Quick Read

Initially, I must credit the front-page editors for leading with Friday’s economic news. You would think 7.2% unemployment and 524,000 jobs lost is a no brainer in terms of a big story, but CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC didn’t even feature the numbers in their afternoon first blocks… The Dispatch deserves applause…

Two other A1 stories deserve equal praise… James Nash’s above the fold story on a Casino gambling proposal was excellent… It was detailed, specific, and it painted the picture that maybe Ohio will finally not half-ass a proposal for gambling… Tim Feren’s story concerning digital tv coming to Columbus was also intriguing… The Dispatch’s only mistake was their ridiculous feature “Prize For Perilous Day – Lunar Magic,” which detailed an eclipse… That could have been swapped with their George Voinovich, which was buried on A3. In that story, Voinovich confirmed the paper’s previous report, that he may not seek re-election…

Finally, the metro front story, which was a follow up on light rail, started out solidly but disappeared in the middle when the paper seemed to contradict their own premise. The piece, however, did do a great job of explaining why Governor Strickland is refusing a gas tax increase.