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.

Coming Wednesday

Here's a bit of what the metro staff has in the way of local news for tomorrow's paper:

• As teachers, students and the rest of us sweat out another week with 100-degree-plus temperatures, some may be asking, is this really the best time to be starting school? Intern staff writer Sara Polsky talks with school administrators about August power bills, and what it might cost to cool a school in June if we decided to start the academic year later and end it earlier.

• The arrival of Honda's 6,000-worker plant in Lincoln in 2001 fueled what seemed like a justifiable building boom in the small town. But the optimism may have been misplaced. Lincoln has grown, to be sure, by about 10 percent since 2000. But many of the homes in 20 subdivisions there are empty, with the asking prices falling as the months go on. In her final story for The Star intern staff writer Cynthia Dizikes tells us about the difficulty of trying to sell homes in Lincoln.

• In his "Of to Work" column tomorrow, Senior Editor George Smith visits Johnny's Barbecue in Gum's Crossroads, where loggers passing through the Clay County community stop to fill their gullets with biscuits, chicken tenders or ribeye steaks.
  

Coming Friday

Here's what the metro staff is working on for tomorrow's paper:

• The Anniston Board of Education meets tonight at 6 p.m., and the job of Superintendent Sammy Lee Felton could hinge on what happens there. Two weeks ago, two members of the board voted for a motion to explore ways to end Felton's contract, tying with two who voted against the measure. Board member Bob Etnire, who missed that meeting and has sided in the past with the members seeking to oust Felton, is back. Board President Vivian Thompson, who has supported Felton, will miss tonight's meeting. Education writer Steve Ivey will be there to see what happens. Check tonight at annistonstar.com for the latest.

• The price per gallon just keeps going up, forcing some families to adjust their habits. Gasoline? No, we're talking about milk. Staff writer Sara Polsky examines why what does a body good isn't doing a wallet any good right now.

• There's someone new at the wheel of the region's economic engine today. Col. Alexander Raulerson handed over command of the Anniston Army Depot to Col. Sherry Keller, who will be the 31st person - and the first woman - the lead the Army post. Staff writer Dan Whisenhunt was there for the passing of the torch today.
  

Coming Tuesday

Welcome back to the work week, faithful readers. Here's what's the staff's bringing you tomorrow:

• The Jacksonville State University established a panel to examine its communication practices in the wake of plagiarism allegations leveled at JSU president Bill Meehan and retired PR director Al Harris over columns published in the Jacksonville News. (Whew ... that's a lot of explainin') Well, the committee met for the second time today, the first time all members were able to attend. Staff writer Sara Polsky, one of our summer interns, was there.
  

• Lots of us stare at computer screens all day for a living (or for entertainment). Not all of us have people's lives depending on that act. Staff writer Cynthia Dizikes, another intern, visited with the crew in Regional Medical Center's monitor room, where 13 screens display heart monitor readings from up to 130 patients, 24 hours a day.
  

• With the state in the midst of a drought, Alabama's Water Resources Commission met in Montgomery to discuss the status of the "Water War" with Georgia, over access to resources from the Coosa, Tallapoosa and Chattahoochee rivers. Capital Correspondent Markeshia Ricks was there.

We'll also have an update from Andy Johns on the 100-degree-plus heat wave that's got us all sweating, plus council meeting coverage from Jacksonville and Hobson City.

Coming Sunday in The Star's Insight section

Remember the cool tease I blogged about a few posts ago? Here's the more that I promised:

Sunday's cover story in the Insight section is penned by Katie Adams, a rising senior at the Alabama School of Math and Science in Mobile. She's from Saks; she's one of us. And she's written a particularly good essay on the pressures of applying for college and trying to decide which school to attend. Too bad she's gone back to Mobile; I'd love to have her on our staff.

Our Insight section also will have:

-- An op-ed written by Bradley Byrne, chancellor of the embattled Alabama two-year college system.
-- Star Publisher H. Brandt Ayers' weekly column.
-- Syndicated columns by Nicholas Kristof and Paul Krugman of The New York Times.
-- And our weekly Bookshelf page.

It's all there Sunday.

An early hint from the editorial department

It's dirty pool here, but I'm gonna tease our Sunday Insight section by not teasing our Sunday Insight section.

A local high school student spent a few days with The Star's editorial department this summer. (How nerdy, right?) Anyway, she had a passion about a certain subject, so we gave her an assignment to write us a long-form essay -- and it rocks.

(Plus, Tosha Jupiter, one of our design whizzes, brainstormed a really cool-looking page. Much better than I would have done.)

Trust me here. You'll like it. Even if you're not a teenager from Saks.

More on this later.

Coming Saturday on the editorial page

Like moonshine? Got a still in your backyard?

Then stick two quarters in the box or click over to our Web site on Saturday. Our lead editorial is all about moonshine, stills and Southerners. What a combination.

By the way, we also have two eloquent letters to the editor in support of Jacksonville State University President Bill Meehan, who has been involved in a difficult situation this week.

Oh, and did I mention the moonshine?

Vacation time for columnists

If you're a regular reader of The Star's op-ed pages, you've noticed that things have been a little different the last few weeks. Here's why:

Everyone is on vacation. Or so it seems.

Like most op-ed pages, The Star's page features a semi-regular lineup of columnists, some local, some syndicated. And it seems that for the last month all, or nearly all, of our syndicated writers have been doing 12-ounce curls on the beach.

These faces have been absent from our pages:

- Thomas Friedman, New York Times.
- Maureen Dowd, New York Times.
- Bob Herbert, New York Times.
- George Will, Washington Post.
- Leonard Pitts, Miami Herald.
- And a few others that I can't remember right now. (Not enough coffee yet.)

