Grumpy Editor

NO KIDDING: GIANT RAT GETS AWARD FOR ANIMAL BRAVERY

 

Rat wins medal for bravery.

 

Magawa, a giant African pouched rat, was awarded a veterinary charity’s top civilian award for animal bravery after sniffing out and detecting 39 land mines and 28 items of unexploded ordnance in Cambodia, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

During his seven-year career, he helped clear more than 1.5 million square feet, the equivalent of 20 soccer fields. 

 

He was hailed as a "hero rat” with the presentation of the medal from People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), a veterinary charity in the United Kingdom.

 

"The PDSA Animal Awards program seeks to raise the status of animals in society and honor the incredible contribution they make to our lives,” said director general Jan McLoughlin.  "Magawa's dedication, skill and bravery are an extraordinary example of this and deserve the highest possible recognition."

 

Magawa was cited for dedication, skill and “life-saving bravery and devotion to duty.”

 

 

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SOPHIA LOREN FACES MOVIE CAMERAS.  Italian actress Sophia Loren, 86, returns to movies playing a Holocaust survivor who befriends an orphan in a Netflix film The Life Ahead, directed by her son Edoardo Ponti.

 

STRANDED DOG RESCUED FROM BRIDGE.  A bridge inspector rescues a dog that was stranded 120 feet above the Mississippi River on the Natchez--Vidalia Bridge. The Natchez Police Department says the dog, in good shape, was adopted soon after her rescue.

 

END OF AN ERA IN TINSELTOWN.  Two longtime Hollywood trade publications, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, will be on the same team following a merger of publishers.

 

ARMY INFANTRY SCHOOL MELLOWS.  Army infantry recruits no longer will have drill sergeants barking orders at them inches from their faces during basic training as the “shark attack” technique, which uses intimidation to establish authority and weeds out the weak, is dropped in favor of a new approach called “The First 100 Yards,” which seeks to develop mental and physical toughness, instill pride in the infantry, and build trust among recruits and their leaders, reports Stars and Stripes.

 

WOODWARD'S BOOK REACHES FOURTH PRINTING.  Publisher Simon & Schuster says Bob Woodward’s "Rage" sold 600,000 copies in the U.S. in the first week, and ordered a fourth printing that will bring the number of hardcover copies to 1.3 million.

 

NIXON SANDWICH PRESERVED.  Steve Jenne celebrated an unusual milestone last week — 60 years holding onto a sandwich that former President Richard Nixon once munched.  Jenne, of Sullivan, Illinois, was a 14-year-old Boy Scout when the then-vice president made a campaign stop to Jenne’s hometown, leaving a half-eaten sandwich which Jenne picked up and preserved.

 

N.Y. TIMES CHAIRMAN TO RETIRE.  The New York Times chairman, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr., retires at year-end and will be replaced by his son, A.G. Sulzberger, Times publisher.  The elder Sulzberger has been chairman since 1997 and was publisher from 1992 to 2017, when he was replaced by his son.

 

HALLOWEEN CANDY SALES UP.  U.S. sales of Halloween candy are up 13 percent from last year in the month ended Sept. 6.   Sales of Halloween chocolate alone are up 25 percent.

 

BABY BORN ON AIRLINER GETS TICKETS FOR LIFE.  A baby girl born on an EgyptAir flight traveling from Cairo to London will be given free airline tickets for life, at least to Munich, says the carrier.

 

BONUS REPORT NOT TRUE.  Poynter reports “employees of Tribune Publishing are furious, and rightfully so, over something that happened Wednesday.  After seeing Tribune Publishing slash jobs in recent years, employees received an email that they were getting bonuses. So why were they angry? Because it wasn’t true but a test to see if the company is vulnerable to a phishing scam." 

 

DESERT SUN PRINTING SHIFTS TO ARIZONA.  Palm Springs, Calif.-based Desert Sun newspaper is moving its printing operations to Phoenix, Arizona, 260 miles away.

 

READY TO VOTE FROM SPACE.  NASA astronaut Kate Rubins says she plans to cast her next vote from space --- more than 200 miles above Earth.

SURVEY: POLICE-PROTESTERS CONFRONTATIONS GRAB MOST ATTENTION

The upcoming election, unusual weather and forest fires news stories have been competing for Americans’ attention in recent weeks but the public is more likely to have heard “a lot” about ongoing confrontations between police and protesters, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

That’s the finding of a Pew Research Center survey of almost 10,000 adults conducted Aug. 31 to Sept. 7.

 

About eight-in-10 adults (78%) say they have heard or read a lot about ongoing confrontations between law enforcement and protesters in cities around the country, finds Pew.

 

By comparison, smaller shares of adults say they have heard or read a lot about how increased mail-in voting could affect the 2020 presidential election (64%); President Donald Trump’s criticism of the U.S. Postal Service and his administration’s actions toward it (49%); attempts in Congress to pass another economic relief and stimulus bill (40%); and the Trump administration considering banning the social media app TikTok (40%). 

 

The survey of 9,220 adults was conducted as part of the Center’s American News Pathways project.

 

Overall, 41% of adults say recent protests related to racial inequality have received too much attention from news organizations, while 36% say they have received the right amount and 23% say they have received too little.

 

 

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STUDENT LOCALES SHOW HIGHER VIRUS RATES.  Among the 50 U.S. counties with the highest shares of students and overall population of at least 50,000, 20 have consistently reported higher virus rates than their states, finds an Associated Press analysis.

MOST YOUNG ADULTS FUZZY ON HOLOCAUST.  Nearly two-thirds (63%) of young American adults are not aware that 6 million Jewish victims died during the Holocaust in World War II.  That’s the finding in a study commissioned by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, also known as the Claims Conference.

IMPORTANCE OF FACE MASKS CITED.  Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, emphasizes the importance of wearing face masks, saying, “I will continue to appeal for all Americans, all individuals in our country, to embrace these face coverings. ... [I]f we did it for six, eight, 10, 12 weeks, we'd bring this pandemic under control.” 

 

MORE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS SEEN THIS YEAR.  A Rasmussen Reports survey finds 45% of U.S. voters are more likely to contribute time or money to a political campaign this year vs. 34% two years ago.

 

FOX TRIMS STAFF.  Fox News Media expects to cut less than 3% of its overall staff as the unit, the financial engine of parent Fox Corp., works to make its operations more efficient. Fox News’ hair and makeup staffers are said to be the most affected.   Fox guests will no longer receive make-up and hair services, which are being relegated to anchors and contributors.

 

SUBARU MODEL ATTRACTS TICKETS.  A study from insurance comparison site Insurify, that looked over 2 million insurance applications, finds drivers of the Subaru WRX compact sports car are more likely to get a speeding ticket.

 

CULTURE AND TALENT M.E. NAMED.  The Los Angeles Times appoints reporter Angel Jennings as the newspaper’s first assistant managing editor for culture and talent.  It’s part of The Times’ efforts to reform hiring practices, increase staff diversity and overhaul how it treats Black and Latino journalists and communities.

SHUTDOWN ORDER REVERSED, STARS AND STRIPES WILL CONTINUE TO BE PUBLISHED

Stars and Stripes is a major source of news for military.

 

After several top media sources early this month indicated President Donald Trump sought to pull funding from Stars and Stripes, a worldwide newspaper for American troops, the Defense Department is rescinding its order to shut down the military's independent newspaper, observes Grumpy Editor.

 

The action occurs after the president dispatched this tweet:  "The United States of America will NOT be cutting funding to @starsandstripes magazine under my watch,” adding, "It will continue to be a wonderful source of information to our Great Military!”

 

As Grumpy Editor pointed out last week, the president referred to Stars and Stripes as a magazine, indicating he is not familiar with the daily newspaper.

 

In an email to Stripes' publisher Max Lederer, Army Colonel Paul Haverstick said the paper does not have to submit a plan to close.

 

Haverstick, acting director of the Pentagon's Defense Media Activity, said a formal memo is being drafted that will rescind the order to halt publication by Sept. 30 and dissolve the organization by the end of January. 

 

Trump's tweet came as he fought off accusations, first reported by The Atlantic, that he called service members killed in World War I "losers" and "suckers" during an event in France in 2018.

