Coming Thursday on the editorial/op-ed pages

The Star's editorial board is taking a look at the plight of Social Security, now that the baby boomers are coming of age:

It’s one thing to tell Americans who just now are entering the work force that the government can’t help them with retirement. And it’s entirely another to tell the 80 million baby boomers who’ve funded Social Security for decades that they may get little in return.

The Star also is commenting on what local animal-control officials are calling an issue that's getting significantly worse -- the problem of stray dogs and cats:

In the end, much of this issue boils down to pet owners’ decisions. Do they have their pet spayed or neutered? Do they have it properly trained? Do they ensure that it doesn’t run free in the streets? What do they consider responsible pet ownership?

And, finally, we're opining on the Clean Water Restoration Act and the need for Alabama's delegation to help its passage:

Perhaps Rep. Bud Cramer, D-Huntsville, could be made to understand the importance of a clean and healthy Tennessee River, since he represents that part of the state. Perhaps his colleague Artur Davis, D-Birmingham, could be made to understand the importance of a clean and healthy Alabama River, since that river slices through his district.

As usual, we'll have a large letters to the editor package and reader-friendly op-ed page.

Thursday in The Anniston Star

Check out Thursday's Anniston Star for these stories:

Members of the old industrial fastpitch softball league, now in their 70s and 80s, gathered for their first reunion in decades. Steve Ivey was there to hear some of the stories from the days when pipefitters and textile workers were some of the county's sports heroes.

Markeshia Ricks attended a meeting of a joint commission on women, girls and prison established by Anniston's representative, Barbara Boyd. What she learned was that Calhoun and Talladega counties are among the leaders in numbers of women sent to state prisons.

One of the men indicted in the murders of two Alexandria grandparents several years ago is likely to be released on probation. Two other men charged were convicted of capital murder. Nick Cenegy examines this story.

Wednesday's Star

Coming Wednesday in The Anniston Star:

Depot officials say they see no evidence that a rope found two weeks ago hanging from a utility pole was a noose intended to send a racist message. It resembled, they say, rope lengths used to tie down tarps on M1 tanks arriving for repair. Todd South has this followup.

Nick Cenegy writes about a haunted house in Oxford that was the scene of a murder in the early 80s.

The JPA met tonight. Dan Whisenhunt covers the meeting.

Andy Johns writes about what was going on at the Business Expo Tuesday.

Hardy's on a roll -- but don't drink the coffee!

This isn't a joke.

You've gotta read Star columnist Hardy Jackson's column on Wednesday. In it, he mentions this collection of odd, weird and unrelated topics:

- Nudie bars in Alabama.
- Coffee made from civet-cat droppings in Australia.
- Exposed flesh.
- Plans to use chemicals to turn enemy soldiers into homosexuals.

And it all makes sense.

I promise.

Coming Wednesday on the editorial/op-ed pages

The Star's editorial board is examining Thursday's vote on the SCHIP veto of President Bush -- and whether Rep. Mike Rogers will break GOP rank or stay with his party's stance:

For President Bush, it’s too late. He has established himself in history as the man who championed the health-care industry at the expense of American families. Rep. Mike Rogers can still do the right thing and fight for our children and working families.
He can vote to override Bush’s veto.

We're also weighing in on what sadly is looking like the possibility of another contentious legislative session in Montgomery:

Some speculate that what the Republicans hope to gain is popular outrage and frustration with the Democrat-controlled Legislature. If that is the goal, the GOP needs to remember this. Although the Democrats are in the majority, they do not control the Legislature. The Senate is controlled by a Republican minority and a few disgruntled Democrats. And it will be against those folks that public frustration will be directed.

As usual, we'll have our usual fare of letters to the editor -- the folks in Oxford are stirred up today -- and columns on our op-ed page.

Coming Tuesday on the editorial page

The Star's editorial board is taking a look at teen pregnancy in Alabama -- which is on the rise -- and what can be done to replicate the success our state had with this issue a decade ago.

Back in the 1990s, the state and the nation did something right. Maybe it was better sex education and instruction in the ways births can be controlled. Maybe it was more effective abstinence-only education. Maybe it was a combination of these and other ways to get the message to teens. We need to know what it was.

The Star also is examining the social and national implications of the acquittal of defendants charged with beating a black student in Panama City, Fla.

The jury could have found the drill instructors and the nurse guilty of charges ranging from manslaughter to negligence. Instead, the jury chose to acquit all of the defendants.
If all of the South now begins to hear the familiar criticisms of racial injustice, it will be no wonder. We have a lot of familiar elements here.

We'll also have Eugene Robinson's Tuesday column and several letters to the editor.

Thursday's Star

Coming Thursday in The Anniston Star:

As Munford grows, it may have outgrown its stadium that has seen residents cheering on many a Lions football game. Folks are working to raise money for a new field, closer to the new high school on the other side of town, but many feel tied to the old stadium.

Andy Johns looks at e-mail and mail scams. He talks to psychologists and police officers to see why people fall for scams that seem so obvious.

Todd South writes about the gathering of residents at a Hobson City church to brainstorm ways to bail out the struggling town.

Thursday in The Star

Coming Thursday in The Anniston Star:

Both Jacksonville and Clay County are dealing with depleted water supplies because of the drought. We have two stories about the challenges they are facing.

Steve Ivey writes about Fruithurst Elemtary School which has some of the best test scores in the state, despite being a small rural community with three-fourths of its students on free or reduced lunch. Locals and experts say the school's small size may be helping them.

Markeshia Ricks follows up on the Wednesday meeting of the Joint Interim Patriotic Immigration Commission. Commission members heard from public health, education and law enforcement leaders about challenges they face in dealing with a growing population of immigrants. The common theme: They all need more money or more power to do what they think needs doing.

Wednesday's Star

Check out Wednesday's Anniston Star for these stories:

The Chief Ladiga is complete from Anniston to Georgia. Are folks from Atlanta going to start pedaling our way? Matt Kasper has the story.

Alabama is third in the nation for fire-related deaths. Markeshia Ricks looks at this ranking and talks with local fire chiefs about fire safety.

Longsleeves weatherwatch: Andy Johns has a story about the upcoming cool temperatures headed our way. They're expected to blow in by the weekend.

George Smith profiles a 100-year-old woman who lives in Oxford.

Tuesday in The Star

Check out Tuesday's Star for these stories:

Bill Edwards writes about the announcement of a partnership between the Sarrell Dental Clinic and UAB to operate a similar clinic in Bessemer. Is the Anniston clinic becoming a model to provide dental care to low-income kids?

Markeshia Ricks has a story about efforts from the governor's office to assist returning veterans with disabilities. Operation Grateful Heart will cooperate with the Birmingham-based Lakeshore Foundation to provide soldiers with disabilities access to the kind of opportunities they need to overcome their injuries.

Steve Ivey has an advance on the domestic violence vigil to be held at JSU Tuesday night from 4 to 7 p.m. in front of the Theron Montgomery Building.

Greatest SEC games, a personal memory

An update from last week's greatest SEC games post.

Publisher H. Brandt Ayers offers this memory from an SEC game:

ALABAMA VS. GEORGIA, 1964
It seemed odd not having Dad there for the Tide’s opening game in 1964, but I was grateful for the tactic he had found for avoiding the parking problem at Legion Field. His membership in the Mountain Brook club offered a good lunch and a bus ride to the stadium. The club had another advantage; it was accessible to two-lane U.S. 78 without going through downtown Birmingham.
But it wasn’t the same without him. I can see him now in the long tan overcoat and the battered hat, which framed a slender face and prominent nose, a relic of the game before modern protective headgear became a requirement. He had played for Jacksonville Normal School (now Jacksonville State University.)
Leaving him behind was a regrettable necessity. A stroke that summer had leveled him.
Joe Namath was still healthy. It wasn’t until the North Carolina State game that he injured his knee rolling out without anyone touching him, an inexplicable injury that dogged his college and professional career. But on this unusually cool and cloudy afternoon, Namath and the Tide totally outclassed Georgia, 31 to 3. Namath was everywhere, a quarterback with a rocket arm who could also run. Once or twice, he reminded me of a legend, Harry Gilmer, No. 52, the All-American halfback in the late 1940s who threw long spirals from the apex of astounding leaps.
Dad had taken me, along with the grown-ups, to see Gilmer play. For a little boy, being invited to join the men for the game was like a Protestant Bar Mitzvah. Now it was another generation leaping and winning for the Tide. It would have been fun to recall and compare those two with Dad, but he had not spoken for weeks.
When I got back to Anniston dusk was gathering. Before going home I went to Stringfellow Hospital to see Dad. I leaned down over his bed and took his warm hand. “Dad, we whipped hell out of Georgia,” I said.
He squeezed my hand.

