Main Post Office on Wolf Ledges every April 15th at 11:50 p.m.? Let's take a shot at the dumb voters now for trusting the post office to do what it says it'll do, which is: deliver the mail on time.

I'm not one to scream for government intervention but this one cries out for the folks at the Statehouse to take another hard look at voting in this day and age. Ohio moved forward when they finally scrapped the antiquated "must swear you are out of town" absentee rules and allowed for early voting; it was a no-brainer, allowed citizens to cast ballots at more convenient times and even helped lighten the load for heavy-interest 2004.

The next giant leap is e-voting. You can order risque underwear, dirty movies, booze, diet pills and music (sex, drugs, and rock & roll for those of you keeping count) over the net but actually participating in democracy can't be done? If you are paranoid enough about web hacking how about simply allowing absentee ballots to be counted based on postmark filing up to the final official canvas, say seven days following the election? It would honk off us media and other political types who want final results five minutes after the polls close but what's more important, satisfying the urge for a quick decision or a decision done right?

You Damn Meat Terrorists!

Forget going after the bad guys in caves; the real terrorists are walking the streets of Akron even as you read this!


Thank God animals aren't armed.

I just love people with passion; not necessarily their views but listening and watching them do their thing with such fervor sure is entertaining.

AkronNewsNow reporter Craig Simpson covered Akron's favorite non-conforming daughter Chrissie Hynde, giving PETA a nice plug in their bid to get people to swear off eating other live creatures. Chrissie is very passionate about this and veggie-mouth is.

Craig's account of the interview is itself pretty funny; she didn't want to talk with him, then gave in a little bit with one word answers, then answered some questions and in the process called us meat-eaters terrorists. Take that, you Beef bin-laden!

Crissie in all of her glory: AkronNewsNow coverage ahead of all the hand-clapping as Chrissie opens her Akron restaurant VegiTerranean this weekend, including audio.

Who IS Playing Saturday Night?

Confession: I am so not a music person.

Unlike my radio pals Sue Wilson, Chuck Collins and T.K. O'Grady I really couldn't tell you who last won a Grammy for Best Record, Best Artist, or Best Performance of a Rising Star who cut through the clutter of Ed's brain.

Of course, I really don't look to them to fill me in on the breakdown of the Plusquellic-Finley race.

So maybe it is fitting that the politics and media geek blogs about music and Akron.

Chrissie Hynde has a show this weekend; she opens her new restaurant, then has a sold-out gig at the Akron Civic Theater with some friends that we know include Jerry Lee Lewis and maybe P....uh...former B....uh, never mind, not allowed to reveal.

Here's what I do know: the real stars Saturday are here because of non-meat eaters. PETA (not to be confused with pita, the snackable chips) is a big draw for the Hollywood and music celeb set. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is the big beneficiary of Chrissie's Vegiterranean; she's sworn off meat and they're living veggie-large, too, and hoping to convert those of us who like our food moo-ving.

That raises some interesting issues for us rubes here in Akron: are the police ready for the hordes of the beautiful and the bigger crowds of Akronites vying for a glimpse of their favorite stars?

Thank the stars Chrissie's benefit show to help bailout the floundering Civic Theater didn't happen before the City primary: if it had we'd have Plusquellic saying it was his idea and Finley saying it cost too much.

Hey, I got politics in anyway!

The Donald Wins -- Again

I'm not sure this was ever in doubt but Finley was game. Don Plusquellic wins by over a thousand votes, the closest the race was came at the very beginning when the vote count started and Finley was within seven votes. Of course, that was two minutes after the first ballots were received at the Board of Elections on Grant Street. About three minutes later it was Plusquellic on a pony off to the races.

We were cranking out updates not only for broadcast but also online; our wrap-up coverage on AkronNewsNow includes updates to posted stories, so the time stamps will be somewhat confusing but suffice it to say the Mayor's race was over fairly early. We called the Mayor's race at about 8:47pm during the Indians game on WAKR, and about a minute later on ANN.

Finley wouldn't concede despite the clear numbers, saying the screw-up by some poll workers in turning GOP voters away who wanted to cross over in the primary (legal in Ohio, by the way) were told no and given conflicting information. This is serious stuff and kind of "shoe on the other foot" in more ways than one. Maybe the Democrats actually learned a lesson or two in 2000 and 2004 and instead of whining about losing figured out they could convince people not to vote hiding behind confusing laws, too. Either way it won't make up a thousand-vote deficit and I'm disappointed; Joe seemed like a better man to take his ball home with him from the $1 beer night at the Crowne Plaza without walking upright and admitting defeat.