 

 

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A FIRST FOR WALL STREET.  Jane Fraser will be the first woman to lead one of Wall Street's big six banks.  She takes over as CEO of Citigroup in February.

 

VETERANS UPSET WITH WHITE HOUSE MOVING FLAG.  A Trump administration decision to move the flag honoring missing war veterans from a prominent position atop the White House to a less visible spot on the South Lawn angers some veterans and lawmakers, who see it as disrespectful and potentially illegal.

 

BRIT HUME SIGNS MULTI-YEAR DEAL. Fox News signs Brit Hume to a new multi-year deal to remain as the network’s senior political analyst. 

 

EISENHOWER MEMORIAL NEARS UNVEILING.  The long-awaited presidential memorial honoring Dwight D. Eisenhower will be dedicated and unveiled in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 17, more than 20 years after Congress commissioned it.

 

CAT NAPS TAKE BACK SEAT.  An Army study finds catching up on sleep by taking cat naps during the day isn’t as beneficial to the brain as getting a good night’s sleep, and could increase the risk of developing neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. 

 

AMAZON TO HIRE 33,000.   Amazon says it will hire 33,000 additional corporate and technology workers at an average compensation of $150,000.  That includes salary and stock.

 

McCLATCHY RARE BOOKS AUCTION SET.  Rare books and first-hand accounts of California history will be sold Sept. 16 as part of an online auction of property from the estate of C.K. McClatchy, head of McClatchy newspapers, who died in 1989 at age 62.

 

CUSTOMS DESTROYS ALLIGATOR HANDBAG.   An $18,900 alligator skin handbag is destroyed by customs officials in Australia because its owner did not have a required $50 importation permit.

 

STORY ON PENTAGON CLOSING STARS AND STRIPES NEWSPAPER STIRS ACTION

Grumpy Editor notes a Friday article in USA TODAY stirred some White House reaction with the headline and subhead:  "The Pentagon has ordered Stars and Stripes to shut down for no good reason.  Trump wants to pull funding from Stars and Stripes, a newspaper for American troops that began in the Civil War and has been serving our soldiers.

Then a few hours later President Donald Trump said he planned to reverse Pentagon budget cuts that would have permanently closed Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper that has informed and spoken for American troops over the decades.

 

The USA TODAY story mentioned, "Under Defense Department spending plans, the paper would cease print and online publication by Sept. 30, a move seen as expanding the Trump administration’s war on news media to include those paid by the government to cover the military.”

 

The Wall Street Journal and Associated Press later carried similar stories on Stars and Stripes.

 

Trump late Friday tweeted, "The United States of America will NOT be cutting funding to @starsandstripes magazine under my watch,” adding, “It will continue to be a wonderful source of information to our Great Military!”

 

Grumpy Editor observes Trump, curiously, described Stars and Stripes as a magazine, not a daily newspaper distributed around the world to U.S. troops.

 

That means Trump is not familiar with Stars and Stripes.

 

The newspaper, headquartered in Washington and a souce of information for American troops since the Civil War, publishes four daily print editions for military service members with European, Middle Eastern, Japanese and South Korean editions. 

 

 

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COLD AIR TO HIT DENVER.  A strong cold front is expected to smack Denver with a 62-degree drop in the temperature, from 99 degrees on Friday to 37 degrees tomorrow.

 

PORTLAND REACHES 100 NIGHTS OF PROTESTS.  Portland, Oregon, on Saturday reaches the 100th consecutive night of protests that escalates into a riot as people hurled multiple fire bombs, mortars, rocks and other items at police officers.

 

GIRL SWIMS ENGLISH CHANNEL IN 14 HOURS.  Vera Rivard, a 16-year-old from Springfield, New Hampshire, swims 33 miles across the English Channel --- from Dover to Calais --- in 14 hours.

 

FOX NEWS GETS HIGHEST RATINGS IN AUGUST.  Fox News in August was the most-watched TV network in all of primetime, averaging 3.63 million viewers.

 

BLACK WWII MARINE RECEIVES MEDAL.  Ambrose “Cowboy” Anderson of Gloversville, N.Y., a 95-year-old World War II veteran, one of the nation’s first African-American U.S. Marines, receives a medal and a car parade from the New York Senate as a birthday present.

 

FREE RIDES IN L.A. MULLED.  Free public transit in Los Angeles?  As ridership falls during the pandemic, officials are convening a task force to study the possibility of going fare-ffee.

 

WITH NO VISITORS, AQUARIUM CUTS STAFF.  At California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium, sea animals are happy during the pandemic, but business is tanking.  With the aquarium missing its entire summer tourism season, its finances are hit, triggering more than a third of its staff to be laid off or furloughed.

MANY ZOO ANIMALS LONELY WITHOUT HUMAN VISITORS

Where is everybody?

With most zoos closed around the nation, many animals miss the human visitors, finds Grumpy Editor.

As The Wall Street Journal puts it: “The animals appear to have noticed that they have the place to themselves.  Some of them seem to miss people, staff say, while others don’t exactly seem to mind that no one is tapping on the glass.”

A Los Angeles zoo worker, for example, observes a black bear and red river hogs “seeming to peer around in the sudden quiet.”  Many animals, with the absence of visitors, are less active and sleep more.

An Associated Press story notes lack of revenue from visitors hits animal food costs --- $55,000 a month at the Oakland Zoo, for example, putting the 100-year-old zoo in a dire financial situation.

That zoo and others around the country were ordered to close in March, start of the busiest season for most animal parks.

 

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FOX AIRS VINTAGE FOOTBALL GAME.  In efforts not to lose its sports viewers, FOX TV on prime time Friday, Aug. 28 airs vintage football — a Jan. 9, 1977 Super Bowl game between Oakland and Minnesota.

 

SKI RESORT PLANS NAME CHANGE.  Squaw Valley Ski Resort in California will be changing its name because “squaw” is considered a derogatory term for Native American women.

 

VIN SCULLY SELLING MEMORABILIA.  Vin Scully, the retired long-time Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster, is selling items from his personal collection of memorabilia for auction on Sept. 23.  Included are bats, balls, baseball cards, award plaques, trophies and World Series rings.

 

JOURNALISM SCHOOL RECEIVES $3 MILLION DONATION.  The University of Missouri School of Journalism receives a $3 million donation from an anonymous graduate to promote business-related journalism.  The money will create an endowment for scholarships, paid internships and mentoring for students at the Missouri Business Alert, which produces business news in emails, weekly podcasts and multimedia content.

 

EXCESSIVE DRINKING PROBLEM WITH TROOPS.  More than 101,000 active-duty U.S. troops end up in the hospital between 2009 and 2018 because of a problem related to excessive drinking, finds a new study.

 

SNAKES CURB FLUSHING.  An Australian woman who had difficulty flushing her toilet is shocked to find four snakes coiled up inside the tank.  

 

INCREASED STORM DAMAGE AHEAD?  A combination of increased coastal development, natural climate cycles, reductions in air pollution and man-made climate change could lead to higher damage from tropical storms around the globe, reports Associated Press. 

 

ISLANDS SEEK TO ATTRACT REMOTE WORKERS.  Barbados and Bermuda, in a bid to boost their tourism-reliant economies, are offering special programs to attract U.S. remote workers to relocate there.

 

YOUNG GOLFER SCORES.  Rocco Figaretti, a West Virginia four-year-old golfer at Oglebay Park's Par 3 course hits a ball that lands just short of the green and rolls directly into the hole.

FERRIES ENCOUNTER PROBLEM WITH BRIDGES.  Some of Sydney, Australia's 10 new ferries don't fit under some of its bridges, causing passengers sitting on the viewing deck  to lower heads or take cover.

TIME TO BREAK OPEN THOSE PIGGY BANKS

 

 

  

Another effect stemming from the coronavirus pandemic:  a shortage of nickels, dimes and quarters, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

The Federal Reserve says the supply system for coins is severely disrupted because many businesses are closed and consumers are not out spending as much.

 

Lack of coins poses problems for those who use parking meters, toll booths, vending machines and other coin-gulping sites such as coin-operated machines in laundromats.  

