Metro I-4 News

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Flu and deadlines have kept me from pointing out some recent articles in the always fun “main steam media.”

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You must read Fasano has concerns about CSX proposal

Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, told the Buzz this morning he has “concerns” over the proposed $490-million deal that would have the state buying rail lines from CSX, and over proposed legislation that would exempt CSX from any liability as they operate.

Don’t miss the comments:

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Yesterday Billy Townsend, re-introduced Polk County to the fine readers of the Tampa Tribune:

You know Polk’s rap.

It’s the county of oranges, phosphate mountains and trailer parks. It’s where they spread hepatitis through meth use, once elected a white supremacist sheriff, and often find themselves in perp walks on Orlando or Tampa Bay TV.

If that lead doesn’t convince you to read his story, you’re a lifelong Lakeland resident and consider that old news. Townsend takes a good look into the perception though. (Read his blog for a point that didn’t make it into the article.)

Three years ago, when I was looking to move here, I made a few inquiries about Lakeland. I didn’t hear about the sheriff, but meth was mentioned. However, I was moving from the Northern meth capital and it didn’t seem to be a big change. I heard much more about how boring I’d find life in Lakeland.

Well, if Lakeland is boring, I don’t want to be excited. I like life here. I’m just afraid we’re in a rush to join Tampa or Orlando.

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“There’s an old police saying,” Judd said. “No people, no problems; a few people, a few problems; a lot of people, a lot of problems.”

Who knew Sheriff Grady Judd was so hip? That had to be a reference to The Notorious B.I.G’s most famous quote, “The more money you make, the more problems you get.”

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Remember when Wired noticed Polk County? Well, they’ve kept an eye on Florida. Their blogger, Brandon Keim, was pleased with this week’s Florida Board of Education vote:

The 4-3 vote was obtained by including a last-minute amendment to the standards. Suggested last Friday by religious conservatives and dubbed the “academic freedom proposal,” the amendment required that the curriculum’s references to “evolution” be replaced by the “scientific theory of evolution.”

The amendment’s supporters called the language change a victory — and it is, though not in the way they imagine.

Not only will Florida’s students learn about evolution; they’ll also learn that the scientific definition of a theory is different from the everyday definition, referring not to wild-eyed speculation but to a vast body of observation and testing that confirms a hypothesis so strongly that it might as well be considered fact.

A big thank-you, then, to religious critics of evolution education. The language change will better help Florida’s children understand not only evolution, but science itself.

How many times have you heard or watched a Polk County Sheriff cruiser zoom down the road lights ablaze? Now, how many times have you wondered what was their destination? Or who were they chasing?

You could buy a scanner to listen to their calls or you could surf over to Scan Polk County, That site present live and recorded radio communication from the Polk County Sheriffs Office and Fire/Rescue calls. It’s a labor of love from an unknown Polk County resident who hooks up a scanner to the Net and a Georgia resident who hosts the hardware for Scan Polk County and 11 sister sites.

There is a handy chat room to discuss current events and police business. A link to the Polk County Dispatch and Status Codes so you understand the lingo. They even maintain links to interesting articles about police business and crimes.

I know I couldn’t leave the scanner on as background music, but it will be useful the next time we have a major crime event. I wonder if someone has plans to add Lakeland Police Department?

If you’ve been near your email reader anytime in the last few days, you’ve probably been forwarded a copy of an email written by Ghassan Zebdaoui, a county employee making serious allegations against County Manager Mike Herr and some members of the County staff.

If you haven’t, read the only main stream media mention of the email at the Polk County News Blog. Tampa Tribune reporter sums up the most damaging allegations and starts the investigation into the matter.

I’m not going to publish the full email here. There are a few citizens mentioned, and I think it would be unfair to them if I published without contacting each for their statements. I’m not going to spend that kind of time on this story. I’ll wait to see what the Tribune, and hopefully, the Ledger uncover.

However, Zebdaoui mentions in his email a October 23, 2001 incident where his was arrested in a case of mistaken identity. I thought it interesting to research that point. You can read it at the Tahoe Tribune’s online archive: City official victim of mistaken identity in post-attack suspicions

As you read the article, remember the state of the country those few weeks after the 911 attack. I remember taking a flight not long after and watching airport security follow a man around simply because he looked “middle eastern.” I wouldn’t be surprised if there are not many men like Zebdaoui who have similar “arrest” stories.

Barry Friedman, the “Managing Editor/digital” for the newspaper formerly known as the Lakeland Ledger, last night asked of his readers, “Do we cover too much from one side of the county or the other? What should we cover in your home town that we’re not covering currently?”

Now, I read my hometown newspaper every day, and I’ve got an opinion or two. Plus, Barry mentioned me by name, so I’ll throw my two cents in his general direction.

Dear Barry,

First, thanks for asking. Readers always love to be involved in the newspaper coverage process. I hope you get dozens of responses. I’ll bet the short answer to almost every response will be “cover more of my town and less of their town.” They will all be correct. The Ledger does feature far too little (insert your favorite map direction here) Polk coverage. We’re talking about a county the size of a state. The Ledger doesn’t have the news hole to cover the whole county; unless the advertising department is selling more ads than they were this morning. (That isn’t a swipe at the ad crew. I am sure they’re selling all they can in this current climate.)

What’s a new Editor to do? The local newspaper is still trying to be the reporter of record. That was true when I fell in love with newspapers. But I am old. Maybe it is time to try another model. Free room in the paper for what matters most to local residents — local news.

I have a safe idea to open some room: forget the latest celebrity gossip. It was on 10 channels, 14 Web sites, and numerous discussion boards long before the Ledger placed it above the masthead. Unless the celebrity is from Polk County, lived in Polk County, or was arrested in Polk County, and you can spin a Polk County angle…let the paparazzi and celeb sites handle the news.

I also have a radical idea to open additional news holes: Drop the international news. It is old news before the Ledger prints it on dead trees. We no longer get all our news from paper. The International press has reported it; the talking heads have discussed it; the documentary channels have dissected it; the Ledger is just reprinting the news wire, and New York Times reports.

What about the national news? It is a maxim that “all news is local.” In the 21st century we can usually read the local report of every event. A bridge falls in Minnesota and we can get much better detail from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Our Polk County paper simply can’t cover such events. Now, I know some national news, especially from D.C., will have local angles. Our paper would simply lead with that angle.

That still leaves a place where a Polk County paper can compete. Imagine if every story was local? There would be room for all the East Polk news, West Polk coverage, rural concerns and urban interests.

You mentioned that I think the Ledger needs to “focus more on Lakeland.” Yes, but not exactly as that sentence would lead you to believe. Not too long ago, my local news box was filled with some odd East Polk edition of the Ledger. I found the stories interesting. They even get a comic or two I don’t see in my edition.

Here’s where I think the Ledger can shine. Separate the sections into East Polk, West Polk, State, Sports, Human Interest, and Classifieds. Give us all the same edition of the newspaper. Don’t fall into the middle of the East vs. West Polk news coverage debate. Maybe we’d learn why we have differences instead of blindly complaining about “the other side.”

Pump life back into the columns. The columnists are your home run hitters. They have a local angle we can’t get from any other news source.

What about those without the news channels and access to the Internet? If it is a matter of choice, then they have chosen to pull back from the news. If it is a matter of expense, then they can discover the joy of the local public library. It was my lifeline to the world for many many years.

Looking at the Ledger’s website you’ll see the international and celebrity news is downplayed under the local and state news. Maybe it is time the print edition follows that model?

Yours in local coverage,

Chuck