Anatomy of the Sunday Tribune, 05/29/05

Sunday's New Albany Tribune is filled with recommended reading.

In a front-page story by Chris Morris, 9th District Congressman Mike Sodrel describes his Memorial Day visit to Afghanistan, noting that there is “no time frame for completing the mission” in the war on terror.

(Somewhere in New Albany, Councilman Cappuccino grunts agreement with Sodrel, and says to no one in particular, “no time frame – just like the city’s budget crisis … why, it might take us until November, 2007 to solve that one.”)

Elsewhere in the Sunday edition of the ‘Bune, staffers Roni Montgomery and Kyle Lowry provide good coverage of Ninny’s Restaurant and Destinations Booksellers, respectively.

Greg Gapsis of the Evening News has the front page of the “Spectrum” section entirely to himself, and doesn’t disappoint with a well-crafted piece entitled “Members Only: Visionaries transform one of New Albany’s most historic buildings into a professional club,” the story of how New Albany businessmen Carl Holliday and Steve Goodman, “who are developing a career restoring historic structures as hospitality venues,” are transforming the moribund Redman’s Club on Main Street into a professional club and banquet facility.

For the first time in weeks, an enticing photo of one of many local high school female athletes is NOT positioned prominently at the top of the sports page. Instead, there is a decidedly non-provocative view of Jeff High's retiring athletic director.

Has this spring’s cavacalade of quasi-cheesecake female athletic digitals been coincidental? Only the 'Bune's photog knows for sure ...

Moving hurriedly on, regular guest columnist Terry Cummins offers a predictably witty perspective on marriage and filthy kitchen sinks.

A different and far less savory aspect of relationships – physical and mental abuse – is considered by Amany Ali in her column, and she does a fine job of balancing personal outrage with sensible advice to female readers.

Ms. Ali's not the only person at the newspaper who feels “like screaming,” as the managing editor, Chris Morris, makes a rare and emotional foray into partisan politics in an unexpected editorial, “Elected officials need to start working for us.”

Chris is “sick of elected officials doing nothing,” scatters his fire in non-specific, populist fashion at any and all “spoiled brats” in elected office, points to seemingly endless debates in Washington over filibusters and judges, and notes that these disagreements come at a time when health care costs and other important needs must be addressed.

He then delves into affairs in the building across the way from the Tribune office on Scribner Drive.

“Partisan politics are not just played out in Washington, D.C., but also in state and local governments. Our legislature just ended weeks of partisan battles before coming up with a budget that still falls short of funding all our needs. And in Floyd County, Scribner Place could very well fall victim to partisan politics.

“When Mayor Regina Overton proposed the downtown project in 2002, the County Commissioners and County Council for two basic reasons – she didn’t include them in developing the plan and she was a Republican. Now, even though New Albany has a mayor from their own party, the commissioners and county say the county is broke. So, Scribner Place may come up short in funding which would force the project to be scaled back. That is too bad because this should be a Floyd County project.

“I am all about standing up for beliefs. I admire people who run for office and stand behind principles of a particular party. However, they also need to understand that stall tactics, whining and partisan politics doesn’t solve problems. And, after all, isn’t that what we elect these people to do?"

Very interesting.

Note to Chris Morris: Welcome on board. NA Confidential congratulates you for detecting the threat posed to Scribner Place by petty, partisan politics, the practitioners of which we have been outing for some months now.

Chris, you’re quite right in feeling outrage over this attempted putsch, but rather than shrugging your shoulders and saying, “that’s too bad,” why not throw the Tribune’s editorial weight behind the right course?

Just push down on the accelerator … she’ll go faster than 30 mph, you know.

And congratulations on a fine Sunday edition of the newspaper.