 

The U.S. Mint urges Americans to use coins in transactions or turn them in to their banks, while retailers suggest shoppers use credit cards or exact change whenever possible.

The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores sees the shutdown as a splendid opportunity to help offset lost revenue by clearing out the aquarium’s waterfall to gather coins tossed by visitors over the past 14 years.  The collected washed coins will go toward operating costs.

The coin supply is expected to normalize as the economy recovers and businesses reopen.

 

 

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FEMALE JOURNALIST BECOMES FINANCE MINISTER.  Chrystia Freeland, Canada's first female finance minister, is a former journalist.  She started her journalism career as a stringer for the Financial Times, the Washington Post and The Economist then worked later as a deputy editor for the Financial Times in London, later serving as Moscow bureau chief for the Financial Times.  Later she became deputy editor of The Globe and Mail, then managing director and consumer news editor at Thomson Reuters, moving on to U.S. managing editor at the Financial Times based in New York City.  A Harvard graduate, Freeland speaks five languages.

 

GANNETT AIMS FOR DIVERSITY.  Gannett, owner of USA TODAY and more than 260 local news operations, unveils a broad initiative to make its workforce as diverse as the country by 2025 and to expand the number of journalists focused on covering issues related to race and identity, social justice and equality. With that, the company says it is adding or reassigning journalists to 60 newly-created beats in a concerted effort to enhance coverage of topics such as criminal justice, educational inequity, roots of racism, environmental justice, fairness in housing and employment, and LGBTQ issues.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS.  A Pew Research Center analysis of surveys conducted between October, 2019 and June, 2020 finds those who rely most on social media for political news stand apart from other news consumers.   These U.S. adults, it adds, tend to be less likely than other news consumers to closely follow major news stories, such as the coronavirus outbreak and the presidential election.

 

ALCATRAZ REOPENS TO VISITORS.  Noted for containing hardened prisoners, Alcatraz island, off San Francisco, reopens to the public after months shut down by the pandemic.

 

ORDINANCE WOULD ALLOW CHICKENS IN CITY.  The Bakersfield (Calif.) City Council drafts an urban hen ordinance that would allow chickens in many parts of the city.  If passed, urban hens could be a common sight in local neighborhoods.

 

GERMAN S NOW WALK DOGS TWICE DAILY.   A new rule forces Germans to take their dogs for a walk twice a day.  It unleashes a debate on whether the state can decide what is best for the country’s 9.4 million pet canines.

 

MELTING GREENLAND ICE RAISES SEA LEVEL.  The melting Greenland ice sheet is already one of the largest contributors to the rise of sea level.  Scientists confirm the region saw a record amount of ice melt last year, shattering previous records, with 532 billion metric tons of ice lost. 

 

POSTMASTER SEEKS TO CURB CRITICISM.  Guided by a public relations firm, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and the U.S. Postal Service are now scrambling to clean up after weeks of criticism and allegations that the Trump administration is using the agency to meddle in November's election.

NOISY BALLPARKS --- WITH NO PEOPLE.  With the current unusual baseball season --- with no real people in the stands (just cutouts of smiling heads) --- hearing constant recorded fans' noise plus beating of drums during telecasts is very irritating, as with the Angels-Athletics games in Oakland over the weekend.  Solution:  press the mute button. 

 

HAWAII FLYOVER MARKS 75TH ANNIVERSARY SINCE END OF WWII

While coronavirus reports fill newspaper pages, overlooked by most is the 75^th anniversary marking the end of World War II, notes Grumpy Editor.

An interesting celebration will be in Hawaii where 14 vintage airplanes from that era are slated for flyovers Aug. 29 and 30.  They made the journey to Hawaii from San Diego aboard the USS Essex.

      Will your favorite newspaper run photos of this event?

Victory over Japan day or VJ Day, when Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, three months after Nazi Germany surrendered in Europe, generally receives less attention than Victory in Europe or VE Day on May 8.

More than 30 million soldiers and civilians were killed in the Pacific theater during the war, compared with 15 million to 20 million who died in Europe.

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Tucson the dog is "car consultant" at auto dealership.

CANINE IS CAR CONSULTANT.  A stray dog is given a job as "car consultant" at a Hyundai dealership in Brazil.  It all started when the manager of Prime Hyundai first began seeing the stray canine several months ago.  The manager starts leaving food and water for the dog, which is around a year old.  The pooch kept coming back, winning over the hearts of the dealership's staff in the process.  The manager finally gives in and decides to adopt him.

POSTAL SERVICE FACES PROBLEMS.  The United States Postal Service is dealing with crippling backlogs of letters and packages.  Despite a surge in package delivery during the pandemic, postal workers are no longer able to work overtime and fewer mail trucks are on the road.  The self-funded Postal Service has been seeking billions in aid from Congress, an effort stymied by President Donald Trump, who has long had a contentious relationship with the USPS and has pushed to privatize it.

PEORIA POLICE HELP LEMONADE PROVIDERS WHO WERE ROBBED.  Folks, including police, in Peoria, Illinois, rally behind two 13-year-old boys after their lemonade stand was robbed of $30 at gunpoint by two men.  Fifteen Peoria police vehicles arrive at the lemonade stand when it reopens after the robbery. The officers and police chief get out of their cars and talk to the boys and say how much they support them. They give them a donation and take turns buying lemonade. As news of the incident spreads through Peoria, neighbors, friends, and strangers begin donating money to the boys to encourage them not to give up.  So far, more than $3,500 has been raised.

BABY BORN ON AIRLINER IS NAMED SKY.  The mother of a baby born on an airplane that was taking her to a hospital in Anchorage names her son Sky --- stemming from where he is born less than an hour into the flight.  At an Anchorage hospital, mother and baby are expected to be discharged later this week.

STEIN MART SHUTTERS STORES.  Off-price retailer Stein Mart, offering designer and name brand apparel, home decor, accessories and shoes for both men and women, is hit by the pandemic and plans to close most of its nearly 300 stores in 30 states.  Stein Mart began in 1908 as a small department store in Mississippi.  

FLORIDA SHERIFF NIXES MASKS.  Florida’s Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, despite being in a state struggling with record-breaking coronavirus numbers, insists there's no conclusive evidence wearing masks curbs the spread of the virus.  So he bars his deputies from wearing facial coverings in most work settings.

SEAL ENJOYS RIDE ON PADDLE BOARD.  Most seals are elusive. But in Weymouth, England, an unusual seal named Sammy approaches people on the beach and is seen catching rides on a paddle board.

 

250,000 MASK-LESS MOTORCYCLISTS FLOOD SOUTH DAKOTA TOWN

 

 

Despite the worldwide emphasis on masks, an estimated 250,000 mask-less motorcyclists this week are buzzing around a small South Dakota town for the 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Sturgis, with a population of 7,000, is the scene of the 10-day event.  Most residents fear the gathering of mostly Harley-Davidson motorcycles could lead to a massive coronavirus outbreak.

 

Officials are worried that social distancing will not be possible at the event.

 

An Associated Press reporter on scene says masks were almost nowhere to be seen, counting fewer than 10 among the rally’s thousands over a period of several hours.

 

South Dakota to date reports about 9,000 cases of the virus, among the lowest state tally in the country.  Meade County, home to Sturgis, tallies about 78 infections.

 

CNN reports Monument Health, the local hospital system, adds 172 "Covid beds" in preparation for the rally and is prepared to offer 1,300 Covid-19 tests to anyone who is asymptomatic but concerned about the disease after the rally ends.

 

The event stretches for miles beyond the city and also attracts tourists and vendors each year from across the country, points out CNN.

 

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FORTUNE MAGAZINE WITH COVER STORY ON STEVE JOBS BRINGS BIG BUCKS.  An Oct. 9, 1989 Fortune magazine featuring a Steve Jobs story with the cover autographed by him sells at auction for more than $16,000.  That's more than 4,500 times the original $3.50 cover price.

 

NETWORKS EXPAND LATINO COVERAGE.  NBC News and Noticias Telemundo are combining resources to expand coverage of the Latino community that will be presented in both Spanish and English.

