Dear Bill Hanson: Put down that colander, give NA some equality, or just change the damn name back to Evening News.

Last week:

154 days since we had a News and Tribune reporter in New Albany, but look: Cooking School! In Jeffersonville!

Make that 163 days.

It's quite possible that the length of last evening's meeting prevented the News and Tribune's reporter of record from filing the story to meet deadline.

But exactly who was the newspaper's reporter last evening?

Analysis: Gahan and the rental ordinance, or the emasculation of the once-powerful Oz.

Neither Jerod Clapp nor Chris Morris was in attendance. A few tweets sneaked into the newspaper's primary Twitter feed, and it finally occurred to me that Jenna Esarey, a local free-lancer, likely was providing coverage.

Let's reprise: The News and Tribune was down a city beat reporter throughout the conclusion of the 2015 New Albany election cycle.

There hasn't been a New Albany-centric columnist since Matt Nash left to run for council.

On most days, the ratio of Clark-to-Floyd articles is 60% -- and I'm likely being charitable.

Recently, every ounce of the newspaper's vigor seems devoted to touting its self-aggrandizing cooking school in Jeffersonville (how very ... something), even as ...

Chef Gina Brown offers all-ages friendly cooking class (Insider Louisville)

... in New Albany.

Finally, when it came to one of the most important city council meetings of the year, who was out there digging out the rental property ordinance for all (pro or con) to see, pointing to the mayor's unprecedented statement yesterday, and live tweeting the meeting last night?

That's right: NA Confidential, a mere pro bono blog.

I'm not tooting my own trumpet, just spewing a few facts. This situation has long since become an embarrassment.

Is Bill Hanson still publisher? Why not level with us, Bill? Are you beholden to directives from 'Bama? Waiting for the journalism schools to disgorge a few freshly graduated (read: acceptably salaried) newbies? None of the above?

The newspaper is quick to let us know when it receives an award. Unfortunately, the current prize is a Golden Raspberry -- and the newspaper is the proud recipient.

If you can't do any better than this, then please just change the name back to Jeffersonville Evening News -- you know, fair advertising and all that.

Evening News joins Tribune in condemning tolling proposals.

To quote Mr. Nash: "The Evening News gets it right."

EVENING NEWS EDITORIAL: Leave tolls off existing bridges, roads

... It’s wrong to ask Hoosiers and Kentuckians to essentially again pay for roads and bridges that have been constructed. It’s wrong for locals to be asked to pay more than half of the estimated price tag in tolls.

More than anything, it’s wrong to ask them to pay tolls when so many questions remain ...

Previously, all the way back in April, the Tribune reached the same conclusion.

TRIBUNE EDITORIAL: Bridges plan not worth any cost

However, the current consideration of adding tolls to all existing bridges is an idea we can’t support even if it means a smaller or delayed construction project.

Businesses come together to oppose tolls as Rep. Clere remains AWOL.

Braden Lammers of the Evening News provides coverage of Friday afternoon's encouraging "no tolls" meeting at Buckhead's. My comments follow.

Group organizes to fight against tolling on the Ohio River Bridges Project

“I don’t care if the toll is 50 cents, it’s a reason for them to stay on the Louisville side of the river,” said Mike Kapfhammer, owner of Buckhead Mountain Grill and Rocky’s Sub Pub.

Kapfhammer’s co-owner of Buckhead Mountain Grill, Wes Johnson, agreed.

“The bottom line is tolls are bad for Indiana business,” he said.

The group cited support for anti-toll sentiment through 10,000 signatures on a petition and eight elected bodies in the region that have passed some sort of resolution opposing tolls.

“Eighty percent, in my opinion are with us,” Kapfhammer said. “We’ve just got to figure a way to carry that flag.”

Talk about weird: Roger the Atheist Commie was there, and so was a representative of the Clark County Tea Party. My guess is that most attendees were Republican, as many spoke of newly elected congressman Todd Young on a first-name basis.

And yet, in Southern Indiana, it is the Republican Party that is promoting tolls, and semantics aside, tolls plainly are a tax increase for Hoosier working commuters and Hoosier small businesses.

Obviously, there is raging cognitive dissonance afoot. Our State Representative Ed Clere clearly is the poster child for this strange malady, even as other local ranking Republicans confide privately that they're against tolls.

Why is that?

The GOP won mid-terms on a platform of fiscal rectitude and "no tax hikes," and both the bridges project and tolls necessary to animate it absolutely contradict both platform points, and yet Clere's only recorded thoughts on the matter were lashings of any taxpayer, ranging from the suthor to little old ladies, with the temerity to ask questions.

Who'd have imagined that One Southern Indiana's endorsements were worth that much hypocrisy ... although we can't rule out the psychotropic qualities of St. Daniels' patented Kool-Aid elixir.

Fallicians, heal thyselves. How do you square this circle?

Harbeson posits a "delusional" Dalby.

As the unelected bridges authority prepares to gather this morning, and Louisville Metro council member Jim King contemplates rocking the boat, here's the first worthwhile reading of the day, courtesy of Evening News columnist Debbie Harbeson:

HARBESON: Delusions of a grandiose bridges project

... If it can be considered delusional and lacking in reality for one group to claim that parts of the current project are unacceptable, then the same principle must apply to (Michael) Dalby and anyone else making claims of unacceptability — on any part of the project.

It’s sad that tolls are even a part of this discussion because it implies that tolls are not ever a good idea. But tolls would make perfect sense as a pricing mechanism in a competitive transportation market.

Evening News uses the "P" word; Citizens Faux Accountability threatens remonstrance.