Chick lit to peck ... pick

In Sunday's Bookshelf I review two "chick lit" books. Both are the first forays into adult writing by authors who have gained attention for their books for teens. One of the authors is Ann Brashares, of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants fame. The other is Shannon Hale, who was recognized with a Newbery Honor a few years back for her strong-heroine book The Princess Academy. The new books are The Last Summer (of You & Me) and Austenland. Last Summer is a tale of three dear friends who have grown up together, two sisters and their male neighbor, during their summers on Fire Island off of New York. It's engrossing, entertaining, and frankly irresistible for chick readers. Austenland is about a 30-something single gal who has a bit of an obsession -- fantasy -- secret longing -- for Mr. Darcy. If only he really existed! She gets a reality check when her late aunt bequeaths her a three-week vacation at an estate in England that meticulously re-creates Austen's Regency times. What a fun premise for those of us who enjoy the Austen books and eagerly lap up any new movies made from them.
Our other novel (non-chicky, though) is Death of a Murderer, reviewed by Judy McKibbin, about a notorious murderess who dies in prison and the police officer who is assigned to guard her corpse one night before it is taken away for burial. The officer has a lot of time to ponder on his life and how it's going. This is one that just has to be read.

Coming Sunday in Insight

Make sure you see Sunday's Insight section for a special look at Alabama Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb.

Coming Saturday on the editorial page

The Star's editorial board is a big fan of the NASCAR races at Talladega Superspeedway -- proud that they're in our part of the state, at least -- and is tackling the issue of Calhoun Countians who aren't fans of the races.

You tire of the traffic. You hate the interminable waits at the overcrowded restaurants in Oxford. Got a bunch of family and friends coming in town this weekend who need hotel rooms? Forgetaboutit. And you despise the fact that you seemingly can’t go anywhere on Interstate 20 on race-day Sundays.
Here’s a message:
Get over it.

The point: The races are great for our county's coffers.

We'll also have our regular letters to the editor and a column by Philadelphia Inquirer writer Trudy Rubin.

Greatest SEC games ever

DON'T DELAY! SEND US YOUR NOMINATIONS

Gearing up to the SEC championship game in December, we're looking to find the Top 5 in 75 -- the five greatest SEC games of all time. That's a lot of years, so we're looking to get nominations to put on a ballot that we'll then put before our readers. Readers will select the Top 5 from that ballot, and we'll run them on the lead up to the championship game.

What we need from our nominating committee: Suggestions for the best game and 2-3 sentences on why that game's the best.

These games must be pure SEC vs. SEC matchups. No inter-conference bowl games or out-of-conference games, and certainly we must get beyond Alabama and Auburn, although Punt Bama Punt is already on the list.

Features Editor Laura Tutor is compiling the nominations. Click here to e-mail her.

Coming Thursday on the editorial/op-ed pages

The Star's editorial board is examining the need to protect and preserve the huge collection of historical documents and period newspapers in the basement of the Calhoun County Courthouse:

This dusty collection of historical artifacts is one of our county’s most priceless items. Where else can you find the listings of the 1904 Alabama state tax for Confederate soldiers? Or newsprint copies of The Alabama Leader, The People’s Journal or The Union Advocate?

The Star also is looking at Alabama's efforts to build research and industry through our universities:

Thus far, more than 50 eminent scholar chairs have been endowed in such a plan in neighboring Georgia. These individuals and their research teams have brought in more than $1 billion in grants, launched some 25 companies and created around 1,500 jobs. In research infrastructure, Georgia has generated more than $600 million in private investments and more than $1 billion in grants to build and upgrade labs and facilities. The alliance also has helped launch some 125 new companies, with 3,000 high-paying jobs and around $600 million in investments.
Other states — Kentucky, for example — are jumping on the bandwagon.
And Alabama?
So far, our efforts have been as balkanized as our universities.

We'll also have our usual postings of letters to the editor and opinion columns.

Thursday in The Star

Coming Thursday in The Anniston Star:

Todd South has a followup on the noose discovered at the Anniston Army Depot. Where's the investigation going?

Dan Whisenhunt writes about federal prosecutors in Birmingham filing foreiture claims on local architect Julian Jenkins' business property and two bank accounts tied to his firm.
Whisenhunt also has a story about a new program at the County landfill for the disposal of computer equipment.

Steve Ivey writes about a company that that is planning to run a new natural gas pipeline through the Talladega National Forest.

In Wednesday's Anniston Star

Coming Wednesday in The Anniston Star:

Andy Johns visits two distinctive musuems that are labors of love - one in Heflin and one in Roanoke.

Dan Whisenhunt has a story on the JPA meeting and more on the search for a CEO.

What to expect from race traffic this week and what the track and state troopers are planning to deal with it.

Judge Malcom Street is presiding over his 700th case. Nick Cenegy spends some time with the longtime judge and those who know him.

George Smith profiles "Brother Bob," the Rev. Bob Ford, retired JSU campus minister.

Coming Tuesday on the editorial page

The Star's editorial board is looking at last week's report out of Oxford, whose financial outlook may be extremely bright because a significant expected budget surplus:

Residents should require that Oxford use its money in a progressive, ambitious manner; Oxford’s financial security gives it an advantage most cities of its size do not enjoy. And any good businessman knows he must upgrade and pump a portion of his profits back into his business. In this sense, Oxford’s City Hall is just that, a business — a business with the financial wherewithal to avoid stagnation.

Also, The Star again is examining the need for a separate board of education for the two-year college system and the cleaning of the corruption that exists there:

There also is the recently reported matter of a person with political connections who was paid by different two-year colleges to work in the office of Govs. Don Siegelman and (briefly) Bob Riley, and later for U.S. Rep. Artur Davis.
It is a twisted web with college presidents signing off on an arrangement which clearly should have been nipped in the bud. But without a chancellor willing to nip it —indeed, records show that the previous chancellor actually approved the arrangement — and a board with the time and inclination to keep track of this sort of thing, money that should have been spent on the respective campuses was spent for lobbying and political contacts.

Tuesday's Star

Coming Tuesday in The Anniston Star:

Bill Edwards has a look inside a basement room of the Calhoun County Courthouse labeled "Dungeon." What's in there? No chain-bound prisoners, but piles of old newspapers and tax records going back more than 100 years.

Wellborn High School is naming its band room after longtime director, Jeff Lenard, who died over the weekend. Steve Ivey talks to teachers, and others, who remember Lenard.

Charles Bishop speaks to the Calhoun County Republicans. Todd South covers that engagement.

The weekend Star

Stories coming this weekend in The Anniston Star:

On Saturday:
Anniston High School got a truckload of books Friday, finally filling the shelves a year and a half after a fire ruined the library's holdings. By Steve Ivey.

Matt Kasper attended a court hearing held to discuss opposition to Alabama Power's planned tree cutting in Jacksonville.

A 17-year-old pedestrian struck by a hit-and-run driver on Airport Road last night. Residents tell Todd South that there are too many speeders on the road - a thickly populated area.

On Sunday:
Laura Tutor examines the physical dangers of football and how seriously players, coaches and parents take them in light ot two recent high-profile adn wince-inducing neck injuries in the NFL.

Nick Cenegy has a story on the new surveillance camera the Oxford Police Department has in its budget. The high-tech cameras are designed to automatically read license tags of cars and check them against a database of stolen or otherwise sought-after vehicles.

Brett Buckner has a profile of an Alexandria couple who enjoy rodeos, and bull riding.

And on Monday:
Mary Jo Shafer talks with some local World War II veterans. The Ken Burns documentary "The War," is currently airing on Alabama public television so we take this opportunity to talk with others who lived through the big war.

Markeshia Ricks examines "diploma mills."

Thursday in The Star

Check out Thursday's Star for the following stories:

Todd South writes about a JSU sponsored class at the Anniston meeting center about Hispanic culture.

Dan Whisenhunt has an update on the JPA's executive director search. Ten months into the search and there hasn't been much movement on finding a new director.

Steve Ivey writes about the Imagination Library from the Dollywood Foundation which supplies children with a book a month until he or she turns 5.

Matt Kasper visited an educational session that more than 300 nurses attended in Anniston. He talked to attendees about what they learned and the nursing shortage.

Wednesday in The Anniston Star

Coming tomorrow in The Anniston Star:

Alabama fourth graders were the most-improved readers in the county, according to results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Steve Ivey looks at the results.

Matt Kasper writes about the dreaded "freshman 15." Is there truth to the saying? What causes it and what affect could it have on young adults health?

Sales of cigarettes to minors are down but teen smoking is up. Markeshia Ricks explores this story.

Tuesday's Star

Coming Tuesday in The Anniston Star:

Thousands of schoolchildren are expected to visit the T. Rex named Sue at the Anniston Musuem of Natural History. Andy Johns looks at who plans on visiting the dinosaur and where they are coming from.

Todd South talks with Honda workers in Lincoln about the UAW strike. Workers at the Honda plant have been exploring organizing a union there. What do they think about the GM strike?