 

PANDEMIC HITS THEATERS REVENUE.  AMC Theatres, the world's largest cinema operator, loses $561 million in its most recent quarter as revenue collapses because of the pandemic. 

 

STAFF INCREASES LOOM.  Look for staff increases coming at USA Today and Gannett's network of 260 regional dailies. Gannett employs about 5,000 journalists. 

 

BARTIROMO MARKS ANNIVERSARY.  Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo celebrates the 25th anniversary of being the first TV journalist to report from the New York Stock Exchange floor.

 

EXPENSIVE PENNY.  A nearly 230-year- old U.S. penny --- a 1793 Strawberry Leaf cent --- is sold for $660,000 at auction.  Since 1890, the coin has been auctioned four times.

 

GHOSTS WON'T LIKE THIS.   There is increasing talk about cancelling Halloween this year because of the coronavirus.  It would mark the first time Oct. 31 is not celebrated.

 

AIR FORCE WOMEN ALLOWED ADDED GARB.  Women in the Air Force now have the option of wearing pants with their semi-formal “mess dress” uniforms instead of a floor-length skirt.  Before the change in policy, women were required to wear a floor-length skirt with the mess dress uniform, which is the Air Force equivalent to the civilian world’s evening  gown. 

MAILED MYSTERY SEEDS FROM CHINA CONCERN U.S. OFFICIALS

 

Unordered seeds via mail, that appear coming from China, has thousands of people around the country guessing what is behind the mystery deliveries, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

U.S. state and federal officials are asking recipients not to handle or plant the seeds and to turn them over to local or federal agricultural agencies for analysis and investigation, adding planting the seeds could see the introduction of invasive species causing destruction of native crops, introduction of diseases to native plants and could be dangerous to livestock.

 

A seed expert in Iowa is concerned the seeds may have been coated with something, possibly insecticide or fungicide, that could damage crops.

 

Multiple U.S. agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, are investigating the seeds, many arriving in packages labeled jewelry.

 

So far, the Department of Agriculture identifies 14 different kinds of seeds in the mysterious packages.

 

All 50 states issue warnings about the packages.

 

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Mountain rescue team carries Daisy, a Saint Bernard, down mountain in England. 

121-POUND SAINT BERNARD RESCUED.  Sixteen volunteers from a mountain rescue team carried Daisy, a 121-pound Saint Bernard, from England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike. The rescue team spends nearly five hours rescuing Daisy.  The dog collapsed while descending the mountain with her owners.  Daisy’s problem was with pain in her rear legs, causing her not to move.

RANSOMWARE THREAT.  Federal authorities say one of the gravest threats to the November election is a ransomware attack that could paralyze voting operations and kill confidence in tabulations, reports Associated Press.

CORONAVIRUS VACCINE ACTIVITY.  Work on a coronavirus vaccine is moving at an unprecedented pace: There are nearly 200 candidates in development, with 27 of them being tested in humans.  A handful already are in an advanced phase of clinical trials.

AIR CARGO FINDS CABIN SPACE.  Passenger airlines are making up some lost revenue by strapping cargo into passenger seats and placing in overhead bins in cabins that would otherwise be empty.

 

DR. FAUCI'S BASEBALL CARD BRINGS ACTION.  Dr. Anthony Fauci's limited edition baseball card, showing him throwing a wild pitch at the Major League Baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees, set an all-time high print run record with 51,512 cards selling for $9.99 each.

 

BLUE LOBSTER SAVED.  A rare blue lobster is saved from the dinner table by Red Lobster employees after it is delivered to their restaurant.  Employees at a Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Red Lobster restaurant spot the rare crustacean and decide to contact conservationists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California to inform them of their discovery. The blue lobster winds up in a special tank at the Akron Zoo.

 

ACTORS HANKS AND WILSON BECOME GREEK CITIZENS.  Actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have become Greek citizens.  The couple and their children last year became honorary Greek citizens after officials highlighted Hanks' role in helping raise awareness about the 2018 fires that hit areas near Athens claiming lives of more than 100 people. Wilson, who is part Greek and Hanks,  a Greek Orthodox convert, often spend vacations in Greece where they own property on Antiparos island.

 NAVY GREETS FIRST BLACK FEMALE TACTICAL PILOT.  Lt. j.g. Madeline G. Swegle becomes the U.S. Navy’s first Black female tactical aircraft pilot, receiving her  "Wings of Gold" during a ceremony at Naval Air Station Kingsville in Texas.  The recognition marks an aviator's official completion of basic helicopter training in naval flight school.

 

OPRAH'S MAGAZINE ENDING PRINT EDITION.  O, The Oprah Magazine, launched in 2000 by Oprah Winfrey with Hearst, is ending its monthly print edition with the December 2020 issue.

VIRUS TRIGGERS CLOSINGS OF THOUSANDS OF RESTAURANTS

Uncertainty on indoor dining is a key factor in the continued shuttering of restaurants around the country, notes Grumpy Editor.

Already, stemming from the coronavirus sweeping the nation, indoor dining stops at nearly 90,000 restaurants in the U.S., according to the National Restaurant Association.  An additional 10 percent of independent operators could close doors by year end.

Hardest hit are restaurants in downtown commercial districts that usually attract office workers --- who are now working from home or elsewhere.

In California alone, according to Yelp, more than 2,200 restaurants (out of a federally-tallied 81,500) have closed this year stemming from the pandemic.

Yelp notes a 23-percent increase in permanent restaurant closures from a month ago. Bars and clubs are also closing forever at high rates: 44 percent (as of July) of 5,454 temporarily shuttered bars and other nightlife establishments.

Cities experiencing the most temporary and permanent closures include San Francisco, Las Vegas and Honolulu, says Yelp.

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

BASEBALL OPENER SETS VIEWER RECORD.  Baseball's opener, in the shortened season, between the Yankees and Nationals on ESPN draws 4 million viewers, the most watched regular season Major League Baseball game on any network since 2011.

SIBERIA WARMS UP.  The United Nations weather agency reports the average June temperatures in Siberia were 18 degrees Fahrenheit above average. 

KOREAN WAR VET FINALLY GETS MEDAL.  Korean War veteran Donald L. Roy, after 67 years, finally receives the Bronze Star medal awarded decades ago for service as an Army medic. The 90-year-old Roy, who was supposed to receive the Bronze Star in 1953, is presented the medal at his home in Standish, Maine.

MARINES SHELVE TANKS.  Deactivation of Marine Corps tank battalions begins following a directive to divest material which could not survive modern warfare.  Companies within the Marines' 1st Tank Battalion in Twentynine Palms, Calif., and the 4th Tank Battalion at Camp Pendleton, Calif., held deactivation ceremonies last week. 

CHICAGO KIDS GRAB CARS.  Chicago police say a group of children, ages 10 to 17, carjack at least 16 vehicles since late June in the generally peaceful South Side neighborhood.

ARCTIC SEA ICE AFFECTS POLAR BEARS.  Polar bears will be wiped out by the end of the century unless more is done to tackle climate change, a study predicts. Scientists say some populations have already reached their survival limits as the Arctic sea ice shrinks.

N.Y. TIMES SHIFTS HONG KONG STAFF.  The New York Times, in response to a darkening environment for media, relocates one third of its Hong Kong staff to South Korea. 

BAYER LOSES ROUNDUP APPEAL.  In a California court, Bayer lost an appeal in the initial case going to trial linking its Roundup weedkiller to cancer. Bayer maintains Roundup and glyphosate, the active ingredient, is safe.

MAYFLOWER REPLICA READY TO SAIL.  Replica of the Mayflower, which brought pilgrims to Plymouth, Mass. in 1620, is ready to embark next month from Mystic, Conn. to New London, Conn., after three years and $11.2 million in renovations.

HANG IN THERE.  It's just 99 days to Election Day.

COIN SHORTAGE BECOMES NEW PROBLEM DURING PANDEMIC

A new “crisis” stemming from the coronavirus pandemic is (ready for this?) a coin shortage, observes Grumpy Editor.

The problem stems from shuttered businesses with the economy going to a shutdown mode causing fewer in-person transactions and slowing recirculation of coins.

