Who can resist the following tease?
"Roger Mooney and John Lembo revisit the Manatee-Southeast football game, look ahead to the USF-FSU game, chat about the Bucs struggles and wonder about some of the dumb things coaches say these days on Leadingoff, their widely popular weekly podcast."
Yep, that's in their own words. Bragging rights, I guess. But check it out, if you're not a baseball fan (Go, Cards -- the magic number is 2!!).
Click on this link, click on the arrow, and enjoy.
-- Joan
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Teen's last words are a rallying cry
“Not every battle you are in is made to be won, but it can make you stronger.”
Those were the last thoughts written by Jasmine Thompson, buried Saturday amid the prayers, tributes and soul-searching of friends, family and community members. Such wise words for a teenager, and words to live by.
Reporter Beth Burger gave us a quiet, thoughtful account of the funeral, closing a long week of mourning for this family. A friend called me after the tribute, still in the grips of all that emotion. She was unexpectedly impressed with ESPN sports broadcaster Dick Vitale's inspirational words to the throng of teenagers gathered there. "He was really getting through to them," she said. "They needed to try making sense of all this, and he threw some tough love at them."
And, she said, it may have struck a chord. At least 30 of Jasmine's friends and classmates came forward at the end of the almost three-hour service, wanting to express their faith and to find guidance.
We hope to follow these youth. We hope to find that Jasmine's death helped bring them to choose a path without violence.
Some readers have questioned why we would keep this story on our front pages. I'm taken aback by that. The kids in the congregation of Happy Gospel Church are why. One death is too many. Two in a month -- ridiculous. A record homicide rate? Your community's newspaper owes it to you to ask why and rally for solutions.
Reporter Robert Napper spent some long hours last week after writing his daily coverage, looking in this report at the growing trend of how stolen guns are ending up on the street, and in the hands of violent criminals. The report isn't an argument against gun ownership. It raises questions about lax gun ownership laws, and highlights a vicious cycle that appears to be gripping Manatee County.
It's a wakeup call for everyone to take responsibility in making our community safe.
-- Joan
Those were the last thoughts written by Jasmine Thompson, buried Saturday amid the prayers, tributes and soul-searching of friends, family and community members. Such wise words for a teenager, and words to live by.
Reporter Beth Burger gave us a quiet, thoughtful account of the funeral, closing a long week of mourning for this family. A friend called me after the tribute, still in the grips of all that emotion. She was unexpectedly impressed with ESPN sports broadcaster Dick Vitale's inspirational words to the throng of teenagers gathered there. "He was really getting through to them," she said. "They needed to try making sense of all this, and he threw some tough love at them."
And, she said, it may have struck a chord. At least 30 of Jasmine's friends and classmates came forward at the end of the almost three-hour service, wanting to express their faith and to find guidance.
We hope to follow these youth. We hope to find that Jasmine's death helped bring them to choose a path without violence.
Some readers have questioned why we would keep this story on our front pages. I'm taken aback by that. The kids in the congregation of Happy Gospel Church are why. One death is too many. Two in a month -- ridiculous. A record homicide rate? Your community's newspaper owes it to you to ask why and rally for solutions.
Reporter Robert Napper spent some long hours last week after writing his daily coverage, looking in this report at the growing trend of how stolen guns are ending up on the street, and in the hands of violent criminals. The report isn't an argument against gun ownership. It raises questions about lax gun ownership laws, and highlights a vicious cycle that appears to be gripping Manatee County.
It's a wakeup call for everyone to take responsibility in making our community safe.
-- Joan
Friday, September 11, 2009
9-11 tributes take on broader meanings
Manatee County was awash today with 9-11 tributes, with the same strong theme of "Never Forget." But eight years later, the wounds of grieving aren't as raw, and the images and recognitions have broadened to include far more about the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform.
The Herald's reporters, editors and photographers covered events throughout the day, from the morning's remembrance service at Rossi Park, with its symbolic release of 40 white doves, patriotic song, and firefighters, police officers and soldiers standing shoulder-to-shoulder, through this evening's motorcycle parade.
At lunch, we were honored to again gather in Bradenton City Centre for the Tribute to Heroes. Henry Sheffield, from Florida State Fire College, framed the day well: It's all about "keeping the honor of sacrifice alive." And keynote speaker Brigadier General Xavier Lobeto, in an examination of sacrifice throughout U.S. history, saluted "selfless service" and "dedication to duty." Look for Vin Mannix's full story in Saturday's editions.