South also will have a story on the potentially billions in funding for MRAP vehicle construction headed to Calhoun County.

Wrapups of council meetings in Piedmont, Lincoln and Hobson City.

In Thursday's Star

Coming tomorrow in The Anniston Star:

Surprise! A soldier arriving home from Iraq surprised his son at his classroom at Oxford Elementary School. Nick Cenegy writes about the surprise visit.

Matt Kaspar explores seasonal allergies. The approaching fall season means allergy season for many people. Experts and allergists alike will weigh in on the season and explain their problems and preventative measures.

Steve Ivey covers a meeting of business and industry leaders who gathered at the Calhoun County Career Tech Center to talk about vocational training.

Coming Friday on the editorial/op-ed pages

The Star's editorial board is examining the correctness of the Senate's voting this week that denied House representation for U.S. residents in Washington, D.C.:

The 600,000 residents of the district have long had a non-voting House member, but this bipartisan bill was the best chance ever to give them full representation. Yet the White House and the Senate’s GOP leadership were against it from the start.

The Star also is taking a look at the scuffle between ALFA and the AEA over how property tax assessments should be conducted:

For years, Alabama did it the way ALFA perfers — every four years. Then Gov. Bob Riley took a look at the law and concluded that assessments should be every year, but he added that he did not like the law and told the Legislature to change it. That’s when the elephants began fighting. Only now it seems that a third elephant, the federal government, is about to enter the fray.

As a bonus, we're opining about the state's bond issue for school construction passed earlier this year:

This is a wise move; we hope it can be done. The need is great. The economy is good. Revenue is sufficient to support the obligation we will incur. If the experts give their OK, then let’s do it.
The sooner the better.

On the op-ed page, yours truly is talking about Sue -- yes, the dinosaur -- and the state of tourism in Calhoun County:

Nothing’s free, money’s tight, and no one’s beating down our doors willing to pay for another museum or a historic district. It’s easier to reassemble a fossilized T. rex skeleton than to develop tourism in a county sans a beach or major urban center. And we have no beach or major urban center.
What we do have is a dinosaur named Sue.
Might as well enjoy her while we can.

Going to Jena?

Watching CNN this morning got me to wondering if there was anyone from Calhoun County attending the Jena 6 activities today in Louisiana?

We'd love to know. Give us a call or an e-mail.

Alabama, Siegelman and The Miami Herald

Always curious what other newspapers are saying about Alabama and our lives here, I found a Miami Herald editorial from Tuesday on Michael Mukasey, President Bush's choice for attorney general.

In the editorial, The Herald's editorial board mentioned an issue The Star's editorial board has been very active with -- the conviction of former Gov. Don Siegelman.

Here's what The Herald says about Mukasey and the Siegelman case:

He (Mukasey) should also be open to reviewing the dubious prosecutions of high-profile Democrats, including former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman and Georgia Thompson, a Wisconsin civil servant.

Coming Thursday on the editorial/op-ed pages

The Star's editorial board is examining an interesting new initiative to help heal wounds created by the long-running issues of environmental racism in Anniston:

Environmental racism’s harm in Anniston is not easily traced to a date on the calendar. PCB and other toxic contamination seeped into West Anniston’s water, earth and eventually its people over decades. Its dangers and toll slowly dawned on an unsuspecting public. Justice has been slow. Some are left unsatisfied. To this day, bitterness over who knew the dangers and when echoes through the victims’ minds. To this day, mistrust in the legal system exists. To this day, rumor has tremendous currency among some victims.

The Star also is weighing in on Wednesday's vote in D.C. that allowed the suspension of habeas corpus to continue:

It’s true that Guantanamo Bay houses many bad people who want all of us dead. There are perhaps hundreds more, however, who are there for unknown reasons. Will they remain there forever without knowing why they were imprisoned in the first place?

And on the op-ed page, contributor Stephen Black of the Alabama Poverty Project is offering an essay on poverty in our state:

This new era will be stamped in history as the point at which our institutions of higher education reasserted their commitment to assist students in developing a distinctive definition of moral and civic maturity, making the values and skills of citizenship a hallmark of a college education received in Alabama — and in the process, helping to create a better world for our children.

In Thursday's Star

Pick up The Anniston Star to read these stories tomorrow:

Steve Ivey profiles Anniston's interim superintendent. Is she a candidate for the permanent job?

Calhoun County's infant mortality rate has held steady at the national average of around six deaths per 1,000 births, while the statewide rate remains above the national average. How is Calhoun County managing that? Markeshia Ricks explores this story.

Dan Whisenhunt writes about four homes on Carter Street in Anniston that were moved because, in addition to PCBs and lead contamination, the property was on top of an unknown older landfill.

Wednesday's Star

Coming up in Wednesday's Anniston Star:

Matt Kaspar profiles a Jacksonville man and his unique hobby: pigeon racing.

Markeshia Ricks checks in with the state DOT on the status of a number of road projects, including the widening of Bynum-Leatherwood Road.

As employees at Honda's Lincoln plant explore the possibility of unionizing, the company sent out a letter saying it'll hurt the company if they do. Todd South has the reaction from some employees and an update on the organizing efforts.

Dan Whisenhunt writes about a tax credit program, pushed by The Spirit of Anniston, that makes it cheaper for building owners to renovate their historic properties. There are a few success stories that have dressed up Noble Street. Spirit would like to see more.

Coming Wednesday on the editorial/op-ed pages

The Star's editorial board is taking a good, hard look at the tiff between Attorney General Troy King and the state's district attorneys:

In the first place, the whole thing smells of political retribution. Though Shelby County DA Robby Owens and King both are Republicans, Owens supported King’s opponent in the last election largely on the grounds that the opponent was more experienced and better qualified. To publicly remove the Shelby County district attorney when the case was in appeal, and therefore in the hands of the attorney general anyway, appears to be little more than another of King’s clumsy attempts to use his office for political ends.

The Star also is reviewing the controversy that brewed last week with the MoveOn.org advertisement in the New York Times:

The group pulled a stunt that gives the anti-war movement and liberalism a bad name. With all the quality of a PETA commercial putting the value of a bunny’s life over that of a human’s, MoveOn took out a full-page advertisement in The New York Times titled “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?”
What a stupid thing to do.

And on the op-ed page, columnist Hardy Jackson is using the history of a fight on the Senate floor in Washington to put perspective on Goat Hill's dust-up earlier this year:

On the other hand, some of you probably think that if the Preston Brooks Society would get off this “mourning and self-examination” kick it could probably organize a chapter in the Alabama Senate with Sen. Charles “One-Punch” Bishop as its president. Think of the knot Bishop would have raised on Sen. Lowell Barron’s head if brass-tipped-and-knobbed Gutta-percha canes were the fashion today.

Coming Tuesday on the editorial page

With Monday's announcement from Washington concerning the possible replacement for former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, The Star's editorial board is weighing in on the possibilities for Michael Mukasey:

Perhaps the best Americans can hope for with the nomination of Mukasey is the Robert Gates model. Gates, who replaced Donald Rumsfeld as defense secretary, is (a.) a straight-shooter, (b.) a foreign-policy realist and (c.) not a Bush crony.

The Star also is suggesting that Jacksonville State University ought to consider promoting its best features more frequently:

Somewhere within the master plan of JSU’s Board of Trustees should be this: Put the Marching Southerners on display. Give them a stage larger than Paul Snow Stadium. They represented Saturday night in Memphis. They could be the best recruiters currently wearing JSU red.

Tomorrow in the Star

Pick up The Anniston Star tomorrow and you can read more about:

Hobson City holds a town hall meeting to get input from citizens. Leaders are looking for ideas to help the town get through tough financial times. Todd South will be at the meeting and will report on what is said.

Rep. Mike Rogers comes to JSU to kick off a speakers bureau for Career Placement Services.

Dan Whisenhunt explores Anniston's Community Development Block Grant program which is starting a rental rehab program. The Rental Rehabilitation Loan Program will loan money for up to 50 percent of repairs to rental structures.

Juice-free, please

Across cable TV, O.J. is the buzzword today.

My reaction is more like: Oh no!

Beside The Star: Our neighbors have company

I walked up to the Anniston Museum of Natural History today, as I often do at lunch to munch my sandwich and chips in their garden (just one of the many reasons it's cool to have a nature museum for a next-door neighbor). As I rounded one corner of their concrete building I encountered something that's not normally there: a six-foot-high wooden crate, bearing a sign that read "Pelvic bone." That was my first clue that, at long last, Sue's here.

If you've read The Star at all for the last couple of weeks, you know our neighbors at the museum are playing host to a fascinating traveling exhibit, "A T. Rex Named Sue." Its highlight is a cast of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever found. The museum closed on Saturday for a week to prepare the new exhibit.

