All I Know...

...is what I read in the papers.

Seems Ol' Mitch is up to his old tricks, deregulating by fiat. The C-J reports that Daniels is eliminating the requirement that drivers in Floyd and Clark counties have their emission control systems tested before licensing their vehicles in this story (temporary link).

That's right, let's declare the air clean and move on to the bright future of no taxes on investment income, urban sprawl, and oil-dependency. Can't think of a better time to be wasting gas than 2006, when gasoline prices move inexorably skyward.

A study in contrasts (and journalistic ethics) is presented in today's alternating coverage of the Scribner Place bid opening.

Using actual quotes from the Wayne Estopinal, Eric Scott Campbell reports in The Tribune that the sum of the bids for the downtown redevelopment project came in under budget, and that the managing architect advises going to contract swiftly. Ben Zion Hershberg, on the other hand, stresses that with bids coming in $200,000 under budget, the contingency amount put in to accommodate unexpectedly higher bids is bad news. Dan Coffey, CM of the vanishing 1st District (which stands to gain the most from the redevelopment) is sought out by the Gang of Four's official stenographer to piss all over Scribner Place yet again.

Now, like my great Uncle Will, all I know is what I read in the papers. But somebody is reporting the news here, and somebody is pushing an agenda.

Mr. C tells us what will happen. Scribner Place bonds will be sold this summer and construction will commence forthwith. Mr. H reminds us of what might have happened, without mentioning that his patrons are the ones responsible for delaying the project months beyond any reasonable deadline, and arguably pushing costs higher than expected.

The Tribune is fast becoming the most reliable source for local government news, and Mr. Campbell shows that age (and a cozy relationship with the subjects you cover) is not necessarily a virtue when it comes to reporting.