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Thursday: Catching Up
posted at 2008-08-14 11:55 | Last modified 2008-08-15 01:28
Sorry no post last night – between the Olympics (of which I’m a huge and unapologetic fan) and some grant reporting for Capitolbeat, evenings this week have been pretty busy.
Enough, already
The Fayetteville Observer says it’s offering voluntary buyouts to its entire staff. Managers there say they don’t have a target, but may resort to layoffs if they don’t meet whatever number it is they’re not calling a target.
The latest news follows recent cutbacks at the Greensboro News-Record, the Wilmington StarNews, and of course the N&O and the Charlotte Observer. The corporate owner of the latter two, McClatchy, announced today it’s freezing salaries for a year and selling off its online property “RealCities.”
And then there’s Gannett, owner of the Asheville Citizen-Times. The USA Today publisher announced today it’s cutting 1000 jobs – about three percent of its nationwide workforce.
Boat bill adrift
Rumor has it Governor Mike Easley is in the process of making courtesy calls before vetoing the big boat bill. The only question is whether lawmakers care enough about the handful of folks with megaboats to come back to Raleigh to fight it.
House sponsor Arthur Williams has reportedly been telling other folks that Speaker Joe Hackney has pledged to support him. But it IS election season, so calling folks off the campaign trail and back to Raleigh is no small matter. Easley has till 11:59pm Sunday to veto the bill. Otherwise, it becomes law.
In related news, I’ve also heard rumors of a special session to deal with the coming funding crisis in the State Health Plan. As you might remember, news of a $65M SHP deficit broke, ever so conveniently, after the budget deal won final approval.
Legislators went home without an agreement on a bailout plan, leaving it all up to Governor Mike Easley. But Easley might just call them all back to face the music. I was skeptical about this one till I saw State Employees' Assn. Director Dana Cope and two of his lobbyists headed into the Speaker’s office today. Stay tuned.
Edwards: the latest chapter
Salon’s Walter Shapiro says he was snookered by John Edwards. It’s a great, brave, honest column that ought to be required reading for starry-eyed young journalists who don’t see the problem with making dinner friends out of politicians.
Edwards’ former campaign strategist Gary Pearce weighs in with a withering assessment of his ex-boss’s TV confession. Ouch.
People Magazine – yes, the same mag that named John Edwards the “Sexiest Politician Alive” in 2000 -- storms onto newsstands Friday with a cover article assuring America that Elizabeth Edwards isn’t taking all this so well, either. ABC News is all over it.
UNC-CH “doesn’t expect” Edwards to return to the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity he founded in 2005. Dome reports the Center’s new voicemail message makes that pretty clear. The AP also reports tonight Edwards has cancelled an appearance at a poverty conference in Iowa. Maybe he’s decided charity begins at home.
Hey, MC
A Triad TV reporter earned her 15 minutes on Gawker today by rapping her traffic update. It’s every bit as painful as you’d imagine -- I'm pretty sure it made my brain bleed -- yet, like a roadside accident, you just can’t help but check it out. Hey, it’s the first local traffic report I’ve paid attention to in years, so maybe she’s onto something.
Want more? Complex brings the pain. (HT: WUNC Gawkerista Jessica Jones.)
Comments? Drop me a line.