This is a pretty big deal, not just as in the importance of the exhibit, but in size, too. As I rounded another corner of the building on my way back to The Star after lunch, I found about a half-dozen more crates, emptied of their contents. Just about then a tractor-trailer pulled into the parking lot, carrying what I assume was even more of Sue's luggage.

The exhibit opens to the public Saturday, and runs through Jan. 6. We've got a whole section of our Web site devoted to Sue. You can find it at annistonstar.com/sue.

Vivid portraits in literature

Coming tomorrow, we have three novels whose prose is sharp and vivid and highly deserving of a look. One novel, The Great Man by Kate Christensen, is about the loves of a recently deceased painter. Another, To My Dearest Friends, is about two women who rediscover a recently deceased friend through letters she leaves for them. The last, On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan, is another richly painted novel by one of the most talented writers around. Bookshelf tries to recommend some of the better books out there, and this week's set of novels come particularly highly recommended by our reviewers.
On a different but related note, Madeleine L'Engle has died. She passed away at the age of 88 last week. This news item strikes at my heart. I grew up reading her books -- all that I could get my hands on, which was quite a few -- and own many of them. In fact, my daughter and I discovered a couple I didn't have and hadn't read a few months ago at Barnes and Noble and picked them right up. Ms. L'Engle wrote with heart, with true hope for the world and for families.
I consider myself blessed to have been able to meet her about 12 years ago in Birmingham. She spoke at a small set of lectures given at a Christian church in downtown Birmingham. I saw an advertisement for the lecture somewhere and immediately knew I couldn't miss it. I felt like a rock star groupie as I excitedly and eagerly sat in the chapel where she spoke, clutching a notebook and some hope to speak to her in person. When she opened up the address for questions, I knew I must speak, if just to say something to this wonderful woman. I think I asked if she had advice for aspiring writers, or some similar query. She was very kind and personal. She responded to just write. Write in a journal. Write, read. I have since heard that advice repeated over and over by other writers. But she seemed to say it from her very heart, as personal advice to me, to a reader who was touched by what she put on paper. I'll never forget it.
Madeleine L'Engle was not only an award-winning author who wrote novels that have sold millions and have inspired millions of children, but she was a truly good -- great -- woman who is and was one who can stand as a real role model. The literary world has lost a remarkable woman.

This weekend in The Star

Check out this weekend's Anniston Star for the following stories:

On Saturday: Matt Kaspar talks with some farmers in Alexandria who have or are contemplating putting thier land up for sale. As fewer and fewer people make their living on family farms, are people giving up a way of life?

Andy Johns writes an advance on preparations for the arrival of Sue the T-Rex at the Musuem of Natural History in Anniston

On Sunday: The Band and Cheerleading special section comes out!

Steve Ivey examines JSU's quest to meet several benchmarks and milestones. The university wants to enroll 10,000 students for the first time, to raise $25 million for campus construction and academic programs, to add its first doctoral degree and is even thinking of moving its football program to the big time. That's not all for the campus as it approaches its 125th anniversary. What will JSU need to achieve these goals?

PetFest at Animal Medical Center promises fun for furry friends with tricks, contests and health-care tips. Andy Johns documents the day.

Suicide rates are up nationwide, particularly among teen girls. Matt Kaspar gets the perspective of local folks on the reasons, warning signs and help that is out there, in advance of Suicide Prevention Week.

And coming Monday: Matt Kaspar profiles Anniston resident Debbie Nail who spent a year working for a contractor in Iraq.

Making the primary earlier could have ramifications on those who need absentee ballots. Markeshia Ricks looks into this and whether or not any other elections will be moved from June to February for the change.

In tomorow's Anniston Star

Check out tomorrow's Anniston Star for these stories:

Todd South writes about how Munford's citizens are taking the initiative to organize a citizens crime watch.

Expect a soggy Friday: Andy Johns writes about the remnants of Hurricane Humberto, which will bring much-needed rain to the area, up to three inches, the National Weather Service says.

Five local elementary schools will bring home $40,000 in recognition of their students’ achievements on standardized tests last year. Markeshia Ricks breaks down the numbers.

Coming Friday on the editorial/op-ed pages

The Star's editorial board on Friday is continuing its series on the GAO Iraq progress report, especially in light of President Bush's televised speech Thursday night:

Many likely will awake this morning to the feeling that the past 10 months have been nothing but a political trick — from the November midterm election that rejected the White House’s overly rosy assessment of conditions in Iraq to the firing of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to the announcement of an escalation strategy to this week’s misleading assessment of its progress and, most recently, to Thursday night’s shell game about how many troops will be in Iraq.
Americans wish to be leveled with.

The Star's board also is proclaiming its happiness over the state's "Take Back the Highways" program -- especially the manner in which it was conducted:

We are pleased with the fairness of Murphy, pleased with the fairness of Holmes, and pleased with the fairness of Alabama’s state troopers.
You can’t get more pleased than that.

And, lastly, we're writing about new U.S. Census figures that address our state's political leanings:

Voters are tiring of candidates who make church membership a mark of party affiliation. They are repelled by those who demonize dissent and make opposition un-American. These political tactics are being rejected by more and more citizens. The moderate core of our voting population is being revealed again. Good news, indeed.

On the op-ed page there's this column on Calhoun County's and Alabama's future, by yours truly:

The last 10 years tell me we should demand such progress for the 10 years to come. Look at what we’ve accomplished. Consider where we once were. If we can get this far, if we can rid ourselves of chemical weapons, weather the closing of a nearly 100-year-old military base and emerge standing from horrible examples of industrial pollution, why can’t we take the next step and shoot for what we all want?

Sandwich Day in the newsroom

(Or as the poster, written in Alabama-ese, called it "Sammich Day.")

Staffers brought the bread, meat and fixings. We fired up the grill and it was a feast.

Coming attractions

A dinosaur exhibit - a T. Rex Named Sue - is coming to the Anniston Museum of Natural History. The exhibit opens on Sept. 22.
According to the museum's promotional literature:

"This exhibition demonstrates how T. rex was monstrous yet mortal and connects with visitors of all ages and abilities. Interactives, touchable replicas, videos, and colorful graphics set the stage for a visceral experience using a combination of visual, tactile, audible, and aromatic activities."

Learn more by clicking here.

Ahead of the exhibit The Star is planning a special section. You can see our promitional videos by clicking below:

Coming Thursday on the editorial/op-ed pages

The Star's editorial board is taking a look at a new initative that may bring more ecotourism publicity to Northeast Alabama:

Northeast Alabama, close to major metropolitan areas yet with so many resources unspoiled by urban sprawl, should become a major tourist attraction.
The Longleaf Initiative will move us in that direction.

We're also checking in again on the water wars between Alabama and Georgia:

Gov. Bob Riley made the case that if the Corps of Engineers would follow its own guidelines and remain true to the 1993 draft manual which applies to Lake Allatoona, then more water would be sent our way. By agreeing earlier to release more water, the Corps seemed to accept the governor’s argument.

And, to round off Thurday's offerings, we're giving the next installment of the GAO report on the progress in Iraq:

Thus far, according to the GAO, Iraq’s security forces are (1.) replete with “sectarian-based abuses,” (2.) partly under the control of lawless militias, (3.) unable to perform independent of U.S. forces and (4.) distrusted by Iraqis. By that standard, Iraq security forces would not be able to stop a civil war, and might be participants in it.

We'll also have our normal fare of letters to the editor and syndicated columnists, led by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times.

Coming Wednesday on the editorial/op-ed pages

The Star's editorial board on Wednesday is opining on the on-going issue of what may be the politically motivated prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman:

It smells even worse when one considers that a man may sit in prison today because his political enemies may have arranged his prosecution for political reasons.
It is a sobering thought to consider, the kind of thing often associated with third-world dictatorial regimes and not with a free, democratic nation.

The Star also is examining another portion of the GAO's assessment of the progress in Iraq:

If proponents of partitioning Iraq into three independent states covered by an extremely loose federal government were looking for a leading indicator, they may have found it in this deal. The partition-Iraq crowd rightly points that Iraq is a creation of British mapmakers in 1921. They see three regions, each with tight border security, as a method to tamp down the bloody violence that has raged since the U.S. invasion in 2003.

And, for added measure, our opinion on the lack of state money remaining for critical state road projects, including several in Calhoun County:

Is there hope? Of course, but it’s like building a beach home without proper support; it may fail. Two of our projects, the parkway and a wider access road for Anniston Army Depot, reside comfortably in the Alabama Department of Transportation’s five-year plan. At least we’re on the list.

As we blogged about earlier, columnist Hardy Jackson is writing about Brunswick stew, his mother's recipe, and why it is so good:

While everything is simmering, Mama adds her special touch. Deviating from the recipe, she slices a lemon thin and puts it in the pot. Sometimes two.
And so it will come to pass that later, when hungry folks are spooning through a steaming bowl of stew that tastes like it was made from a magazine recipe, all of a sudden a shot of sour will assault their taste buds and they will know that they are into something special.
It’s the “whang.”
That makes the difference.