We also should never forget how many civilians, how many citizens of the world, were killed that day. I know I will never get used to seeing the stark image of the second plane hitting the second tower in New York at 9:03 a.m. But there's a stronger sense of moving forward, of a multitude of ways to make the world safer. Laurie Feagans, chief of Manatee Emergency Management, used the occasion to urge family and business preparedness in the face of crises -- including disaster plans for hurricanes.
"We are bound together by integrity and trust," Lobeto said. We should remember this far beyond today's ceremonies.
-- Joan
The Herald's reporters, editors and photographers covered events throughout the day, from the morning's remembrance service at Rossi Park, with its symbolic release of 40 white doves, patriotic song, and firefighters, police officers and soldiers standing shoulder-to-shoulder, through this evening's motorcycle parade.
At lunch, we were honored to again gather in Bradenton City Centre for the Tribute to Heroes. Henry Sheffield, from Florida State Fire College, framed the day well: It's all about "keeping the honor of sacrifice alive." And keynote speaker Brigadier General Xavier Lobeto, in an examination of sacrifice throughout U.S. history, saluted "selfless service" and "dedication to duty." Look for Vin Mannix's full story in Saturday's editions.
We also should never forget how many civilians, how many citizens of the world, were killed that day. I know I will never get used to seeing the stark image of the second plane hitting the second tower in New York at 9:03 a.m. But there's a stronger sense of moving forward, of a multitude of ways to make the world safer. Laurie Feagans, chief of Manatee Emergency Management, used the occasion to urge family and business preparedness in the face of crises -- including disaster plans for hurricanes.
"We are bound together by integrity and trust," Lobeto said. We should remember this far beyond today's ceremonies.
-- Joan
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Murder claims colleague's granddaughter
Today, we grieve for a colleague's loss. We grieve again at a teen's slaying, again at the hands of another teen with a gun. The record number of murders in Manatee County climbed one more this weekend, and a grandmother who shares her stories with us at the Bradenton Herald every day mourns.
Aretha James has worked at the Herald for years. Though she's not technically in the newsroom, I have worked with her almost every day since I arrived. She builds the framework for our print pages, dummying the ads on every page before they're sent to the newsroom.
And she has always shared her commitment to this community, calling the Metro Desk with news tips, people stories and providing institutional knowledge. So, without hesitation, she called the desk Friday night -- and shared her worst fears.
Her dear grandbaby had been slain.
Investigators had called Aretha, on the road to vacation, with the nightmare that Jasmine Thompson, 17, a Bayshore cheerleader and senior, was dead. Reporter Beth Burger was already on the scene, but Aretha wanted us to get it right.
She poured her heart out Saturday afternoon to Beth, who shared those innermost thoughts in this story today.
I hope I can always love my family and friends as deeply as Aretha does hers. I wish we had the words to make the pain stop for her family, and all the other families who have lost loved ones to violence here this year.
-- Joan
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Online traffic finally veers from sordid
The top six stories online yesterday included three stories off the police beat. It was almost a relief to us that our online audience cares about more than crime, corruption and sordid tales. The stories weren"t exactly upbeat, but they offered a glimpse into our community's concerns.
The three headlines:
Foreclosed homes provide business to local firms
Business reporter Grace Gagliano's story focused on a father-son business, N.A.R. Property Management, that has sprung up because of foreclosures. Their focus? Cleaning up foreclosed homes.
Deadline passes as hundreds jam Manatee tax offices
Correspondent Lee Logan's story captured how hundreds of people crammed Manatee County’s four tax collector offices Monday, the last day to renew driver licenses and vehicle registrations before much higher increased fees took effect Tuesday.
Parents: School denied LWR students due process with reassignment
East Manatee Editor Jim Jones wrote about four teens from Lakewood Ranch High School who tossed small explosive devices into several River Club yards early this summer and found themselves banned from LRHS when school started.
Online, the commenters started immediately on the school story -– 12:48 a.m. Tuesday marked first one, minutes after the story appeared online. Comments ranged from "This is a prank that should be forgiven. I would have been kicked out of school many times over if todays rules existed 40 years ago." to "The School Board has the authority to protect the other kids and when the police comes to them with names, they must take action. Case closed."
And everything in-between. The debate sometimes went off-mark, with a rude comment typical on too many stories. But you did a decent job policing those, marking them as “abuse” and notifying us to delete them.
The story that bumped one of those headlines late last night was one with what we hope is a happy ending: Missing Sarasota boy found OK. Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight thanked local media for quick response when they announced a 3-year-old boy was missing, prompting an Amber Alert.
Alexander Lakhno, the boyfriend of the boy's mother, became aware of the missing status due to extensive news coverage and called the sheriff’s office.
