C-J does the impossible by immediately hiring a new Indiana reporter. 320 days later, the News and Tribune can't say the same.

It fairly boggles the mind. The Courier-Journal has managed to hire a new Southern Indiana reporter in a matter of days.

Madeleine Winer hired as CJ Indiana reporter

Meanwhile in New Gahania, the Green Mouse has been told that the debut of CNHI Jeffersonville's 11-months-delayed New Albany beat reporter will be August 22.

If so, the duration of the gap will prove to have been an even eleven months, during which the paper's shrinking violet management has consistently hewed a passive-aggressive path as to the rationale for it negligence, claiming first that reporters are hard to find; second, that it has been the intention all along to hire last year's intern; third, it's in no way harmful to deprive an entire city of in-depth coverage during this length of time; and fourth, that they'll simply not discuss such matters publicly.

But what does Bill Hanson care? He lives in Sellersburg, right?

Iamhoosier said it best on Facebook.

The N and T has always tried to make us believe that they are our "local" paper.

Really?

Business First demeans the late Exit, then chronicles its Italian transformation.

Last week, NAC broke the Irish Exit's closing: Irish Exit makes its ... exit. Now Business First offers details in The Irish Exit in New Albany is going Italian (by Caitlin Bowling), but not before two strange lead sentences.

The Irish Exit, a rundown bar in downtown New Albany, is changing nationalities.

“The Irish Exit has exited the building and exited the universe, hopefully," said Cyle Mullikin, who is now leasing the property.

Why is the word "rundown" necessary to the story?

Why is the snarky "exited the universe" quote necessary to the story?

They're jarring, and more appropriate to a blog mike mine than Business First. Has it scrapped the stodgy traditional style template in a bid to emulate the breezy breathlessness of Insider Louisville's business coverage?

And then there's this little matter of consistency in spelling.

Mullikin and his wife, Ulrike Mullikin, who used to work as a restaurant manager at The Brown Hotel, will open an upscale Italian restaurant called Don Vito’s Italian Bistro in the former Irish Exit location. They have hired Annette Saco, owner and chef at the now-closed La Gallo Rosso in the Highlands, as their head chef.

Kyle Mullikin described the cuisine for Don Vito's as fresh, rustic Italian and the restaurant's ambiance as an Italian speakeasy. The bar will serve signature cocktails, and the menu will include sea bass, risotto, scallops and stuffed chicken breast.

First Cyle, then Kyle.

This is the second time in a week that I've read a Business First piece about New Albany and scratched my head. The first one, also written by Caitlin Bowling, was here: New Albany mayor, business owner talk about city’s growth. It read as though it had been randomly edited by dartboard, and didn't coherently tie together comments by the mayor and Ian Hall.

Of course, there remains a larger issue: Does downtown New Albany really need two Italian restaurants? I suppose the market can decide that one.