Conservatives on the op-ed pages

This isn't a shock, or isn't to me, at least. A new study says conservative columnists dominate newspapers' editorial pages in the U.S. Here's the story from the MediaMatters.org Web site, fresh off the AP satellite:

NEW YORK — George Will’s column runs in more newspapers than any writer in the nation, according to a new study by a liberal media watchdog group that concludes conservative voices such as his dominate editorial pages.
Will’s syndicated column runs at least once a month in 368 newspapers with more than 26 million in total circulation, said the Media Matters for America. The organization surveyed 96 percent of the nation’s 1,430 English-language daily newspapers.
“He reaches half of the newspaper readers in America,” said Paul Waldman, the study’s author. “He has a huge megaphone, probably bigger than anybody else in America.”
His group found that 60 percent of the daily newspapers print more conservative syndicated columnists each week than liberals. Twenty percent of the papers are dominated by liberals and 20 percent are balanced. Media Matters had no information on local columnists.
It’s similar to how conservative talk radio voices dominate, although to a much more limited extent.
Waldman called it “one more nail in the coffin of the myth of liberal media bias.” Better balance should be the goal, he said.
Will, 66, distributes two columns each week to newspapers through the Washington Post Writers Group and writes every other week for Newsweek. He’s been a columnist since 1974, when newspapers began searching for conservative voices after the Nixon administration complained about a liberal bias.
“It’s pleasing news, because one never knows,” Will told The Associated Press. “You send these things out and you can’t possibly keep track of how the newspapers are using them.”
Alan Shearer, editorial director and general manager of the group that syndicates Will, said he thinks the column is popular because it contains original reporting and is not just opinion. Will can also be unpredictable, and predictability is the death of columnists, he said.
Some well-known TV personalities can’t approach Will for reach in their written work. Bill O’Reilly, for example, reaches 4 million readers and Ann Coulter 1.1 million, the survey said.
The five most popular columnists include another conservative, Kathleen Parker, and two liberals, Ellen Goodman and Leonard Pitts Jr. David Broder of the Washington Post, who is third, isn’t assigned an ideology by Media Matters.
The top 10 is rounded out by Cal Thomas, Charles Krauthammer and three from The New York Times: Thomas L. Friedman, Maureen Dowd and David Brooks.
Both Will and Shearer said they believe that Media Matters is right, that conservative columnists have a wider reach than liberals. It may partly be because publishers lean conservative, and editorial page editors often report to them, Shearer said.
Will said he hoped to write “`til I drop,” pointing to his 50th anniversary as a columnist as a goal. That’s in 2024.
“I love to write,” he said. “I think that’s unusual among journalists. A lot of journalists like the reporting and hanging around the journalistic subculture and seeing their names in the paper, it’s the middle part they don’t like. I like the middle part.”

The Star has a semi-firm schedule of syndicated columnists; barring developments -- such as the day cartoonist Doug Marlette died a few months ago -- we try to stick to that schedule as much as we can. We also try to have a diverse collection of columnists -- some white, some black, some men, some women, some conservative and some liberal.

Here's our usual schedule:
Monday - George Will, Washington Post
Tuesday - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post
Wednesday - Leonard Pitts, Miami Herald; Cal Thomas, Creators Syndicate; Hardy Jackson, local.
Thursday - Thomas Friedman, New York Times and several others to choose from, including Trudy Rubin, Philly Inquirer; Maureen Dowd, New York Times; and Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald.
Friday - Thomas Herbert, New York Times; and James Evans and yours truly, local.
Saturday - Joseph Galloway, McClatchy's senior military columnist.
Sunday - Nicholas Kristof, New York Times, and Paul Krugman, New York Times.

There are a few others, including Froma Harrop of Creators Syndicate, Tom Teepen of Cox News, Rhonda Lokeman of the Kansas City Star, and David Brooks of the New York Times who often appear on our pages as space and topics allow.

Cookin' stew in the editorial department (which is kinda hard because I'm the only one back here on Tuesdays)

Columnist Hardy Jackson's cooking Brunswick stew on Wednesday's op-ed pages.

His recipe:

Get yourself a 4- to 5-pound Boston butt. Put it on to boil and cook it 2 hours. (Now, if you already have one of those that is smoked and sold for high-school fund-raisers, or have some pork left over from the last time you cooked out, that’s OK.)
While it is cooking, if it is cooking, put the following into another pot:
- 4 cups of cubed hash-brown potatoes (why spend all that time cubing when you don’t have to?)
- 3 14-ounce cans of diced tomatoes with garlic and onion (all cans are about this size)
- 1 can whole-kernel corn, drained
- 1 can cream-style corn
- 1 can sweet green peas, drained
- 1 bottle barbecue sauce
- A little hot sauce, a little salt, a little pepper
When the meat is cooked and it is cool, shred it.
Put the shredded meat into the pot with the rest, boil and stir and (if you are Daddy) sip.

More on this later. Including the part about his daddy and the sipping.

Coming Tuesday on the editorial page

With the release Monday of Gen. David Petraeus' report on the progress in Iraq, The Star's editorial board has decided it's time to weigh in again on the war and our success:

What we’ve learned during the first eight months of this year is what presidents from Truman to Clinton fully knew. While the United States has the world’s best military, our guns, bullets and soldiers alone cannot create political stability in any country.

The Star also is opining again on the GAO report on the success in Iraq -- a report that differs from the Petraeus findings:

It must be noted that part of the so-called surge strategy came when U.S. forces allied themselves with former enemies, Sunni militias. We made allies with enemies in the 1980s with Saddam Hussein and radical Islamists in Afghanistan. It’s a move we came to regret. The potential blowback of arming former (and possibly future) enemies is a prospect that ought to chill Americans regardless of the short term.

And, this being the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, The Star's editorial page is reminding us why remembering the event is so important:

However, on this solemn date let the focus pause on the deaths of the 3,000 victims, including Maj. Dwayne Williams, a native of Jacksonville. Then, tomorrow and in the following days let’s resolve to work out the best ways to strengthen the nation and prevent another terrorist attack on these shores.

Capital reading

We've got a couple of Washington-based books this week on Bookshelf. They may both be based in D.C., but aside from that, they are worlds apart! One is a novel called Trudy Hopedale, a sly satire on the politicking and social lives of the strange beings who inhabit our nation's capital. The second book is a very serious expose on the history of the CIA, Legacy of Ashes. Trudy Hopedale doesn't paint a pretty picture of its characters, and Legacy of Ashes doesn't paint a terribly hopeful picture of our nation's 60-year-old top-secret agency. Unfortunately, one can't laugh at the latter.
Meanwhile, I have stacks of new books arriving in my office every week. Some I toss on sight. I'm guessing we don't need reviews of any bodice-rippers, right? I also generally don't review books that are reprints or not pretty much published in the past 4 to 6 months. We do aim to be a NEWSpaper here, so I'd like to tell our discerning readers about the new books that are noteworthy. But any gleaning aside, that still leaves me so many books, so little time and space. I could lament this every week. But those we can't review, we donate. Some end up at the library so its patrons can read them, even if we couldn't.
Please don't hesitate to contact me and let us know how we're doing. Have you read a book we've reviewed and completely agreed with our reviewer -- or completely disagreed? Has a review led you to a fine read you never would have picked up otherwise? I hope so.

Coming Thursday on the editorial/op-ed pages

The Star's editorial board is tackling two intensely local subjects on Thursday. One involves the promise of the ACCESS distance-learning program Gov. Bob Riley began in 2005:

But this program will allow connected schools, whether they’re surrounded by the poverty of Greene or Wilcox counties or the high-income areas of Madison, Baldwin or Shelby counties, to offer advanced courses to Alabama students. The program can pay obvious dividends. One only has to listen to Riley speak of the program’s possibilities to understand his excitement. It’s an infectious joy.

The other involves the problem of a lack of regulation of faith-based programs:

But a deeper problem remains. Without tougher laws, a new clinic could open at One Day at a Time’s former site or anywhere else with virtually zero oversight. No inspections for quality of treatment. No safety inspections. Nothing but a “faith-based” label that freezes state regulators in their tracks.

On the op-ed page, columnist Jonathan Last of the Philadelphia Inquirer is putting an interesting spin on a famous World War I battle and its relation to the Iraq War:

Every drop of American blood is a precious treasure; our 3,732 dead (since March 20, 2003) should be revered. But that number is small by historical standards. People are generally familiar with the big wars: 405,399 American dead in World War II; 116,516 dead in World War I; 58,209 dead in Vietnam. But 36,574 of our soldiers died in Korea, and 13,283 died in the Mexican War. Two other wars, the War of 1812 and the Spanish-American War accumulated significant casualties (2,260 and 2,446 dead, respectively) despite involving military forces less than a tenth of the size of our current one. Between 1899 and 1902, 4,324 American soldiers died in the Philippine-American War. Perhaps they no longer teach these things in school.