Let's pray the story has a healthy ending.
-- Joan
The three headlines:
Foreclosed homes provide business to local firms
Business reporter Grace Gagliano's story focused on a father-son business, N.A.R. Property Management, that has sprung up because of foreclosures. Their focus? Cleaning up foreclosed homes.
Deadline passes as hundreds jam Manatee tax offices
Correspondent Lee Logan's story captured how hundreds of people crammed Manatee County’s four tax collector offices Monday, the last day to renew driver licenses and vehicle registrations before much higher increased fees took effect Tuesday.
Parents: School denied LWR students due process with reassignment
East Manatee Editor Jim Jones wrote about four teens from Lakewood Ranch High School who tossed small explosive devices into several River Club yards early this summer and found themselves banned from LRHS when school started.
Online, the commenters started immediately on the school story -– 12:48 a.m. Tuesday marked first one, minutes after the story appeared online. Comments ranged from "This is a prank that should be forgiven. I would have been kicked out of school many times over if todays rules existed 40 years ago." to "The School Board has the authority to protect the other kids and when the police comes to them with names, they must take action. Case closed."
And everything in-between. The debate sometimes went off-mark, with a rude comment typical on too many stories. But you did a decent job policing those, marking them as “abuse” and notifying us to delete them.
The story that bumped one of those headlines late last night was one with what we hope is a happy ending: Missing Sarasota boy found OK. Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight thanked local media for quick response when they announced a 3-year-old boy was missing, prompting an Amber Alert.
Alexander Lakhno, the boyfriend of the boy's mother, became aware of the missing status due to extensive news coverage and called the sheriff’s office.
Let's pray the story has a healthy ending.
-- Joan
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Thank a newspaper carrier today
What happened to sleeping in on the weekend?
Here's a small tribute to all our newspaper carriers, who somehow work a miracle seven days a week to get the Bradenton Herald onto my driveway. They don't get to sleep in.
I was reminded of this as I was restless far too early today. And there on my driveway, just after 5 a.m., was my newspaper. No fanfare, just a double-bagged package of information and Sunday entertainment.
A friend had just shared an admirable experience with his carrier. He ran into her just as early one morning last week. Actually, he saw her on the other side of the front entrance to his condo, a privacy gate separating them. The carrier was taking careful aim for his door, lobbing the Herald expertly to land on his Welcome mat.
We expect our Herald to be on the driveway 365 days a year -- and it's a rare day that it has missed. Thank a carrier today -- they deserve it.
-- Joan
(9:30 a.m. update: The newspaper is a major bonus today, as Bright House seems to be on the fritz and ... no cable. So coffee and the front page make an even better mix.)
Here's a small tribute to all our newspaper carriers, who somehow work a miracle seven days a week to get the Bradenton Herald onto my driveway. They don't get to sleep in.
I was reminded of this as I was restless far too early today. And there on my driveway, just after 5 a.m., was my newspaper. No fanfare, just a double-bagged package of information and Sunday entertainment.
A friend had just shared an admirable experience with his carrier. He ran into her just as early one morning last week. Actually, he saw her on the other side of the front entrance to his condo, a privacy gate separating them. The carrier was taking careful aim for his door, lobbing the Herald expertly to land on his Welcome mat.
We expect our Herald to be on the driveway 365 days a year -- and it's a rare day that it has missed. Thank a carrier today -- they deserve it.
-- Joan
(9:30 a.m. update: The newspaper is a major bonus today, as Bright House seems to be on the fritz and ... no cable. So coffee and the front page make an even better mix.)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tributes to the Kennedy dynasty
The passing of Ted Kennedy came with little surprise this morning, but it brought at least one surprising revelation to me: The news blended generations in the newsroom.
Those of us who grew up in the '60s still have vivid memories of the Kennedy dynasty, the trio of brothers we thought would change the world. And those in our newsroom who hadn't been born yet still voiced reverence in discussing how to help capture this last page in that dynasty's amazing story.
Do we ignore the painful, questionable moments in Ted Kennedy's life? We can't in looking at every page. Mary Jo Kopechne's death was a searing debate for years, regardless of party affiliation. But today, it serves little purpose to highlight that when looking at the total picture. Hats off to President Obama, for his words this morning:
"For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well-being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts. ... An important chapter in our history has come to an end. Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States senator of our time." - President Barack Obama.
We are looking for local residents who have stories to share about the Kennedy dynasty. Please e-mail me at jkrauter@bradenton.comor give us a call at 941-745-7000.
-- Joan
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