So, we've searched for a few temporary replacements, and will have to do so for the next few weeks, as well. We'll get back to normal soon.

I hope.

Now back to my coffee.

Coming Friday on the editorial/op-ed pages

Between cooking eggs (or trying to) on the pavement and slurping down ice cream in the middle of the newsroom, we've put together two pages worth the price of admission for Friday. I promise; no lie.

-- On the editorial page, The Star is offering its take on the Minnesota bridge collapse -- a clear sign of what happpens when the upkeep of our nation's infrastructure is ignored. And don't miss the accompanying chart that explains how our state's infrastructure measures up. We're also opining on the need for coal-mine safety, considering parts of our state are heavily invested in the mining industry.
-- Pastor James Evans, one of our syndicated columnists, takes a look at hate-crime legislation and the church.

-- On the op-ed page, my column examines a critical back-to-school issue for parents -- the importance of parental involvement. We also have an interesting story on the legacy-to-be of Alabama's-own Condi Rice and a collection of national editorials on the tainted, or not-so-tainted, home-run record of Barry Bonds.

Coming Thursday

Our eggs-periment now behind us, the metro staff is now focused solely on tomorrow's local news offering. Here's what we've got:

• It's hot, and getting hotter. Staff writer Nick Cenegy spent the day sweating around Calhoun County with people who have the hottest of hot jobs: paving contractors, grocery-store cart retrievers and a guy in a gorilla suit selling pizza from the back of a truck.

• Capital correspondent Markeshia Ricks is digging deeper into the roles two state representatives play at Gadsden State Community College. Reps. Jack Page and Blaine Galliher, both of Gadsden, each earn more than $72,000 per year from the school. Page's job as director of external affairs consists in part of securing government grants for the school. Galliher's job is similar but focused on the business community. Gov. Bob Riley and new college system Chancellor Bradley Byrne have proposed a new rule that would keep legislators from holding jobs with the system.

• Thursday's the first day of school for many in Calhoun County. Education writer Steve Ivey looks at how teachers tried to keep kids from forgetting this summer what they learned last year. Meanwhile, intern Sara Polsky spent time with brand-new teachers who will be manning blackboards for the first time. How do they prepare for the first day of their new careers? Also, the staff will be fanning out across the area to capture the sights and sounds of the first day of school as a kickoff for our new education blog, Star Classroom. Check it out at starclassroom.blogspot.com.

Coming Tuesday

I hope Monday was as productive for you as it has been for The Star's metro staff. Here's what we've got coming for you tomorrow:

• Area schools today got their grades - stats that show how they're stacking up under the federal No Child Left Behind law. For many high schools in The Star's coverage area, the marks were not good. Seven of the 11 public high schools in Calhoun County fell short of state requirements for their graduation rates. Education beat writer Steve Ivey is digging into the numbers and getting reactions from local school officials, some of whom say the law doesn't fairlf measure what they do. Meanwhile, Capitol Correspondent Markeshia Ricks is looking at the results statewide.

• Staff writer Dan Whisenhunt is checking in on the condition of bridges maintained by county and city governments here. In the wake of last week's tragedy in Minnesota, we hope to find out if problems with our smaller bridges are slipping through the cracks.

• Two state representatives who also work for Gadsden State Community College could soon have a choice to make: Give up those jobs or their seats in the Legislature. Markeshia Ricks looks at how a policy proposed by new two-year college system Chancellor Bradley Byrne would affect Reps. Blaine Galliher and Jack Page, who hold positions with GSCC.
  

As always, there's more where that came from. Check us out online and in print tomorrow.

Coming Friday

Here's a bit of what the metro staff is working on for tomorrow's paper:

• After last night's tragedy in Minnesota, it must be impossible to drive across a bridge anywhere in America today without wondering if it's safe. Capital Correspondent Markeshia Ricks is checking in today with the Alabama Department of Transportation's Bridges Bureau to learn how often our spans are inspected and what the inspectors find. The Federal Highway Administration has a lot of information online here.
  

• Nan Christian, the longtime director of Interfaith Ministries, has retired. Staff Writer Bill Edwards looks at how she got involved helping poor and disadvantaged families in Calhoun County, and what the organization will do without here.

• It's been a dry summer in Alabama, to say the least. Lawns and gardens everywhere have felt the pain, as cities ramped up watering restrictions. In Jacksonville, the police are patrolling to make sure everyone's abiding by the restrictions, and they can write tickets to those who water on the wrong side of the law. Staff Writer Matt Kasper takes a look at this painful state of affairs.

That's just a sample, so be sure to check out the whole paper and all the offerings on our Web site.

Coming Thursday

Here's what The Star's metro staff is working on for tomorrow's paper:

• Alabama may be the butt of plenty of trailer-park jokes, but the state does have standards when it comes to manufactured, mobile housing. Those standards are high enough that decades-old trailers being shipped out of Georgia aren't welcome here. There are 10 parks in Cleburne county that are in violation one way or another, and Talladega County is having issues as well, according to intern Christina Smith.

• Wedowee, meanwhile, is having housing developments of a completely different nature. The city is watching a subdivision of $500,000 homes being built. The development has the potential to transform the city's budget, and if built-out according to plans, could double the size of the city. Staff Writer Andy Johns is all over that one.
  

• Alabama's two-year college system is about to get a dose of reform. New system chancellor Bradley Byrne introduced a number of measures at a press conference today, including a ban on state legislators holding jobs with the system, and tight checks on time off to prevent employees holding no-pay jobs elsewhere. Capital Correspondent Markeshia Ricks checks in from Montgomery with the news.

All that, and the tale of a missing, 28-foot-tall, inflatable purple gorilla. We're not making this stuff up, folks.