We'll also have our letters to the editor and our popular Views of the World collection of international editorial cartoons.

Coming Wednesday on the editorial/op-ed pages

With the 150-year anniversary of the Civil War only a few years away -- it's in 2011, if you didn't know -- The Star's editorial board is considering what should be done, if anything, to commemorate the event:

How does a nation note the anniversary of a war against itself without celebrating the victors or demonizing the defeated? What should be done to recognize the sacrifices on both sides? And how are we, as a nation, to acknowledge the good the war accomplished without opening old wounds which, in some quarters, still fester?

The Star also is taking another glance at the huge contract given to University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban -- a contract that's still garnering national attention:

So on a weekend when we were giddy over the season’s kickoff, newspapers across the land wrote tomes about one of our state’s most-famous teams. But there was little talk about football, and lots of discussion about our state’s priorities.

On the op-ed page, columnist Hardy Jackson is having fun with the memory of the Allman Brothers and all things Southern:

The Allman Brothers. “The principal architects of Southern rock.” Led by Duane Allman — the second-best guitarist of all time, according to Rolling Stone, who after the five-hour jam session that pulled them together told the group that “anybody who doesn’t want to be in my band is gonna have to fight his way out the door.”
Is that Southern or what?
But it almost didn’t happen.

We'll also have our normal dose of letters to the editor and syndicated columnists.

Top weekend reads online

SATURDAY
Former Weaver pastor pleads guilty to sex abuse by Nick Cenegy

SUNDAY
A witness to the past 156 years, the Davis Farm is now up for sale for $20 million by Todd South

MONDAY
Despite a gutsy win, the only thing Auburn has is a sinking feeling by Joe Medley

Local news coming this weekend

Here's what The Star's metro staff is working to bring you over Labor Day weekend:

• Saturday kicks off a four-day look at labor unions in Alabama and the South. Star Assistant Metro Editor Mary Jo Shafer completed this series as a her final project for the Knight Community Journalism masters program taught at The Star by the University of Alabama. When she was done we hired her, and we're glad to be able to run this series. It examines the decline of unions in the South, a place where they were never all that strong to begin with, and how unions fit - or don't - into the state's changing industrial economy.

• Labor Day weekend also means the return of college football. Knowing this is one of our state's most important annual rituals, we'll have staff writers Andy Johns and Sara Polsky in Tuscaloosa and Auburn, respectively (while yours truly is in Montgomery with JSU), to see just how happy fans are now that the season's finally here. That's in addition to the coverage of action between the sidelines from our award-winning sports staff. You can follow progress up to the minute at our new college sports blogs for Alabama, Auburn and JSU.

• If you're not passionate about football, maybe sci-fi, fantasy, and comic books are more your thing. If so, staff writer Dan Whisenhunt, who also writes the video-game column Pushing Buttons, is over in Atlanta at the annual Dragon Con convention. Dan's updating us all on the action through his new Pushing Buttons blog.

• Calhoun County's oldest house, what's now known as the Davis Farm in Oxford, has some new neighbors - the Oxford Exchange shopping center. That, and its location adjacent to busy Interstate 20, have ramped up pressure to develop the property for commercial use. Its owners have it up for sale, listed at $20 million. Oxford beat writer Todd South explores the house's history, and the potential for another shopping center versus a historical park
  

There'll be full papers all weekend long. Be sure to check us out when you're not watching the game or grilling something up on the holiday.

Coming Saturday on the editorial page

The Star's editorial board is addressing this week's news about Anniston's 2008 proposed budget -- a budget that contains no cuts and several other items of interest:

It didn’t warrant front-page news in The Star on Thursday when reporter Dan Whisenhunt wrote about the City of Anniston’s $32 million budget proposal for the coming year. To reuse the optimistic words of George Monk, the city manager: “My hope is the proposal is fairly vanilla.”
Monk may get his wish, though you can never count out acrimony and surprise when dealing with Anniston’s council.

Syndicated columnist Joe Galloway is, as usual, weighing in on the week it was involving the Iraq War and President Bush:

This week we saw two President Bushes in action. In a news conference in Canada, he acknowledged that while security has improved somewhat thanks to the surge, the Iraqis have made little progress toward meeting the benchmarks. Two days later, speaking at the national VFW convention in Kansas City, the president spoke at length about the need to stay the course in Iraq indefinitely.

We'll also have our normal fare of letters to the editor.

Riley on stage at The Star

Gov. Bob Riley was in town Thursday -- he was plugging the East Alabama Action Commission -- and was gracious enough to stop by The Star for a somewhat impromptu editorial board meeting. As usual, it was worth the price of admission.

Whether you're a D or R, a Riley supporter or not, say this much about him: He's comfortable speaking about our state. Our meeting was off the record, so we'll honor that and not post here was said there; how's that for journalistic (or blogging) ethics? But trust us -- it was entertaining and enlightening. We're glad he stopped by.

As someone said as the gov'ner was leaving, Riley could sell the promise of Alabama to people in Germany (or elsewhere in Europe) more than he can sell the promise of Alabama to people in parts of his own state. That's a compliment, and a testiment to his record of international industrial recruitment. And it's true, too.

Hopefully he'll come back soon.

Star photographers hit the gridiron

Star photographer Bill Wilson kicks off the '07 football season for the photo dept tonight as he shoots the Saks at Welborn game. Friday, chief photographer Trent Penny will shoot the Weaver/Jacksonville match. Steve Gross will be at the Sidney Lanier/Anniston game. Bill Wilson has the East Coweta (Ga.)/Oxford game. And I'll be in the valley shooting the Oneonta/Alexandria season-opener.

Saturday I'll follow the Gamecocks to Montgomery for the Alabama State game. Penny will cover the Bama game and Gross will shoot Auburn.

Look for all the great action photos in the paper and in photo galleries online.

Local news coming Friday

Here's what the metro staff is working to bring you in tomorrow's paper:

• The long wait is nearly over. Football season has finally arrived. High school action is kicking off Thursday night between Wellborn and Saks, with a full slate of games Friday. Check annistonstar.com for full coverage Friday and Saturday.

• There's sure to be a strange feeling in the air at one football venue tomorrow night: Lou Scales Stadium, where for the first time in more than two decades, Larry Ginn will not be coaching the Alexandria Valley Cubs. Features Editor Laura Tutor explores what it is about Alexandria that makes that fact matter so much.

• Staff writer Matt Kasper visits Eagle's Landing, a drug- and alcohol-abuse recovery center near Jacksonville, where women learn to change their lives by being accountable to themselves and to each other.
  

Coming Friday on the editorial/op-ed pages

The Star's editorial board is weighing in Friday on two widely different-but-important issues -- the effect of the Southern drought and the effect of air and water pollution in China.

On the drought, The Star's edit board writes:

In years past much has been written about the family farm and how it must be saved. The family farm is an endangered species, made that way by the rise of agribusiness and the governmental policies that promote bigness. But of all the farmers hurt by this summer’s drought, the family farmer has been hurt worse, for those folks have fewer resources to survive the hard times nature has handed them.
This legislation will help. It needs to pass.

On China's pollution and its relation to America's environment, The Star's board writes:

Clearly, we have not done everything we can to protect our environment. It’s too easy to cite similar instances in the United States which industries have polluted waterways and our air, where cancer rates have been linked to industrial carcinogens, where Americans have suffered and died because of environmental mismanagement.
China displays the importance of governmental and environmental watchdogs and the need for requiring our politicians to make these issues a priority. Anything less is deadly and unacceptable. Just ask the Chinese people.

On the op-ed page, I'm taking a stab at the Anniston-Oxford football that's not being played this year because of the shootings that have taken place at past games:

But we owe it to ourselves and to the students of both schools — students who, like the county’s residents as a whole, may have heard the occasional bigot slather this incident in the hue of their racial dogma — to use this game as proof that Calhoun County’s largest cities can coexist in some form of harmony. And it’s absolutely incomprehensible to me that Oxford and Anniston, rivals forever linked by miles of common borders, can’t come together once a year without violence and fear.

And Paul Rilling, The Star's media critic, is curious if we're doing the right thing by limiting the number of stories that begin on our front page:

In an era of smaller pages and shrinking space, is The Star making the best use of its front page, with so much duplication of stories, out front and inside?

We'll have much more. Check it out Friday.

Belly up to the grill

It's steak day at The Star's newsroom. And the eatin's good.

Next Thursday -- grilled pizza day!

The Bird is the Word

It's actually "Bird's Word". That's our new title to the same old high school football pick 'em contest.