No real challenges to established Akron with the exception of the two council races in Ward Four and Ward Six; in Renee Greene's case she's four down from Deandre Fourney, who ran a hell of a grassroots campaign. Greene won't give it up with about 80 provisional ballots she's counting on; Terry Albanese holds on to a 12 vote margin, and both will see mandatory automatic recounts.

November will have another set of political ying-yang: CSB and ADM levies, schools, Norton's Mayor's race, Green, the Falls Muni Court Clerk (my personal pick for microcosm of Summit County politics) but it won't have Plusquellic kicking around pundits. Too bad -- I got the sense this year he finally figured out the gruff bully act might actually be a liability at times and a bit more seasoning might prep him better for life after Akron, even if that is in 24 more years* by his reckoning.

*in his postgame comments he noted at the rate he's losing margin he could serve for more than 40 years.

When Do We Stop Remembering?

It seems the biggest question coming out of this morning's coverage of 9/11 ceremonies in New York, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania wasn't the status of the war on terror, or even just where Osama bin Laden is hiding out: it was why we still do it.

"It" being the ringing of the bells; the moments of silence; the reading of the names. New York's been abuzz for the past week over WABC 7's call to skip the hours-long name reading and become the only local TV station to air regular programming (Regis and Kelly, no less) instead of marching in lock-step with every other local television station broadcasting the name reading.

WABC reversed course quickly after station officials got an earful -- an email box-full -- of comments from families of those killed in the World Trade Center attack and other citizens who feel blowing off the defining moment of American History so far this 21st century was improper.

Have we as a society become ADD America, suffering so much from Attention Deficit Disorder that we have to have something new on the plate at all times? Reflection isn't a bad thing, whether it is the fifth anniversary, the tenth or as in this year the sixth year since the worst single attack on U.S. soil ever.

It bears noting that the generation so preoccupied with itself that Easy Rider Dennis Hopper is now a pitchman for retirement financial services, the same folks who still wrap themselves up in tie-dye to commemorate the Summer of Love, the aging baby boomers who still argue whether Yoko really broke up the boys, can so easily think it is time to move on from an event that still scars Manhattan with a giant, gaping hole.

Thousands of American men and women -- and tens of thousands of Iraqi and Afghan civilians --continue to pay a price as public policy pushes the War on Terror, regardless of liberal/conservative or Democrat/Republican. That price is with their blood, their "normalcy", their sacrifice in wars fought far enough from home that we watch them now on the same screens that just hours earlier displayed soap operas and laugh-a-minute gabfests designed to take our attention away from real life.

You don't have to hate bin Laden to remember the event that put us on the path we now tread. You don't have to hate war to remember those lost in the opening salvo. What's left is what's right: some things don't deserve that loss of attention. Remember September 11, 2001 with some time on television and radio on one day out of 365?

Hell, yes.

Update: read WKYC's Directors Cut with Frank Macek for his perspective on that day; it is a great window into what television stations and newsrooms were dealing with that sunny day.

Thank God For No Big Ten TV

WAKR's Ray Horner and I had a great time at the OSU-Akron game Saturday and it was at least two periods of fun watching the Zips faithful (it seemed like just a handful among the 102,000 seat Ohio Stadium) living large with a 2-0 lead for much of the first half.

On the way down we caught some of the pregame on WTVN-AM, Clear Channel's "Big One" version in Columbus; typical fare, with lots of homer humor sticking it to those of us rubes up in Akron and the message that we should just be glad they were letting us set foot on campus.

OK, nice thoughts; that clanging sound in the first half wasn't the Ohio State Chimes, it was the sound of 101,000 gasps (I'm being charitable here in finding another bodily function) as the Zips zapped the Bucs with an early safety and then held the OSU offense to just a field goal by the time the Best Damn Band in the Land took the field. Akron went on to eke out just 69 total yards offense on their own and lost 20-2 but it wasn't the blowout the OSU faithful figured on and it was nice to see Akron get a little respect (even though the grumbling wasn't how good the Zips defense was but aimed more at how OSU couldn't get started.)

Great time to watch in person; fun to listen to on the radio but worth extra money to watch?

Big Ten TV network is in a fight with local cable, including Akron-Canton-Cleveland's Time Warner Cable. The big issue isn't whether you'll be forced to pay for it; there's really no doubt at all the extra $1.10 a month Big Ten TV wants per subscriber will be passed along to cable viewers. That's a gimme; the fight is over where local cable puts the channel.

TWC and other operators say the non-digital tier (those channels 2-99) are not only prime real estate but also off-limits thanks to must-carry channels, including local access. Big Ten says bull and doesn't want to be clustered in the digital tier where the number of subscribers may be lower, depending on whether cable watchers shell out extra already for channels 100 and up.