 

Social distancing and other safety measures slowed production of coins at the U.S. Mint.  Also, with people holed up at home, fewer coins are making their way from customers to banks, coin-sorting kiosks and stores' cash registers.

 

“With the partial closure of the economy, the flow of coins through the economy has kind of stopped,” said Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services last month.  “Stores have been closed, so the whole system of flow has come to a stop. We’re well aware of this and we’re working with the reserve banks, and as the economy reopens we’re seeing coins begin to move around again," he adds.

 

Some businesses are grappling with the shortfall of coins, asking customers to pay with exact change, if possible.  Smith’s, the grocery chain, said, “Like many retailers and businesses, we are adjusting to the temporary shortage in several ways while still accepting cash.”

 

On the banking side, Wells Fargo said it is “actively managing our coin inventory and working with customers to meet their coin needs to the extent possible after the Federal Reserve put limitations on coin deliveries to all financial institutions nationwide.”

The Fed said it would convene a U.S. Coin Task Force to address the matter.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

AIRLINE SHELVES FLIGHT ATTENDANTS.  Icelandair, the flag carrier airline of Iceland, is laying off all its flight attendants.  Starting today, Icelandair's pilots will assume flight attendants' roles.  Legality and practicality of  having pilots act as flight attendants are unclear. 

 

HEAT PROBLEMS AHEAD.  Scientists say climate change will heat some parts of the world so much that merely working outdoors could become life-threatening. New models suggest that unless greenhouse gases are reined in, millions of people — especially in developing nations — will be exposed to dangerous levels of heat that could cause serious heat problems.

 

INSURANCE FIRM TO REPLACE CORPORATE SYMBOL.  Insurance firm Mutual of Omaha plans to replace its longtime corporate symbol that depicts a Native American chief. 

 

DELAYS SEEN IN MAIL DELIVERIES.  Under a cost-cutting plan imposed by the new postmaster general, mail deliveries could be delayed by a day or more.  The plan would eliminate overtime for thousands of postal workers.

 

WYOMING NO LONGER HAS TRUE DAILY PAPER.  The Casper Star-Tribune in Wyoming no longer will be a true “daily” paper, eliminating its Monday and Tuesday print editions next month.  The state now has six “daily” newspapers, but now none actually prints seven days a week.

 

SHARK GRABS BOY OFF BOAT.  A 10-year-old boy in Tasmania, Australia, was dragged off a boat by a shark, first such attack there since 2012.  The boy’s father jumped into the water, at which point the shark swam off.  The boy is in stable condition. 

 

REVISED NEWS COVERAGE SOUGHT.  At The Wall Street Journal, a group identifying itself as "members of the WSJ newsroom" said the paper must do more muscular reporting about race and social inequities, and laid out detailed proposals for revising news coverage.

 

NAVY, MARINE MEMBERS ASKED TO GO FORMAL.  The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps order service members to wear more formal uniforms while at the Pentagon and other sites in the nation's Capitol area to project a more professional look.

 

KANGAROO HOPS AROUND DOWNTOWN AREA.  Fort Lauderdale, Florida, police find a kangaroo jumping around the city's downtown area, fit a leash over its head and lift the Australian expat into the back of a police cruiser...and book it. 

"WRONG" LOTTERY TICKET WINS.  In Eastpointe, Mich., a man is given the wrong lottery ticket —  a $20 scratch-off ticket instead of a $10 version.  But there was no mistake about the result: a $2 million winner.

 

MORTGAGE RATES FALL.  More homeowners are expected to refinance their home loans as the 30-year fixed mortgage rate falls to 2.98 percent.

 

DEATH VALLEY TEMPERATURE SOARS.  Temperature last week at the official weather observing station in Death Valley, California reached a sizzling 128 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the hottest temperature anywhere on the planet since 2017 and only one degree behind what experts say is likely the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth. 

WILL ‘MASTER BEDROOM’ TERM BE RETIRED?

 

Use of the word “master” is being frowned on by some, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

With racism forcing a more critical look at our language, “master” already is forcing a change --- in real estate.

 

The Houston Association of Realtors, for example, says it is replacing “master" with "primary" to describe bedrooms and bathrooms in its listings.

 

A master bedroom typically refers to the largest bedroom in the house, often accompanied by a private bathroom.

 

The phrase "master bedroom" first appeared in a 1926 Sears catalog.

 

As a CNN story points out, the term "master bedrooms" was widely implemented in American homes after World War II, intended to give parents a private space within their own homes.

 

“While it's unclear whether the term is rooted in American slavery on plantations, it evokes that history,” adds CNN.  “Now, because of its slavery-era connotations, some members of the real estate industry are now calling to retire the term "master."

 

Nationally, 42 percent of current property listings on Zillow use the term "master" in reference to a bedroom or a bath. 

 

Meanwhile, one wonders how long other terms with "master" will survive, including master of ceremonies, masterpiece, master key, mastermind, master mechanic and master sergeant.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

CALIFORNIA RELEASES PRISONERS.  Another 2,100 inmates from California state prisons will be released as soon as next month in response to the coronavirus pandemic.  That will mean a total of more than 10,000 inmates released or nearly 10 percent of prisoners.

 

NORTH KOREA RESISTS RESUMING TALKS.  The U.S. is ready to resume nuclear talks with North Korea, but the Communist nation rejects plans to go back to the negotiating table.  It’s not suprising.  The U.S. and North Korea still have not signed off the Korean War of 1950-1953.

 

FEMALE SOLDIER FIRST TO JOIN FRONT-LINE COMBAT TEAM.  An unidentified female soldier is the first to graduate from the Army’s special forces course and will be joining one of the all-male Green Beret teams.

 

SHEPARD SMITH JOINS CNBC.  Shepard Smith, former Fox News anchor, joins CNBC this fall to anchor a primetime one-hour news program.

 

RETAILERS NIX MONKEY LABOR.  Retailers including Walgreens, Giant Food, Food Lion and Stop & Shop are among U.S. grocery brands vowing not to stock or sell coconut products from Thai suppliers — because they use monkeys as labor.  An investigation finds monkeys on Thai farms are abused, chained, confined to cramped cages and made to gather as many as 1,000 coconuts a day. 

 

PRIMARY CLINICS LINKED TO DRUG STORES.  Walgreens and VillageMD strike a deal to open doctor offices in 500 to 700 drugstores over the next five years.  Most of the primary-care clinics will be about 3,300 square feet, about one fourth the size of Walgreens’ average store.

 

USC REMOVING JOHN WAYNE EXHIBIT.  The School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California says it is removing its John Wayne exhibit which featured archival photos and movie costumes, props and memorabilia of the famous actor.  Wayne, who attended USC in the 1920s, told Playboy magazine in 1971, “I believe in white supremacy.”

DEAD CAT GETS VOTER REGISTRATION FORM.  An Atlanta family receives a voter registration application addressed to Cody Tims — a cat that died 12 years ago. 

BLACK RADIO NEWS NETWORK DEBUTS

 

A news network focused on the Black community made its debut last week on 15 stations around the country, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Black Information Network (BIN) was launched by iHeartMedia which promises to add more stations over the next two months.

 

The Wall Street Journal mentioned that BIN will “also provide news for all of the 91 hip-hop, R&B and gospel stations operated by the nation’s largest radio broadcaster,” adding “the company says the network aims to be an objective, accurate and trusted source of continual news coverage with a Black voice and perspective.”

 

In the launch, the network mostly tapped journalists from iHeartMedia’s existing news service” and plans on hiring outsiders to expand its talent pool.

 

BIN will provide a mix of local and national news, weather, traffic reports and sports in the markets it serves.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

 

 

Bulldog edition rolls off presses early.

 

BULLDOG EDITION.  Merriam-Webster points out the bulldog edition term has been in use since the early 20th century, used by newspaper editors to denote an early edition of a morning paper printed (and even sold) the day before its publication date.