Shea Van Hoy does the impossible. He looks at the calendar, notices it is 2010, and draws patently obvious conclusions from verifiable experiences outside the narrow boundaries of our locality. But then he ruins it all and uses that damned pesky "P" word. Subscriptions will be threatened!

CHEERS ... to Clarksville’s plans to turn a mile-long stretch of Eastern Boulevard into a Wi-Fi hotspot, once renovations are complete there.

People out and about along the soon-to-be-new roadway’s sidewalks and nearby will be able to get free Internet access from laptops, netbooks or phones.

But, the real lure should be for businesses, which can choose to pay to tap in to a fast connection that they then could use to entice customers. As progressive cities have learned, it’s a valid economic development tool.

HARBESON: "Maintaining misguided laws not the answer for alcohol licenses."

The opening paragraph in Debbie's column is a true classic.

HARBESON: Maintaining misguided laws not the answer for alcohol licenses

When I first heard Clarksville’s Redevelopment Director Rick Dickman say that most restaurants would love to have a three-way, I thought the Southern Indiana area might finally be getting a Cincinnati-style chili franchise. But then I realized it had to do with Indiana’s asinine alcohol laws.

Skyline is the only food and drink chain that I ever patronize.

Note that we did not confer before penning our respective columns. While my take on riverfront development districts is based on the reality we’ve been handed by the state’s regulatory regime, there’s absolutely no doubting that the state’s regulatory regime makes little sense and is skewed toward serial over-regulation. Debbie’s column makes this point with aplomb.

It was predicted, after all.

From the source ... wonder what the folks in Jeffersonville are going to do?

Newsandtribune Web forums update

The links to the Hey Martha forums have been removed for the foreseeable future. The decision was made to remove the forums because we could not adequately staff them to monitor the numerous future postings. However, we are designing some features on a new platform with new forums that we hope will encourage the same amounts of feedback and discussion among readers.More specific questions will be addressed at a later time and on the Opinions page of The Evening News and The Tribune. Concerns can best be shared by e-mailing Newsroom@newsandtribune.com

— Newsandtribune.com staff

They won't even spell the word "s*x" in their e-mail broadsides.

Here's a column I wish I'd have written. It's by Debbie Harbeson, and appeared in the Evening News on Thursday.

HARBESON: Are you ready to talk ROCK?

Bryan Wickens, ROCK’s leader, wrote a guest column in last week’s Evening News where he referred to his organization’s methods of gathering information on sex shops.

He wrote, “We do not enter these establishments, but retain the services of professionals.”

I don’t understand. If you are doing Christ’s work, shouldn’t you go in there yourself? Try as I might, I just can’t picture Jesus as a moralistic lawyer hiring some so-called professional to be with the sinners instead of doing it himself.

Columns and things.

In today's Tribune column, I'm stealing Stevie Wonder's vibe: BAYLOR: Livin’ for the city.

Over at the Evening News, Debbie Harbeson is busy calling out Dave Matthews (but ever so gently): HARBESON: Let’s learn together, Mr. Matthews.

You'll recall that we already dealt with the GOP head's curiously combative column in defense of his party's legacy: G.O.P. chairman goes nutzoid over columnist's consideration of Abraham Lincoln.

Harbeson is firm and conciliatory, but she lands a solid punch with this paragraph:

I don’t know a lot about Mr. Matthews. The only thing I know — besides the fact that he can get pretty darned disgusted with me — is that he’s also the local chairman of a major political party. Now, if I were a total cynic, I would probably just take notice of the obvious connections that brings to my points and leave it at that.

Ouch!

Radio Pyongyang is more transparent than this: Belated confirmation that Tucker is out, Grahn in at the Tribune.

(Don't forget Monday's essential Mencken: "Homo Neanderthalensis" (1925) ... or, fundamentals of the Open Air Museum.)

In early May, a reader of NA Confidential wrote a private e-mail noting that John Tucker was no longer publisher of the Tribune. The reader pointed to a Tribune web site listing that identified Jim Grahn as publisher.

I was very busy and sat on this for at least two weeks. Finally, on May 28, there was a chance to ask the question publicly:

Speaking of the Tribune, has anyone seen this odd revelation at the newspaper's website?

PUBLISHER: Jim Grahn jim.grahn(at)newsandtribune.com

The last reference to John Tucker came in March, according to the search mechanism, and his name appears nowhere in the "contact us" section. There is no staff listing in yesterday's newspaper. Clues, anyone?

Later that day, the Tribune’s Shea Van Hoy joined the conversation:

To answer your other question, John Tucker is still here. What you folks have noticed is a realignment of some duties, which we haven't made public yet. Something will be forthcoming.

Now, at long last, almost six weeks after the NAC reader first pointed it out, yesterday’s Tribune finally confirmed the news:

Grahn takes over Tribune top spot (June 22)

Jim Grahn has been named publisher of New Albany-based The Tribune, an award-winning daily newspaper serving readers across Floyd County.A veteran of newspapers for two decades, Grahn most recently served since 2005 as the advertising director of The Tribune and The Evening News of Jeffersonville. Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. owns both.

“New organizational and content changes will allow us to focus more intently on our individual counties,” Grahn said. “We want to make sure we provide the best service possible to our readers and advertisers while continuing our unsurpassed local news coverage.”

Grahn replaces John Tucker, who will remain publisher of The Evening News and its printing facility.

Am I the only one who finds both this time frame and the mode of information dissemination bothersome?

Note the word "replace" in yesterday's announcement. Seems to me that’s more than a mere “realignment” of duties, seeing as the original question referred specifically to John Tucker’s presence at the Tribune. He's not there, and would seem not to have been since early May at the latest.

Why the secrecy?