Nick Birdsong (of the Tampa, Fla., Birdsongs) is running it now. Back by popular demand/request from you, the loyal reader, we've brought back the staff picks.

Teams from Woodland to Cedar Bluff longed for it. I think some just longed to laugh at Al Muskewitz's off-the-wall picks. While it never quite worked (with respect to wins and losses) there was a formula.

1. Pick the local team.
2. If it's two local teams, pick the home team.

Proving that even a leopard (or just a really old dog) can change his spots, Musky went against his old plan. He's got Oneonta over Alexandria, Sidney Lanier over Anniston, and Jacksonville Christian picking up a road win over ASD.

Pick up a copy of Thursday's Star and check out our staff's lineup of picks (found on 6C).

Coming Thursday on the editorial/op-ed pages

The Star's editorial board is weighing in Thursday on Maryland's decision to release Arthur Bremer, who shot Gov. George Wallace in 1972, and Attorney General Troy King's political manuevering:

Some will wonder if justice has been done (by Bremer's release). There are those who believe that had it not been Wallace that Bremer shot he would have been released long ago. And there are those who are concerned, as was Wallace son-in-law and former Supreme Court Justice Mark Kennedy, “that someone who has committed a crime like this is actually going to walk free.”
The important point to remember, however, is that Wallace forgave Bremer and also credited the shooting for changing his life spiritually for the better.
And, as Gov. Bob Riley noted, “If Gov. Wallace could forgive him (then) the rest of us can.”
But apparently Attorney General Troy King can’t.

On the op-ed page, syndicated columnist Thomas Friedman is taking on the Sunni tribes in Iraq:

Warning! This important shift by the Sunni tribes could come unglued if the Shiite-led Iraqi government doesn’t start providing government services — water, fuel and electricity — to the Sunni areas the tribes have retaken.
It could also come apart because, well, this is Iraq. As one U.S. general said to me of the Sunni tribes, “They still hate us. They just hate al-Qaida even more right now and they hate the Persians even more than them. But they could turn their guns back on us anytime.”

We also have our normal fare of letters to the editor and a collection of international-based political cartoons on the op-ed page.

Tuesday's top online reads

1. A Valley Cubs legend steps down: Larry Ginn resigns as Alexandria football coach by Nick Birdsong and Rip Donovan (New stories on the coach's resignation drew about four times the typical number of online readers.)

2. Dog-attack victim remains in critical condition in Birmingham bv Nick Cenegy

3. Alabama Power responds to PSC inquiry on tree issue by Matt Kasper

(My)Spacing out

If, like millions of people around the world, you're a user of the social networking site MySpace, you can now find The Star there.

We set up a MySpace profile for the paper in June, and have been biding our time since. Now we're finally making ourselves available to other users. Anyone who stops by our profile can find a list of stories we think they'd be interested in, with links to the paper's Web site. We'll also use the profile to send users to our blogs, including this one, and other content.

We looked around first at what other papers have done with MySapce, including The Albuquerque (N.M.) Tribune and The Richmond (Ind.) Palladium-Item, and a host of alternative weeklies. Like those papers, we're hoping to connect with younger people for whom the daily newspaper, or even the paper's Web site, isn't a daily habit.

Local news coming Wednesday

Here's what the metro staff is working on for Wednesday's Star:

• With 9,000-or-so college students pouring back into Jacksonville this week, education writer Steve Ivey takes a look at Jacksonville State University's standings in the recent U.S. News & World Report college rankings. JSU falls middle-of-the-pack among its peers in Alabama, but university officials, and many other critics, say the rankings don't mean all that much.

• Larry Ginn, longtime Alexandria High School football and basketball coach, announced his resignation yesterday, citing his recent diagnosis with skin cancer. Star sports writer Nick Birdsong is working to find out how the Valley Cubs are preparing to begin their first season in 20 years without Ginn; they face Oneonta at home on Friday night.

• Calhoun and Talladega counties are part of a pilot program to create electronic records and case management systems for Medicaid. Capitol correspondent Markeshia Ricks explores what the $3.7 million project will mean for patients.

We're also planning to carry coverage from our sister paper, The Daily Home, on Talladega's city election results. And as always, there's much more where that came from. Check us out online or in print for all the latest stories.

Coming Wednesday on the editorial/op-ed pages

We've got a double dose of Hurricane Katrina offerings on Wednesday.

The first is from The Star's editorial on the two-year anniversary of the horrible storm:

Paint the best picture you can, spin the facts however you will, but no one — even the Gulf Coast Business Council — is completely happy with where we are now or with what has been done to get us there.

The second is from op-ed columnist Hardy Jackson, who's weekly column dives deep into a different side of the anniversary:

But it ain’t just Louisiana that's still being affected.
For sheer lunacy, go down to Dauphin Island.
Back in 2000, well before Katrina, the western end of the island already was washing away. To stop it, local leaders took a combination of state and (mostly) federal money and built a $1 million sand berm. Dauphin’s own wall.
Two years later, tropical storm Isidore washed that away.
And what did they learn from this experience?
Apparently nothing.

The Star's editorial board is also weighing in on a new project that may begin next year or two at Anniston's incinerator:

Critics of the incineration project, which there are many, may have a field day with Anniston’s agreement to bring another mission to our facility. But Tim Garrett, the Anniston site manager, and others at the Anniston facility have given us no indication in years past that they would do anything but protect the safety and performance of our incinerator. The decision to test this machine in Anniston seems to be one made with diligence and common sense.

We're also giving a short opinion piece on the career of Alexandria High School football coach Larry Ginn, who is retiring after a long and successful career:

It’s unfortunate that health concerns have forced Ginn to step down as Alexandria’s football coach. He is a legend of Calhoun County sports, long ago joining a distinguished group of this county’s all-time football coaches that includes Alexandria’s Lou Scales, Oxford’s Bill Burgess and Anniston’s Bill Farrell.

We'll also have our normal selection of letters to the editor, syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts' column and follow-up coverage of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' resignation.

Monday's top online reads

1. Social Security move is canceled by Dan Whisenhunt

2. Oxford councilwoman wants to bring back city’s inactive beautification board by Todd South

Oddity: Trent Penny's excellent photo essay Santa Claus is Coming to Town generated a fair amount of online traffic Monday. Maybe somebody's got the Christmas spirit early this year.

Seeing Katrina

More on Katrina anniversary that was noted in previous post:
Just my opinion, but watching Spike Lee's documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts has really served as a cruel reminder of our national tragedy two years back.

Hardy Jackson and Hurricane Katrina

Hardy Jackson, one of The Star's op-ed columnists and the owner of a deep appreciation of the U.S. Gulf Coast, has written a wonderful column on Wednesday's two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. We'll publish it on Wednesday's op-ed page.

As usual, his take is particularly Hardy-ish ... Certainly worth the read.

I'll try to post an excerpt later today when I get to the office.

The weekend's top online reads

FRIDAY
1. Teacher accused of selling marijuana: Saks educator, spouse arrested by Andy Johns

2. Board fires Felton: Frazier named interim superintendent by Steve Ivey

3. Four pit bulls attack Anniston woman by Andy Johns

SATURDAY
1. Employees charged with stealing money by Dan Whisenhunt

2. Woman hospitalized after pit bull attack by Andy Johns and Nick Cenegy

SUNDAY
1. A city's bones by Todd South

2. Rumble on Noble takes over downtown Anniston by Todd South

From Russia with java

Commentary Editor Phillip Tutor dropped by my office first thing this morning and made quite the observation.
"I know this is supposed to be the 'Red Star,' but why does the editor of the Anniston Star have Russian writing on his coffee cup?"
"Hmm, I don't know," said the editor. "I got it from a doughnut shop in Oxford."
We may never convince the conspiracy buffs, but the real story is fascinating:

Dazbog Coffee is the realization of the American dream by two immigrants of the former Soviet Union, Anatoly and Leonid Yuffa. The dream that is now Dazbog began on a bitter, cold night among the cobblestone streets of Leningrad. The Yuffa family fled Russia to embark on a new and better life of freedom, democracy and opportunity. Their journey is the legacy of Dazbog Coffee. By bringing the richness of the Russian heritage and traditions to their quest for roasting only the finest quality Arabica beans from coffee estates around the world. Anatoly and Leonid have found a way to honor the past and enjoy the present in a rich-tasting cup of coffee. This is the Dazbog way. A way that applauds free expression by bringing out the unique flavor of every bean. A way that celebrates life itself in each and every cup.

UPDATE: The Oxford shop with the cool coffee cups is LaMar's Donuts in Oxford.

Rumble on Noble coverage

Click over to The Star's new music blog, Off The Record, for photo coverage (from the second row, I might add) of last night's Rumble on Noble shows.

If you're a Star subscriber, you can click here for reporter Todd South's coverage of the entire Rumble event.