 

HOUSE INCLUDES FUNDS FOR STARS AND STRIPES.  A House committee’s version of the annual defense spending bill includes $15.5 million in federal funding for Stars and Stripes after the Defense Department proposed cutting the military newspaper from its 2021 budget.  Stars and Stripes first appeared during the Civil War, and has been continuously published since World War II.  The daily newspapers are distributed to U.S. military troops around the world.  A web site is updated with news 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

 

CHINA SEEKS DETAILS ON U.S. NEWS ORGANIZATIONS.  China, hitting back at what it calls Washington's "suppression of Chinese media," is demanding four U.S. news organizations declare details of their finances and staffing in the country. The Associated Press, United Press International, CBS News and NPR News must submit relevant paperwork to the Chinese government by this week.

CARDBOARD "FANS" SET FOR OAKLAND ATHLETICS.  With a delayed baseball season starting soon, the Oakland Athletics is selling cardboard cutouts with fans' photos that will be put in Coliseum seats.

AIR LEVIATHAN PRODUCTION TO END.  Bloomberg reports Boeing "is pulling the plug on its 747 jumbo jet, ending a half-century run for the twin-aisle pioneer."  The last double-decker 747-8 will roll out of a Seattle-area factory in about two years, it adds.

DENNY'S IN HIRING MODE.  Denny's, in a "poised for growth" mode, plans to hire 10,000 restaurant employees by the end of this year. The restaurant chain operates over 1,700 restaurants in the U.S., Canada and other countries. 

NO WAY OUT.  A Tampa, Florida man who operates the Zaksee Parrot Sanctuary and takes care of hundreds of rescued parrots, macaws, cockatoos and other exotic birds, finds he can’t leave his property because the only path out winds through another tract whose owners recently placed locks on the gates.

WHALE OF A STORY.  Three family members on a recreational boat just outside Auke Bay, north of Juneau, Alaska, are injured after the craft collided with a humpback whale.  The boat immediately returned to shore, where some family members are transported to a Juneau hospital.

 

STUDY FINDS SUMMER SUN CAN WIPE OUT 90 PERCENT OF CORONAVIRUS

Although cases have grown in the past week, a new study finds the strong summer sun is capable of wiping out 90 percent or more of coronavirus living on surfaces in just 34 minutes, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Scientists suggest “midday sunlight in most U.S. and world cities during summer” is extremely effective in inactivating the virus that causes COVID-19 when it’s been coughed or sneezed onto a surface.

 

It found the virus is most infectious during the winter months when it can live on surfaces for up to a day or more “with risk of re-aerosolization and transmission in most of cities.”

 

The study, appearing in the journal Photochemistry and Photobiology, is authored by Jose-Luis Sagripanti and David Lytle.  They are retired scientists from the U.S. Army and Food and Drug Administration, respectively.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

KOREAN WAR COMMEMORATED.  North and South Korea commemorated the 70th anniversary of the start of the Korean War with ceremonies and speeches recalling a devastating conflict that left millions of soldiers and civilians dead.  The war, which started on June 25, 1950, is still open ended with a truce not a peace treaty.

RELIEF PAYMENTS SENT TO DEAD PEOPLE.  Nearly 1.1 million coronavirus relief payments totaling $1.4 billion went to dead people, reports a government watchdog.

BLACK GETS A CAPITAL B.  The Associated Press writing style guide calls for capitalizing the 'b" in using Black when referring to people in a racial, ethnic or cultural context.  A decision will be made in July on capitalizing the term white, AP adds.

SEGWAY PERSONAL TRANSPORTER PRODUCTION ENDS.  Segway, maker of a two-wheeled personal transporter, is ending production of the vehicle.

OLYMPUS QUITS CAMERA OUTPUT.  Tokyo-based Olympus Corp. is quitting the camera business after 84 years. Its main product line now is medical-imaging devices.

RHODE ISLAND NAME CHANGE IN WORKS.  Rhode Island, incorporated as The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in 1790, is looking to make a change with Gov. Gina Raimondo signing an executive order to drop Providence Plantations.

CHINESE NEWS OUTFITS CALLED FOREIGN MISSIONS.  The Trump administration labels four more Chinese news organizations as “foreign missions.”  They are state broadcaster China Central Television, the newspaper People’s Daily, Global Times and the semiofficial state-run China News Service.

 

GOLDEN RETRIEVER MARKS RECORD 20th BIRTHDAY.  A Tennessee dog becomes the oldest known living golden retriever in history after celebrating her 20th birthday.

 

EATERIES REDUCE MENUS.  Restaurants, including major chains,  are reducing the size of menus to streamline their operations amid the coronavirus pandemic.

 

TRUMP CITED AS WEAKER COMMANDER IN CHIEF.  A new Rasmussen Reports survey finds 56 percent of voters who are serving in the military or have served in the past now view President Donald Trump as a weaker military commander in chief compared to most recent presidents.

 

D.C. CORRESPONDENTS DINNER CANCELED.  This year's White House Correspondents' Association dinner is canceled after originally being postponed from April to Aug. 29 due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

 

RENAMING JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT SOUGHT.  California Democrats in Orange County are demanding that the county’s John Wayne Airport be renamed and all likenesses of Wayne be removed from the airport, over “racist and bigoted statements” made by Wayne in a 1971 interview with Playboy magazine.

 

 

ESKIMO PIE, AUNT JEMIMA, UNCLE BEN FACE NAME CHANGES

Black Lives Matter protests are triggering name changes in some long-used food products, notes Grumpy Editor.

Latest to retire its name is Eskimo Pie treats.  The brand, America's first chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream bar, goes back to 1920.

 

Other brands affected during the past week include Aunt Jemima, a fixture on breakfast tables for 131 years, and Uncle Ben’s rice, which goes back to 1937.

 

Eskimo Pie’s owner, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, says the name will be changed, with its marketing head explaining, “We are committed to being a part of the solution on racial equality, and recognize the term (Eskimo) is derogatory.”

 

Quaker Oats, a susidiary of PepsiCo, says it will retire its Aunt Jemima brand of pancake mixes, syrups and other products, pointing out it recognizes the character’s origins are “based on racial stereotype.” 

 

Mars, owner of Uncle Ben’s rice, says the brand will “evolve" in response to concerns about racial stereotyping.  The name originated from a black Texan farmer known as Uncle Ben.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

2020 SET FOR WARM YEAR.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says 2020 is on track to be one of the warmest years on record, adding last month ties the previous record for the warmest May in recorded history.

GEORGE WASHINGTON STATUE TOPPLED.  Protesters in Portland, Oregon, wrap a bronze sculpture of first U.S. president George Washington in an American flag, set it on fire, then yank it down.  Washington owned slaves in the 1700s.

HOLLYWOOD SET FOR PRODUCTION.  Hollywood’s film and TV shows are gearing up for production with new coronavirus precautions, but extras fear they will be replaced with a green screen.  Crowd scenes are basically out.

NORTH KOREA ACTS UP --- AGAIN.  North Korea blew up an inter-Korean liaison office building just north of the heavily armed border with South Korea.  The dramatic display of anger raises tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

 

OSCARS DATE RESCHEDULED.  For only the fourth time in its history, the Oscars are being postponed. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says the 93rd Academy Awards will now be held on April 25, 2021, eight weeks later than originally planned because of the pandemic. EIFFEL TOWER TO REOPEN.  Workers are preparing for reopening the Eiffel Tower this week after the iconic Paris landmark’s longest closure since World War II. REPTILES STOLEN.  Florida wildlife sanctuary the Everglades Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs says a rare, albino red-tailed boa constrictor, a ball python and two Russian tortoises are stolen during a break-in. ELECTION TIME OFF FOR WORKERS.  Best Buy says it will limit store hours on Election Day so each of its roughly 125,000 employees "will have an opportunity to cast a vote in person."

 

 

CORONAVIRUS CHANGES APPEARANCE OF NEWSROOMS

 

The appearance of newsrooms is changing due to the coronavirus, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Over the years you’ve seen movies depict active newsrooms:  from clacking of typewriters to phones ringing to busy city desks.

 

Many metropolitan newspapers now have staffers working from their residences.

 

“Newsrooms don’t look or sound like that at the moment.  And they might never again,” says Tom Jones, senior media writer at the Poynter Report.

