THE COMING BEE: Sylvia Smith of the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Journal Gazette talks to an 8th grader who will participate in the upcoming Scripps spelling bee... I'm sure many regionals will be there on Thursday.
VETERANS: Lisa Mascaro of the Las Vegas Sun reports that the House passed legislation named after a Las Vegas High School graduate that would require the VA to assess procedures at its mental health facilities.
JUNKETS: Rep. Shelley Berkley defends her European trip that includes luxury stays in Venice and Naples to Steve Tetreault of the Las Vegas Review Journal; some Arkansas lawmakers will spend the recess in Europe, reports Aaron Sadler of Stephens Washington bureau.
CAMPAIGNS: Bill Theobald of Gannett News Service writes that Rep. Marsha Blackburn's campaign committee has made dozens of mistakes in its financial reports through the years; Raju Chebium also of Gannett News Service covers a campaign swing by Rep. Robert Andrews; Republicans fret about their fate in LA to Bruce Alpert of the New Orleans Times-Picayune and in FL to Wes Allison of the St. Petersburg Times; Rep. Tom Cole is confident about his future, reports Jim Myers of the Tulsa World
NOT EASY BEING GREEN: It's difficult for Rep. Michael McCaul to balance environmental and oil concerns, reports Jason Embry of the Austin American Statesman.
KENNEDY FALLOUT: Personal reaction to Sen. Ted Kennedy's diagnosis of brain cancer by Lisa Mascaro of the Las Vegas Sun.
DRUG QUESTIONS: Local and national surveys differ on whether the federal anti-drug ad campaign over several years helped reduce illegal drug use among youths, reports Richard Powelson of Scripps Howard News Service; Sen. Sam Brownback supports overhauling the prescription drug approval system, writes Rob Hotakainen of McClatchy.
ODD RELIGION NEWS: Trish Choate of the Scripps Howard News Service asks why the raided fundamentalist Mormon sect built their compound in Texas and reports on a Utah religion whose followers practice mummification and is at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court case that is delaying a permanent home for a World War II monument.
CONGRESS: Edward Felker of the Small Newspaper Group and Joe Morton of the Omaha World Herald write about veterans benefits passed by Congress; Josh Drobnyk of the Allentown Morning Call reports a spat among PA lawmakers over an air base; Gerard Shields of The (Baton Rouge, La.) Advocate reports the Senate approved money for New Orleans levees.
FEC REPORTS: Herb Jackson of the Bergen Record writes up fundraising for the Jersey Senate race.
TRADE: Noelle Straub of the Billings Gazette reports that Sen. Max Baucus is fighting with the administration over a trade enforcement bill.
SAME SEX MARRIAGE: The California ruling on the issue won't change the military's stance, writes Leo Shane III of Stars and Stripes.
GAS PRICES: About 25 percent of the hike in oil prices is due to the weak dollar, reports Faith Bremner of the Gannett News Service.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
May 22: Regionals in Today's News
LOOKING AHEAD: The Boston Globe's Linda Killian reports that Democrats are "almost giddy" about their chances of picking up seats this fall. Sean Reilly in the Press-Register says that GOP election setbacks could spread to Alabama.
DOWN ON THE FARM BILL: Watertown Daily Times' Marc Heller writes up the big oops on Congress sending the incomplete Farm Bill to President Bush.
JUDGING JUDGES: Mareen Groppe of the Indy Star notes the Senate Judiciary Committee approving a new federal magistrate for Indiana's southern district.
OFF THE HILL: Joe Morton pens a feature in the Omaha World Herald on a handful of World War II veterans visiting Washington. The Deseret News' (and RRA's own esteemed president) Suzanne Struglinski writes up former kidnapped Lizzy Smart's visit to Washington to unveil a new pamphlet aimed at helping recovered children transition back to society.
ON THE TRAIL:
HILL TIMES: Patriot News' Brett Lieberman interviews Sen. Arlen Specter about facing a second bout of Hodgkin's disease. The Salt Lake Tribune's Thomas Burr and the Missoulian's Noelle Straub report on a new GAO report on the Bush administration's approach to endangered species. Stephen's Aaron Sadler says in the (Ark.) Morning News that the head of the Arkansas Student Loan Authority applauded congressional action to stabilize the student loan market.
NUKE-U-LAR: Lisa Mascaro reports in the Las Vegas Sun that Former Sen. J. Bennett Johnston regrets billing Yucca Mountain as a permanent storage area for nuke waste.
Monday, May 19, 2008
State Avenues
My paper finally ran an evergreen feature story I’ve had in the can for a little while about Utah Avenue in Washington. It’s a good, off-the-beaten path story for regional reporters who have a little extra time and are tired of policy and politics and want to chat with Real People.
You can read the story here: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9306801
(I’m not the first to do this: The AP wrote about New Jersey Ave before, and Suzanne tells me someone has done Texas and Florida Aves.)
You can read the story here: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9306801
(I’m not the first to do this: The AP wrote about New Jersey Ave before, and Suzanne tells me someone has done Texas and Florida Aves.)
Here’s a quick guide to the story if you want to duplicate for your state:
-- Visit the City Museum of DC, 800 Mount Vernon Pl NW, (by NPR). They have a lot of tools for researching your avenue, including old maps, books, historic building permits, etc.
-- Check out “George Washington Never Slept Here,” by Amy Alotta, which talks about every street in the city. The City Museum has a copy and so does the MLK Library.
-- Spent some time talking to neighbors. I used a neighborhood listserv to find a few people to start with and then wandered the avenue to talk to residents. Some people thought I was a tad crazy -- or that I was trying to convert them to Mormonism -- but most thought a story on their street was a neat idea.
