Wise County on the Web

A (sometimes) tongue in cheek review of the news published this week regarding Wise County.
Normally posted every Sunday around 6:00 p.m. (Note: To make sure you are receiving the most recent update, hold down the "Shift" key while you click on reload/refresh).
For the week ending 9/16/00:

The Story	Commissioners bail out Precinct #1 from its money woes by providing $25,000 in extra funds.
News worthiness (on a scale of 0 to 5)	********
The Spin	The Spin is still confused by this Bridgeport Index headline about the story: "Burning the barn down to get rid of the rats?"

The Story	Precinct #1 Commissioner Jerry Flusche gets a second job working for Huggins Mitsubishi in Fort Worth.
News worthiness (on a scale of 0 to 5)	*******
The Spin	He tried to tell you Precinct #1 was out of money.

The Story	Rhome Mayor Pro-Tem Eddie Naugle explained to residents that "your taxes are not going up, the property value is going up, which makes it look like your tax rate is going up."
News worthiness	**
The Spin	*You see, your tax bill just looks* larger.**

The Story	The city council of New Fairview gets an earful regarding the recent enactment of certain building ordinances. “I will never brick my skirting, I will never cement my foundation and I will never build a 144 square foot storage building on my property,” New Fairview resident Charles Clark said. “I have $100,000 invested in my property and I am not trailer trash.”
News worthiness	**
The Spin	Using the phrase "trailer trash" in any public forum will always guarantee you a place in The Spin.

The Story	Decatur High School receives the honor of being named a "Mentor" school after having been slapped with the "low performing" label only five years ago.
News worthiness	**
The Spin	All of the praise regarding the improvements within the high school assumes that every entering student is no better prepared than his predecessors of five years ago. Perhaps some credit needs to be thrown in the direction of the middle school.

The Story	Mitchell Energy representative George Jackson met with area residents and noted that drilling can cause an "interruption of lifestyle" for the land owner.
News worthiness	*
The Spin	"Your people are basically terrorists," said Rhome resident Josh Josserand.

The Story	Longtime Decatur waitress Vicky Barnes leaves Matties to work for the Courthouse Cafe.
News worthiness	********
The Spin	We can't handle changes like this. Can the Apocalypse be far behind?

See something in the local papers that struck you funny? Then suggest a topic for The Spin.

View Last week's issue.