 

“These days, because of the coronavirus, most newsrooms are dining room tables and living room couches and spare bedrooms turned into local, one-person news bureaus,” he mentions, adding “as time goes by, and journalists have become accustomed to working at home and still putting out an excellent product, a question has emerged:

 

“Are newsrooms — the actual physical offices — even needed anymore?  We will soon find out.”

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

 

NORTH KOREA MOVES AHEAD WITH NUCLEAR PROGRAM.  Over the weekend, North Korea says relations with the U.S. have “shifted into despair” and promises the regime would be moving ahead with its nuclear-weapons program.

 

MARINES SKIP STORMING BEACH.  While about 3,000 troops are taking part in one of the U.S. Navy’s largest maritime drills in the Baltic Sea, for the first time Marines won’t be conducting amphibious landings and storming the beach during the exercise because of coronavirus concerns.

 

GANNETT CLOSES TWO TEXAS NEWSPAPERS.  Gannett closes its Edinburg Review and Valley Town Crier newspapers at the southern tip of Texas, not far from the border with Mexico.

 

ACTION IN HOLLYWOOD GETS GREEN LIGHT.  Los Angeles health officials give Hollywood the green light to resume film and TV production...but action in front of cameras won't be starting soon.

 

HARPER'S BAZAAR GETS FIRST BLACK EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.  Samira Nasr, a former Vanity Fair fashion director, is named editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, making her the first black editor-in-chief of a Hearst-owned publication.

OLDEST LIVING GREAT DANE HONORED.  Freddy, a Great Dane crowned the world’s tallest living dog by Guinness World Records in 2017, adds a new title as the oldest living Great Dane, reaching eight years.  He is over seven feet tall when standing on his hind legs at his home in the U.K.

HOLD IT.  Not making coast-to-coast headlines is that folks who "have to go” while visiting Times Square in New York find few restrooms open to the public. Restaurants, bars and coffee shops where visitors could find relief in the past have shuttered restrooms to the public during the coronavirus. 

BANKS CONSIDER CLOSING SOME BRANCHES.  Banks are mulling closing some branches because customers are visiting them less frequently during the pandemic.

 

TRUMP FROWNS ON RENAMING MILITARY BASES.  President Donald Trump resists the push to rename 10 U.S. military bases named after Confederate officers.

 

TV'S 'COPS' DROPPED.  Following protests against police, “Cops,” after 33 seasons on television, is dropped by the Paramount Network.

MEDIA ROUGHED UP DURING NATIONWIDE PROTESTS

 

Many news media members — print and broadcast — got roughed up during the past few days as protests blossomed around the country, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

One organization tallied 230 incidents targeting journalists since the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.  They were shot at, manhandled, gassed or arrested while covering demonstrations.

 

Despite identifying himself and crew as media, NBC host Ali Velshi was hit in the leg by a rubber bullet in Minneapolis.  Also in that city, Star Tribune reporter Chris Serres twice was ordered at gunpoint to hit the ground.  Serres wrote that he was warned “if I moved an inch I’d be shot” and "waving a press badge made no difference.”

 

In St. Petersburg, Florida, two Tampa Bay Times journalists were detained by police. 

 

With the protests, there were other journalist injuries reported in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Denver and Detroit, among other cities.

 

A freelance photographer was shot in the face by police using rubber bullets in New York.

 

Injuries were not limited to American journalists.  An Australian reporter and cameraman were assaulted by U.S. Park police at a Washington protest. 

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

PANDEMIC AFFECTS D-DAY ANNIVERSARY.  Saturday’s D-Day anniversary was one of the loneliest remembrances for the June 6, 1944 D-Day landings in Normandy. The pandemic kept almost everyone away — from government leaders to frail veterans who might not get another chance for a final farewell to their fallen comrades.

 

CHURCHILL'S STATUE VANDALIZED.  Protesters in Britain — on World War II’s D-Day anniversary Saturday — vandalized a statue of the country’s most renowned leader, Winston Churchill.  Police eventually surrounded the statue in an attempt to protect it from further defacement in Parliament Square, where thousands of protesters gathered. 

 

CASINOS SPRING BACK INTO ACTION.  About half of 989 U.S. casinos --- including those on the Las Vegas Strip that were hit by the pandemic shutdown, reopened last week. 

 

WIPES BLOCK SEWERS.  Blockages in sewers and storm drains are increasing as home-bound Americans are seeking alternatives to bathroom tissue because of occasional shortages, while stepping up efforts to sanitize their dwellings and themselves with disposable wipes and masks.

 

VA CLAIMS BACKLOG SWELLS.  Backlog of Department of Veterans Affairs claims has grown by tens of thousands of cases since the department halted work because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to top VA officials. There were 119,000 backlogged claims as of Wednesday, up from 64,000 in November.

 

ADWEEK SOLD.  Los Angeles-based investment firm Shamrock Capital bought Adweek from Beringer Capital.  Adweek covers marketing and advertising. 

 

MOVIE CHAIN MAY NOT SURVIVE.  AMC, the world's largest movie theater chain closed during the pandemic, warns it may not survive because its ability to stay in business is in jeopardy if it is unable to raise funds.

 

ATMs HIT IN PHILADELPHIA.  While police coped with demonstrations in Philadelphia, thieves blew up or stole 10 ATMs, mainly at neighborhood convenience stores and gas stations in what authorities believe was a coordinated effort.

PROTESTERS HIT L.A. SYNAGOGUE.   Not widely reported was Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles vandalized and set on fire during protests last week.

WILL MONTHLY COLA FOR SENIORS BE LOWER NEXT YEAR?

Now that we’re into June, many seniors are looking ahead to October, wondering if the cost of living adjustment (COLA) will be lower for 2021, notes Grumpy Editor.

As pointed out by MarketWatch’s Paul Brandus:  “Here’s some bad news for the 63 million Americans — nearly one in five — who receive Social Security benefits now: It’s possible that there won’t be much of a cost of living adjustment, if any, for 2021. Why?  Because one major component of the Consumer Price Index — and thus the COLA — is fuel prices (heating oil, gasoline and so forth). These prices have plunged, thanks to the coronavirus-induced economic collapse that we’ve seen over the last few months.” 

The COLA for 2020, announced last October, was 1.6 percent.

 

Brandus points out  millions of senior citizens are heavily dependent on Social Security.

He cites Social Security Administration statistics that show Americans aged 65 and over get one third of their income from Social Security, 50 percent of married couples and 70 percent of unmarried persons rely on Social Security for half or more of their income, and 21 percent of married couples and about 45 percent of unmarried people rely on Social Security for 90 percent or more of their income.

Meanwhile, says Brandus, food costs are rising faster than the overall inflation rate, health care costs continue to soar as well, while pharmaceutical firms rang in 2020 by hiking drug prices an average 5.8 percent. 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

G.E. QUITS BULB BUSINESS.  General Electric is quitting the lightbulb business, with roots dating back to G.E.’s founding 130 years ago when Thomas Edison invented the first incandescent lamp.

 

GRAMMYS TO SALUTE UNSUNG HEROES.  The Grammys, airing June 21 on CBS, with a “Salute to the Unsung Heroes” honoring America’s essential workers, will feature Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt, Herbie Hancock and Harry Connick, Jr.

 

PRINTING OF 100 AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPERS TO CEASE.  News Corp. says it will stop printing more than 100 Australian newspapers by the end of this month.  In the move, triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, 36 will be closed outright while the others move solely to the Internet.

 

'DANGEROUS WILDCAT' SHAKES UP LONDON.  Excitement in London with sightings of a “dangerous wildcat” — with markings like that of a cheetah or leopard — on the loose in a tony neighborhood, sends police, including Scotland Yard, into overdrive.  Armed cops and helicopters are dispatched seeking the animal.  Turns out it is an oversided cat, someone’s pet.

 

LAYOFFS AT CBS.  CBS' entertainment and news divisions are going through a round of layoffs as part of restructuring following the merger with Viacom.

 

WOMAN CEO PAY TOPS AP SURVEY.  Lisa Su, with chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices, is the first woman to top the Associated Press annual survey of CEO compensation at S&P 500 companies.  Her 2019 pay package was valued at $58.5 million.