Coming Sunday in the Insight section

Don't forget ... The Star's Insight section is featuring a collection of drawings from refugee children in Darfur and Sudan. It's a compelling look at the effect of war on children. (I've blogged a little about these drawings in an earlier post.) We've moved some pages around so that the drawings can be in color, too.

Check it out Sunday.

Take ... my book ... out to the ball game

Greetings, sports fans! If you can peel yourself away from the fine sports pages our sports department has been working on so feverishly lately and from the actual sports that are being played out in murderous heat, you can plop down in a comfy recliner with a cold drink and the A/C going at full blast to enjoy this week's Bookshelf picks. Art Gould has put together a full lineup of reads that cover baseball, golf, and various sports highlights. One book he reviewed even tells you the official rules of baseball. (Note: I learned that the official rule isn't to bark "Play ball!" at the beginning of a game, but only "Play!" ... Reminds me that the famous "quote" "Play it again, Sam" isn't actually spoken in "Casablanca," just "Play it again.")
Also have John Vanderford's nice review of Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy's book that's on the bestseller list right now. Very personal, as well as football/sports-related.
Lots of good things are happening in the reading community. First Christian Church of Anniston is starting up another round of book groups, with the information on our page, and our area book clubs have been busy. Three met together this week to discuss Georgia author Ferrol Sams' new book Down Town. (And yes, it's two separate words rather than just one, as I found out this week, and you'll have to read the very amusing book to find out why.)
Have a good week; may you find/make time to read something that elevates you (preferably above the heat).

Off The Record reminder

Don't forget -- The Star's new music blog, Off The Record, is off to a flying start. Check it out here.

Thursday's top online reads

1. Star's editorial on the president's comparison of Iraq to Vietnam, Bush’s propaganda

2. Police arrest Saks Middle School teacher, husband on drug charges by Andy Johns

3. Cheaha blaze still burning by Nick Cenegy

Coming Saturday on the editorial page

Following the action of the Anniston Board of Education on Thursday, The Star's editorial board is examining the upcoming search for the school system's new superintendent:

The students and faculty in Anniston need a leader who can caress when needed, can scold when it’s appropriate, and is not afraid to open his or her office door and let the community see the head of Anniston’s schools leading by example. Former Superintendent Sammy Felton rarely, if ever, did that – and as a result, we still hardly know him. He made things much more difficult than they needed to be.
The future of Anniston’s schools is now. It’s up to the Anniston Board of Education to kick-start that future. It can’t afford to make a mistake.

Syndicated columnist Joseph Galloway is weighing in on what was a not-so-impressive week for the Bush administration in terms of the Iraq War:

President Bush pleaded for the patience he said is needed to win in Iraq, and surprisingly put forward the example of the Vietnam War and our withdrawal from there after 10 years and 58,249 dead American troops as a reason why we must stick to our guns in Iraq.
He trotted out his administration’s now shopworn fear tactics, arguing that persisting in this senseless war will prevent a massacre of millions in Iraq and attacks on us at home by a reinvigorated al-Qaida.
The more things change in this administration, the more they stay the same.

We'll also have our normal letters to the editor package and a roundup of editorials from newspapers across Alabama.

The Star's newest blog -- It's hot!

I've mentioned The Star's upcoming music blog in postings here the last few days.

It's no longer just a concept. It's live. We're already bloggin' about a variety of local shows, YouTube and iPods, hair metal, bar bands in Jacksonville and other stuff. And more's on the way.

So pop over to Off The Record and see what we're doing. We think you'll like what you find.

Coming Friday

Here's what the metro staff is working on for Friday's paper. It'll be a full one.

• The Anniston Board of Education meets tonight for one reason: to discuss Superintendent Sammy Lee Felton's future with the system, according to the meeting's agenda. Education writer Steve Ivey will be watching to see what happens. Look for immediate updates tonight at annistonstar.com, thanks to help from Knight Community Journalism Fellow Jennifer Cox.

• Features Editor Laura Editor tells us just exactly how hot it is, in a series of conversations with local meteorologists. We just set a record for the number of days in a month over 100 degrees today, at 14.

• A Saks Middle School teacher and her husband have been arrested on charges of trafficking marijuana. Calhoun County Drug Task Force agents say they found significant quantities of marijuana on the couple's property in Ohatchee.

There's much more than that ... it's been a busy day around here. Check us out in print or at annistonstar.com.

It's not too soon for Sunday

On Sunday, The Star's Insight section plans to publish a collection of children's drawings from Darfur and Chad that offer an incredible view of violence and its effect on that region -- and through the eyes of impressionable children. The drawings are from the group Waging Peace.

The sample above is just one example of what we'll try to offer in Sunday's Insight.

Coming Friday on the editorial/op-ed pages

Gov. Bob Riley is considering calling a special session for this fall, so The Star's editorial board is opining about that possibility:

Left behind when the overpaid and underproductive legislators left town were a host of measures the state needed passed — but weren’t.
Gov. Bob Riley is now hinting that he might call a special session before Thanksgiving so legislators can do what they should have done in the spring. We hope he does. We also hope he does not put too much on the session’s agenda.

Also, we're taking a look at the ongoing controversy over Prison Commissioner Richard Allen's decision to seek ways for the state's prison system to turn a profit:

The idea of running a prison system for profit troubles us. Unless we are careful, inmates (who earn less than $1 an hour) can easily become, in effect, forced labor, and efforts at rehabilitation will be overshadowed by efforts to make crime pay.
Allen is a good man in a difficult job. We have confidence in him and are certain he will do his utmost to make this new approach as humane and fair as prison can be.
But when things are measured by the bottom line, the temptation to push harder and cut corners in the name of profit will always exist.

Did you know it's nearing election season? No, not that one. As will other cities, Anniston and Oxford will hold mayoral elections this time next year. So I wrote my weekly column about it:

And here's there’s reality:
Anniston and Oxford will hold mayoral elections next year.
Will Leon Smith be elected to a seventh term? Will Chip Howell indeed run for re-election? Will a legitimate, electable candidate with a known track record of political aptitude oppose Smith? Will Anniston elect its first black mayor?
The answers to those questions are likely to form one of the cornerstones of Calhoun County’s immediate future. And it’s clear that next August’s mayoral races may be the most important this county’s largest cities will have conducted the last two decades.

We'll have all that plus the usual other Friday morning goodies.

Wednesday's top online reads

1. Lincoln's market is flooded with new, unsold homes by Cynthia Dizikes

2. This year's blistering heat has some wondering if it's ... Too hot for school? by Sara Polsky

3. The Star's editorial on children's health insurance, This is sick

4. George Smith's column, At Johnny's — The 'four o'clock crowd' is here ...

Up all night

In case you haven't noticed, Star newsroom employees really don't sleep -- or so it seems.

Three posts before sunrise. Talk about commitment.

And, yes, kudos to editor Bran Strickland and the sports department ... the preseason football sections are looking great.

Problem is, Bran and his guys are likely worn out and the first games don't start for a week.

Ah, the glory.

Music to our ears update

I'm bleary-eyed from staying awake and wracking my brain trying to think of the proper name for The Star's new music blog. I'm also stumped and tired.

Yesterday, The Star's newsroom spent ample time bantering around ideas. Every time we thought of a possible moniker, we looked it up and found it was already taken. Rats! "Tune In" was taken. "On Tune" was taken. "Note this" was taken. I'm starting to think we're gonna have to name it "Star's Music Blog" or something benign like that. If so, I'll get over it.

(Woofer -- a.k.a., features writer Brett Buckner, half of the "Woofer and Tweeter" gang -- kept trying to steer us toward something inappropriate, but we perservered by shooing him back to his desk.)

So, we're still searching for the best name. The field's wide open.

Now, back to my coffee.

Two down, one to go

If you picked up a copy of the paper in the last two days, you might have caught a glimpse of our high school football previews. We're kind of proud of them.

I must tell you, while football season is my favorite time of the year, it is a love-hate relationship -- The preview sections first and foremost.

I love all the aspects that go into the previews: the planning, the designing, writing the stories, getting out of the office to see the local coaches ... all of it. However, it's a 10-day (at least) stretch where I see The Redhead only long enough for to hit the highlights of her day.

We put the county section to bed Wednesday afternoon. I've got until Saturday to finish the college section.

Again I say I love doing them, but I just woke up at 4:30 a.m. in a cold sweat because I thought for some reason it was Saturday. That another part of it I hate.

Music to our ears

Nothing's set in stone -- in our biz, nothing's final until the press rolls -- but we're thinking about adding another blog to The Star's lineup.

If we can make it work, we'll add a music blog very soon. It'll cover all types of music -- rock, pop, country, jazz, classical and anything else that interests us. (Yes, even hair metal. Maybe.) Problem is, we don't know what to call it.

Any ideas?

We'd like to hear your thoughts. (That's the little comment thingie at the bottom of this post.)