Based on Saturday's game I'm betting most of us can live without Big Ten TV's greedy grab to pressure us into doing their dirty work and shaming the local cable companies (no strangers to greedy grabs themselves) to bring these games to the tube. Just so long as OSU and Michigan are still on TV those games won't play when our wallets are choosing the channel.

Broadcast Day For The Boys

Mornings were made for kvetching -- whether you are the challenger or the incumbent.

Just about all you can stand here at the AkronNewsNow link with full video and audio of Joe Finley and Mayor Plusquellic from their appearances this morning on WAKR's Ray Horner Show. If you haven't made up your mind yet -- or just have a hankering to here the subtle digs each other throws at the other -- this one's for you, bud.

Top points:

1. Both agree Akron hired more police but both disagree on the actual number. Reality: both are right because Plusquellic notes he hired 25 new officers and Finley is using his math to note the net result because of attrition on the force.
2. Local government should do more to help with predatory lending and mortgage woes. Reality: Finley says the City should hand out free advice to folks with problems and Plusquellic says they already do that in partnership with the County.
3. We Love Akron. Reality: both do.

Really not much new to all of this; Finley says we're broke, Plusquellic says debt is moderate and manageable. Joe says downtown gets too much and the neighborhoods suffer for it, Don says downtown needs to be healthy to anchor successful neighborhoods. Both says seniors deserve more help and are important. Both want economic development although Joe's alot more vague than Don. Finley doesn't have a long record of government leadership (four years in council) but he also doesn't have a rep for being a bully. Plusquellic as a long and enviable record of government leadership in this very job but as for the last part...uh, see below.

This election comes down not to the issues glossed over (above) or even those reported on ad nauseum by us and others. My NewsNight Akron comrades discuss tonight the real decision awaiting voters: do you vote against Plusquellic because he may go off on a tear now and then and get a parking lot attendant fired or call reporters and fellow politicians a-holes? Then you are voting against a guy who also gets the job done -- albeit sometimes like a herd of buffalo tramping through the dining room. Do you vote for Finley because you think Plusquellic's act has grown tired and you want to take a chance on a nice guy with an unproven record -- a big gamble if, as Finley says, the City is broke?

Folks from both sides tell me they're out in force this weekend but Akron's already decided and the only job left to do now is get out the vote. Plusquellic Democrats wouldn't mind seeing their business GOP pals cross over in the primary next Tuesday and keep The Don on the throne; Finley Democrats think there's a sign their reformist GOP pals will cross over, too and make a regular Joe the boss.

Gettin' High With Chrissie

There's been plenty of coverage (AkronNewsNow with video and audio) on Chrissie Hynde's return to Akron with her new restaurant, sans Pretenders, and kudos to our favorite daughter to putting her money where her mouth is.

The meeting with no meat was expected from the PETA supporter and vocal vegetarian (don't expect a beef or bison burger at her Northside eatery) but among the great sidebars that didn't make the cut in the coverage you saw, an absolutely hilarious exchange from the Rock Hall of Famer where she congratulated the City for working to restore the historic Glendale steps. Chrissie's all in favor of it because those steps, WAKR's Larry States told me, are where she used to hide to catch a buzz in her teen years. Translation for the buzz-impaired: that's getting high by smoking marijuana, aka weed, dope, smoke, ganja, etc. Too bad the Doobie Brothers aren't the opening act.

Larry says the Mayor and police on hand at North Main looked a bit uncomfortable when Chrissie joked she'd like to revisit the steps and relive some personal history. Just jokin' about tokin', Don! Don't worry, it won't be a campaign issue just five days before Primary Day.

Speaking of the Mayor's race, both Plusquellic and Finley are on WAKR's Ray Horner show Friday morning; Finley 7:10a-7:58a with Plusquellic getting a dozen minutes of separation and holding court 8:10a-8:58a. Ray tells me he tried for both at the same time but one debate was apparently enough (guess which side demurred?) for what is likely the final major broadcast availability before the September 11th Primary.

Nature Girl Deals With Death

What a story, and in my own backyard.

Nature Girl was happy; she'd spent the Labor Day weekend laboring under the golden rays of the sun removing overgrowth and reshaping the kidney-shaped bed, restoring the glory of the butterfly bushes flanking the fountain. Flowers, greenery and water elements once again were in balance. She even found a few new buddies. "Praying mantis, how exciting," she exclaimed!

