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Journalism
Have your say in advance
Jun 05, 2007Continuing our on-again, off-again practice of soliciting input prior to publication of editorials on sundry topics, here are some of this week’s works-in-progress. Feel free to share your thoughts on any or all of them.
1) G-8 summit: Global warming, poverty and world health issues are certainly important, but the chilling of relations with Russia seems more pressing. Will the prospects of a missile defense network in Europe lead to a new cold war?
2) JFK terror plot: That the FBI and Homeland Security unraveled this plot is a bit of good news, but does this portend a shift to more homegrown terrorists? Should we be looking within our border and abandoning our rather limited notion of what a terrorist looks like (i.e. Middle Eastern).
3) Toll roads: Southern states are looking to toll roads to save them from the despair of shrinking budgets for maintenance and construction. But in a region like ours, where the interstate is a critical artery for commuters and commerce, toll roads come with a down side.
Posted by Andrea Hopkins Sunshine Week
Mar 12, 2007This week, we are taking a look at open government in the region as part of the third annual Sunshine Week. You can read my thoughts on the matter here.
Now, it’s your turn. Have you had problems getting public documents? Are local governments overly restrictive in their rules for public speakers? Share your experiences fighting city hall.
Virtual editorial board
Feb 21, 2007Here’s the week’s sneak preview at some editorials we are working on. We invite you to share your thoughts now.
Regulating the power companies: The Virginia General Assembly has passed an industry-approved measure that will do little to protect consumers. Gov. Tim Kaine needs to stop this train before it jumps the tracks.
“Pass the bottle” law: Tennessee has failed to enact a tough open-container law for years. Now, the state stands to lose federal funding and be the laughing stock of the nation. Is there any good reason not to restrict all open containers of alcohol in a vehicle, not just those in the driver’s hand?
NASCAR cheating: Is the recent spate of high-profile “cheating” just business as usual for the sport? Is the crackdown a good thing? Will it further improve the sport’s image? Or is it more proof that in most sports, the ends justifying the means is the governing philosophy (think steroids in baseball or thuggish football players or doping in professional cycling)?
Comment on Wednesday’s editorials
Feb 14, 2007An empty spot on the Bristol ballot: Unless a last-minute candidate emerges, Bristol Tennessee voters will have no choice in one of two Board of Education contests.
By no choice, we mean that no one will appear on the ballot. Steve Morgan, the District 2 incumbent, hasn’t picked up a petition to run. Neither has anyone else. And the filing deadline is Thursday. Read all of it here.
Model of cooperation: The friction that marked the relationship between Bristol Tennessee city and school leaders seems a thing of the past.
As evidence of this new cooperative spirit, the two camps have taken the necessary steps to move an ambitious school construction and renovation plan from discussion to reality. Bravo. Read the rest of it here.
Share your thoughts on either editorial.
Virtual editorial board
Feb 13, 2007Here’s your chance to comment on editorials that are in the works. We promise to read all of your comments, even if they don’t ultimately sway our position.
Money and the lawmakers: This week, we will be taking a look at the special interest money and gifts flowing to state-level politicians in Tennessee and Virginia. While there isn’t anything illegal about it, it’s certainly unseemly. State residents might justifiably be concerned about who their representatives are actually serving.
A drug problem: Cocaine and meth grab headlines, but prescription drug abuse might be a bigger problem in this region. Law enforcement is part, but not all, of the solution. What else works?
Older kindergartners: A Tennessee lawmaker from Greene Co. wants to change the rules for starting school. Under his proposal, students would have to turn 5 by July 1 to start kindergarten. Is this the real problem or is it that kindergarten is the new first grade? And what about those parents who hold their kids who meet the deadline back a year (usually boys) so that they will be bigger when they go out for the football team?
Interstate tolls: A Northern Va. lawmaker has authored legislation that would allow tolls on new interstate construction. No word on whether this would apply to I-81, but a similiar plot was part of the STAR Solutions plan for the highway. What’s good for NOVA might not be good for the Southwest.
