Quick Read

Robert Vitale typed an excellent story on the proposed wage freezes and their acrimony. Given the economic climate and this city’s violent crime spike, you would assume that story would lead the paper. Unfortunately, the Dispatch once again wasted half of their front page talking about proposed construction… Two notes… (1) When did road construction become the Super Bowl (we need pre-game coverage, really?) and (2) I am issuing an open challenge to the paper… Let me sit in on a front-page meeting… Whoever may be running them…I assure you I can do a better job…

As wretched as their decision making was for the second straight day, Metro more than made up for the front page’s ineptitude. Charlie Bass’ story on dog knee replacements at OSU was the perfect feature piece… Typically, journalists either underwrite them without emotion or overwrite them and make you gag… Bass did neither… He was understated in his language and he still gave you enough of the elements to make you cry…

Kathy Gray’s column on people who cycle to work (yes, even through this cold) was also intriguing… It wasn’t enough to make me not think the person was a wacko, but it was well written… I cannot say the same for James Nash’s story about Mary Jo Kilroy’s (is she really our congresswoman) first district tour… It read like a press release her office would issue… Kevin Mayhead wrote a solid piece on OSU’s utilization of smart cameras, which while informative, deserved it’s B5 placement…

Tom Read’s column on Steve Mason was scattered and had a weak ending, but was still a great sports piece… The problem is it was buried under high school basketball and a story about OSU’s hockey team (and people wonder why I don’t think we are a professional sports city)…

Life and Arts caps the must reads with Kevin Joy’s phenomenal piece (“Elaborate Elixirs”) on bartending and the advance of drinks from simple to splendor… The graphics were amazing and the story gave me an appreciation for an art, that I frankly was unaware of…