"What a wonderful garden paradise I have!" In the cool morning she would amble over to the garden, looking for her new stick-like friends living in harmony with bees, monarch butterfly and assorted other bugs besides the burbling fountain. "Hello, babies," she would coo to her new mantis friends. Even when she found one of the new babies on the block sucking life out of a moth's face. "It's OK, it's nature, and it's wonderful," she said.

First a bumble bee buzzed Nature Girl's foot and left a stinging reminder; then the Praying Mantis showed their true colors: green really stood for PREY-ing Mantis, as the once-tranquil solace of serenity turned to into a garden of death. The floor of what had been a home for hospitality was now littered with the corpses of mighty monarchs, wings cast aside by the unfeeling cruelty of Mantis finding the backyard buffet is always open for breakfast.

Look at the joy of my new green buddy
with eyes so wide and skin so green.
Who could imagine coming to the garden
would leave the paradise a place wiped clean?

What a wonderful creature the Mantis is,
chomping on a friend.
Smiling and praying over every meal
from start to untimely end.

Now Nature Girl is moving the babies off the block, eyeing greenery in the verdant forest behind the garden. The Palace of Patience must now be closely managed under the newly-watchful eye of Nature Girl.

Why Wild Is Still Wonderful

My Cleveland-area friends (and those from other big cities) may not understand but those of you in Akron with ties to West Virginia know very well there is a BIG difference in the hearts and spirits of folks in the mountains.

Not to rip on those in the Midwest, but there's just something special about West Virginians and I got a great reminder last weekend at my cousin Michael's wedding to the lovely Erinn.

This photo doesn't do the situation justice; her entire wedding party (Erinn, eight bridesmaids, her mom and dad as well as the Trolley Bus driver) were sidelined on the road when the roof to the look-alike bus came undone after a tight squeeze under a power pole support line. It wasn't going anywhere -- 25 minutes before the wedding, just outside Morgantown. Erinn's smiling here but she was not the happiest of brides and since our cars were packed with family there weren't enough seats to handle the 11 people who needed to get to the church pronto.

That's where the wonderful comes in.

Two total strangers; a woman driving a small SUV and a guy driving a big-honkin' Super Cab F-350 for his contruction business stopped out of the blue. They had no reason to help out other than a gorgeous Saturday afternoon that called them elsewhere, but both scooped up members of the bridal party and got 'em to the church on time even though it was out of their way. They were repaid with smiles and turned aside any reward other than those heartfelt thanks -- didn't even stick around for the service, just dropped off the bride and her party and headed off.

This is why I loved living in and working in West Virginia. A state full of folks who understand the value of slowing down and lending total strangers help getting to where they need to go, and acting like it happens every day.

Because it does.

Making Craig's List

I can't believe the dodge from Idaho Senator Larry Craig and his cowardice exhibited today after the proverbial Brokeback Bathroom scandal hit the fan (thanks Drudge for that twist...) in Washington and beautiful Boise.

"I am not gay," proclaims the GOP Senator who has a political history of using those charges to paint himself as a fighter for the mountain voters back home. Did he directly address the charge that he was toe-tapping in the MSP crapper? Can I get a "NO", amen! Did he directly address the record he was caught making hand signals to the fellow in the stall next door that it was time to make the dance more personal until said fellow flashed a badge instead of something else? C'mon now, give me a "NO", amen!

Big Question here: since when does getting caught going after strange whoopi in a public restroom equate with being gay? I agree with one thing, Craig isn't gay -- he's just not happy.

This episode is disturbingly similar to Craig's other reported forays with Mr. Johnson in other public restrooms, most notably one at Union Station just down from your U.S. Capitol building. Modus Operandi usually packs quite a punch when delivered in tandem. What is really despicable is Craig's cry he's "not gay" as a defense on lewd public behavior charges. What the hell does one have to do with the other? My reporter colleagues gave Craig an easy pass today when they tolerated his "statement" without getting answers or challenging him on the non-gay defense which, I must note, reflects more the behavior of a sex-crazed scumbag more than any gay people I have ever known.

This has nothing to do with gay; my reporter's experience is that most of the troubled souls usually caught up in these public indecency stings are far from gay; they're usually the same make and model of guys hanging around the 50-cent movie machines at the adult bookstore. Larry Craig isn't a model of pro-or-con homosexuality; he is the model of a sex addict who would do well to keep his hands and his little buddy in check for more private venues.

Why can't we grow up and toss out the talk of gay or no-gay in this issue? Larry Craig should be held accountable for breaking the law in a public bathroom by soliciting one person for sex; he's not charged with being anything other than a pervert, and allowing him to slip in any mention of sexual preference is nothing more than political three-card monte. It's about where his feet, hands and other appendages were and plying sex in the potty is what this case should be about, not whether he likes one gender versus the other.