(TB)Facebook reporting
A colleague and I wrote a story the other day prompted by a Facebook status message posted by a Utah politico. The chief of staff to Utah’s Lt. Gov. posted a status message on his Facebook page late Sunday noting that his boss was going to challenge Utah’s junior senator, Bob Bennett. I had added the politico, at his request, a while back as a Facebook friend, but was surprised to see him using his profile as a sort of campaign announcement for his boss.
The post, coupled with some messages sent from his Blackberry touting the same announcement, turned into an interesting story. An FYI to those on Facebook: status messages don’t go away even if you delete them. Click on the tab “Friends” and select “Status updates” to see what your “friends” have been up to. (TB)
May 19:Regionals in Today's News
ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE: The Buffalo News' Jerry Zremski pens a story on women seeing a lost chance for breaking the ultimate glass ceiling in Clinton's downfall. Jason Embry of the Austin American Statesman researched FEC filings to show that the three remaining presidential candidates have spent more than $1.2 million at area businesses since Jan. 07.
WAR FUNDING: Ellyn Ferguson of Gannett News Service writes about the political football of funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. FARM BILL: Gannett's Ferguson writes about the possibility of a veto override, while colleague Faith Bremner notes that ethanol critics capitalize on world energy and food woes. Portland Press Herald's Jonathan Kaplan notes the upcoming votes. Trish Choate writes in the Wichita Falls' Times Record News about mixed reactions to the farm bill.
PLAYING BY THE FEC RULES: Gannett's Bill Theobald writes in The Jackson Sun about Rep. Marsha Blackburn settling an FEC probe by paying a $1,500 fine. BIG BROTHER WATCHING?: McClatchy's Rob Hotakainen notes the "Orwellian nightmare" for some about a proposal that the federal government sign off on every new hire by checking Social Security numbers.
ON THE HILL: The (Baton Rouge) Advocate's Gerard Sheilds profiles Katie Nee, one of Congress' youngest chiefs of staffs. The (Rochester, MN) Post-Bulliten's Edward Felker writes up the housing crisis talk on the hill, with a special nugget of how Rep. Tim Walz's home has lost value. Stephen's Aaron Sadler searched through financial disclosures filed last week and finds that Sen. Mark Pryor's stock fell from $600,000 to almost nothing in 2007. Gannett's Raju Chebium looks at the Amtrak funding bill and notes that the House legislation would allow private firms to compete for train service in the Northeast Corridor for the first time. Tony Batt of Stephen's Media profiles a Rutgers poli-sci prof who spent four months detailed to Sen. Harry Reid's office. Bruce Alpert jots down some political tidbits for the Times-Picayune.
POLICE WEEK: The Advocate's Shields covers Police Week in Washington with an local eye, while The Salt Lake Tribune's Thomas Burr offers a picture of the memorial's nod to a fallen Utahn. THE SCENE: Lisa Mascaro of the Las Vegas Sun types up her Letter From Washington about tourists getting a living history of D.C.
TUBE-TIME: Todd Gillman of the Dallas Morning News became a C-SPAN star with his co-interview of Rep. Kay Granger. MEDICARE NUMBERS: The Palm Beach Post's Larry Lipman writes up two reports showing that Florida nursing homes would love $62 million under proposed rule-changes. Lipman also takes on McCain's Medicare plan in advance of a visit.
WAR FUNDING: Ellyn Ferguson of Gannett News Service writes about the political football of funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. FARM BILL: Gannett's Ferguson writes about the possibility of a veto override, while colleague Faith Bremner notes that ethanol critics capitalize on world energy and food woes. Portland Press Herald's Jonathan Kaplan notes the upcoming votes. Trish Choate writes in the Wichita Falls' Times Record News about mixed reactions to the farm bill.
PLAYING BY THE FEC RULES: Gannett's Bill Theobald writes in The Jackson Sun about Rep. Marsha Blackburn settling an FEC probe by paying a $1,500 fine. BIG BROTHER WATCHING?: McClatchy's Rob Hotakainen notes the "Orwellian nightmare" for some about a proposal that the federal government sign off on every new hire by checking Social Security numbers.
ON THE HILL: The (Baton Rouge) Advocate's Gerard Sheilds profiles Katie Nee, one of Congress' youngest chiefs of staffs. The (Rochester, MN) Post-Bulliten's Edward Felker writes up the housing crisis talk on the hill, with a special nugget of how Rep. Tim Walz's home has lost value. Stephen's Aaron Sadler searched through financial disclosures filed last week and finds that Sen. Mark Pryor's stock fell from $600,000 to almost nothing in 2007. Gannett's Raju Chebium looks at the Amtrak funding bill and notes that the House legislation would allow private firms to compete for train service in the Northeast Corridor for the first time. Tony Batt of Stephen's Media profiles a Rutgers poli-sci prof who spent four months detailed to Sen. Harry Reid's office. Bruce Alpert jots down some political tidbits for the Times-Picayune.
POLICE WEEK: The Advocate's Shields covers Police Week in Washington with an local eye, while The Salt Lake Tribune's Thomas Burr offers a picture of the memorial's nod to a fallen Utahn. THE SCENE: Lisa Mascaro of the Las Vegas Sun types up her Letter From Washington about tourists getting a living history of D.C.
TUBE-TIME: Todd Gillman of the Dallas Morning News became a C-SPAN star with his co-interview of Rep. Kay Granger. MEDICARE NUMBERS: The Palm Beach Post's Larry Lipman writes up two reports showing that Florida nursing homes would love $62 million under proposed rule-changes. Lipman also takes on McCain's Medicare plan in advance of a visit.
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