August 27

Let's be honest tuesday was a boring day for all.

The Cal

I picked up the Cal and thought they had a scoop of the day when I saw Aaron Claverie's story about immigration protests. Then I read the story. I'm still trying to figure out what the point is. People get up and gripe at every Council meeting. Rather than continue to talk about this story I will highlight a little editing note. Here is his story text:
The protest followed marches and other types of demonstrations targeting City Hall and the city's police station that attempt to call attention to what the protesters contend is a crackdown on undocumented immigrants that is breaking up families.
Well Claverie it's a call to attention is the same as an attempt to call attention. In fact, by you writing the story you just got rid of the attempt word --you did give them attention. Oy Vey.
Link: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/08/26/news/californian/lake_elsinore/zc0244b9d96e297cc882574b200142e12.txt

Nelsy Rodriguez did a profile on Warnie Enochs. I was waiting to see this. Wow. Shocked. There is no mention of his myriad of felonies until the 8th graf. Yep the 8th. She even talks about term limits before bringing up that he is charged with some pretty bad stuff. Then again this is typical of the Cal so it makes you wonder is it the reporter? Or the editors?
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/08/26/news/californian/murrieta/z4524989c9a54e20c882574ac00730238.txt

Catch up of the day award goes to John Hall as he follows Burge's story about another car arson to another political candidate's car. And he pegs the lede on Chris Hyland who just went out and had a panic room put in her house and had her cars towed by the police so they could be safe in the impound yard. Poor Ms. Hyland is, "scared. I'm really frightened for my life."
Thanks Mr. Hall for going this poor lady publicity now every person running for office is going to be calling the papers with claims of a fire torching boogeyman hiding under their neighbor's rusting Camaro. Or those candidates might start lighting their own cars on fire.
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/08/26/news/californian/lake_elsinore/z9cb8ef69d30b1c42882574b2000763ce.txt

The PE
This paper had a lot of meeting coverage. An update on a freeway interchange and information about Cal State San Marcos in Temecula. I guess you could make the claim the stories provide information to readers. They still were kind of boring.

Julissa McKinnon did a story on Menifee working to get a public safety contract. Wasn't that spelled out in the cityhood finance reports? Those aren't varying much and the only new news I got was this shocker: The police cars will, "be emblazoned" with Menifee on them. Yep. Emblazoned. Hey maybe the Menifee police are torching them Elsinore cars. Why don't reporters turn down these stories to work on bigger picture more important stories? Don't ask me I'm just emblazoned with disbelief.

Sarah Burge follows up the story of the dog left to die with a follow up.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_yahoodog.12c4928.html

In more regional news, why was this John Asbury story buried in my paper: http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_E_tooth27.4a45822.html
This story scares the hell out of me. I hate dentists. I hate teeth. I hate death. Now a report comes out detailing how this thing happened and includes a quote from a firefighter who was there and I have to sift through the paper to find it. Editor Error of the Day.

Paige Austin. Take a bow. Your coverage of the off-duty office shooting was good. The quotes near the end were amazing. The top of the story probably turned off a lot of readers because it's nothing new to anyone who follows a shooting. Of course agencies are investigating. That's not news. But the real life description from those who saw it was amazing.
Joe Varela, a salesman at the Seven Oaks Nursery, watched the incident unfold.
"A truck came into the parking lot at a high rate of speed with screeching tires, and I started to walk over there to tell him to slow down," Varela said.
But then the Hummer pulled into the parking lot and a man jumped out with a gun, Varela said.
"I didn't know he was a cop," Varela added. "(Mendez) kept telling him to get down on the ground two or three times, but he wouldn't listen. He just kept walking forward aggressively like he wanted to fight."
As the driver of the truck closed the distance, Mendez shot him in the chest at close range, Varela said.
"I didn't hear him identify himself and I didn't see his badge at all," Varela said. "At the time, he just seemed like some guy to me, but given the warnings, I don't know why the other guy didn't get down on the ground. It was obvious that the next thing that was going to happen was that he was going to get shot."
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_shoot27.496a623.html

That's good cop reporting there Paige Austin. Getting out of that seat and hitting the streets. An amazing string of quotes.

And the winner for today -- tied.