 

LARGEST OUTDOOR RODEO CANCELED.  Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days is canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, marking the first time the event billed as the world’s largest outdoor rodeo has been called off in its 124-year history.

CONFUSION WITH FREELANCE WRITERS AT AARP MAGAZINE

 

One reason freelance writers get premature gray hair:  Confusion at magazines queried, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Latest example involves a professional writer who submitted a detailed email query on Sept. 6, 2018 to AARP The Magazine and received a response last week with the message “it was deleted unread.” 

 

Huh?

 

The proposed article deals with an upcoming law that would affect thousands of AARP members.

 

When asked about the strange response to the writer from AARP late last week, a “customer care” representative says:  ‘Please be advised that this communication was sent in error” and "any communication sent was read and its content addressed.”

 

 

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SOME NEWSPAPER PRESSES ARE QUIET TODAY.  Some small newspapers on this Memorial Day holiday, will not publish.

 

HEADING FOR BRITAIN?  The U.K. government, starting in June, imposes a 14-day self quarantine requirement for nearly all travelers entering the country.

 

NOAA SEES ABOVE AVERAGE STORMS.  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects an above average up to 19 named storms, including as many as 10 hurricanes, between June 1 and Nov. 30.

 

CLINTON, PATTERSON TEAM UP FOR NOVEL.  Former President Bill Clinton and author James Patterson will co-write a second novel, "The President's Daughter," to be published jointly by Alfred A. Knopf and Little, Brown in June, 2021.

 

KIDS PRODUCE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER.  Rather than setting up a lemonade stand, a group of kids in the Foxcroft neighborhood section of Little Rock, Ark., are writing community news, printing and delivering their newspaper to neighbors.

 

MALKIN JOINS NEWSMAX.  Author and syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin joins Newsmax TV as contributor and weekend program host.

 

TRUMP SMACKS FOX NEWS.  President Donald J. Trump in a tweet declares "Fox News is doing nothing to help Republicans, and me, get re-elected on November 3rd."

 

ATLANTIC LAYS OFF ALMOST FIFTH OF STAFF.  The Atlantic magazine will lay off almost 20 percent of its staff as a result of the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. 

 

CONSUMERS BUYING MORE EGGS.  Grocery chain Kroger says consumers are buying 3.6 million more cartons of eggs per week now vs. before the coronavirus pandemic.

 

AIRPLANE BONEYARD GROWS.  The commercial airplane boneyard in Arizona is growing, spurred by the coronavirus pandemic that has reduced air travel.  Major airlines, including Delta, United, Jet Blue and Air Canada send aircraft to Pinal Airpark, in the desert about 90 miles south of Phoenix.

 

HUNGRY PIGS NEAR LAS VEGAS.  Thousands of pigs on a farm outside of Las Vegas find a shortage of food scraps, usually delivered from casinos, currently closed during the pandemic.

U.S. SPACE FORCE, HAILED AS ‘NEWLY CREATED,’ DEBUTED LATE LAST YEAR

 

A news story over the weekend shows the flag of the “newly created” U.S. Space Force being presented by military leaders to President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.  However, Grumpy Editor notes the new Space Force debuted without much fanfare late last year — on Dec. 20.

 

The Space Force is organized as a military service branch within the Department of the Air Force, one of the three military departments within the Defense Department.  The Space Force, through the Department of the Air Force, is headed by the Secretary of the Air Force who reports to the Secretary of Defense.  

 

The Space Force flag of the newly created armed service will hang alongside those of the other military services at the White House.

 

Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper says the creation of the Space Force is necessary because adversaries have "weaponized” space.  "The United States is now doing what it needs to do to protect our assets in space and ensure that space remains the heavens by which we not only protect America, but we sustain our economy, we sustain our commercial capabilities, we sustain Americans' way of life,” adds Esper.

 

Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, points out space is critical to the United States. "If we are going to sustain our way of life, and we're going to defend our nation, then we're going to have to defend ourselves in space,” he declares.

 

Gen. John W. (Jay) Raymond, commander of the U.S. Space Command and the nation's first chief of space operations, thanked the president for his support of the 16,000 space professionals assigned to the Space Force and noted "those men and women come to work every day focusing on providing space capabilities for our nation for joint coalition forces and for the world. 

 

Raymond tells the president:  "We're proud of this flag. We're proud to have an opportunity to present it to you here for display in the White House.”

 

 

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USS NEVADA WRECK FOUND.  Searchers find the wreck of USS Nevada, the World War II battleship that endured bombs and torpedoes, almost three miles underwater about 65 nautical miles southwest of Honolulu.

 

WASHINGTON POST'S OFFICES CLOSED.  Affected by the coronavirus, safeguarding health of its employees, the Washington Post‘s offices will remain closed until after Labor Day.  Workers were sent home on March 11.  When the workforce returns, there will be social distancing, temperature checks, protective wear and testing.

 

WSJ MAGAZINE SKIPS AUGUST.  Latest print publication adjusting summer plans due to the coronavirus, the WSJ Magazine, a monthly publication from The Wall Street Journal, will skip the August issue this summer.

 

NINTENDO SEES PROFIT JUMP.  Japan-based video game giant Nintendo, founded in 1889 as a playing-card company and later producer of household games, announces a profit jump amid the pandemic from an increase in people staying home seeking things to do.

 

J.C. PENNEY FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY.  Department store chain J.C. Penney, founded by James Cash Penney in 1902, files for bankruptcy, punctuating declining sales and failed turnaround plans.

 

NYSE TRADING FLOOR TO REOPEN.  Closed since March 23 after several employees tested positive for the coronavirus resulted in all trading going to an electronic platform, the New York Stock Exchange reopens its trading floor on May 26, the day after Memorial Day, with limitations.

 

CONDE NAST REDUCES STAFF.  Reflecting the impact of the pandemic, Conde Nast, publisher of the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Wired and others, will lay off about 100 staffers in the U.S. and furlough another 100.

 

PAJAMA SALES JUMP.  With more people working from home, pajama sales are soaring while pants sales are about stopped.  Grocery sales also are getting a boost.

 

REMOVAL OF HOTEL'S TWO TOP FLOORS SOUGHT.  In Athens, Greece, builders of a 10-story hotel near the Acropolis have been ordered to remove its top two floors after locals united in a campaign against the structure because its height obstructed the view of the historic site.

 

BROADWAY SHOWS DARK THROUGH LABOR DAY.  New York’s Broadway shows are canceled through Labor Day.  Return date remains unknown.

 

WALMART GIVES MORE BONUS PAYOUTS.  Following similar bonus payments in April, Walmart is giving staffers working during the pandemic a second round of bonuses — $300 for full-time workers and $150 for part-timers.

 

DEADLY WASPS, GYPSY MOTHS 'BUG' WASHINGTON STATE

Washington state is going buggy these days with appearances by deadly wasps (called murder hornets) and gypsy moths, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

The wasps, world’s largest hornet species, have scientists trying to figure out how to eradicate them.  They warn that unless the insects are eliminated in the next two years, they could spread in North America and become permanently established.

 

It is unclear how the two-inch long orange and black hornets, that repordedly killed up to 50 people a year in Japan, arrived in the U.S.

 

"As long as you don't step on a nest or approach a beehive they have taken over, there is a fairly low risk that you will be stung," says a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

 

Washington State's other buggy threat is the non-native gypsy moth. 

 

It is such a threat that Gov. Jay Inslee issues an emergency proclamation, noting the creatures pose an "imminent danger of an infestation” and endanger the state’s agricultural and horticultural industries, seriously threatenening "the economic well-being and quality of life of state residents.” 

 

Female gypsy moths can lay hundreds of eggs that become caterpillars and then munch through more than 500 different tree and shrub species. Because the moths can fly long distances, it's likely they can quickly spread throughout the country, officials warn. 

 

 

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7 VETERANS OBSERVE WWII IN WASHINGTON.  Participating at a wreath-laying ceremony Friday in Washington marking the 75th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe are seven World War II veterans, ages 96 to 100, along with President Donald Trump.

 

RECORD COLD SMACKS EAST.  A blast of Arctic air hits the eastern half of the U.S. over the weekend, setting near or record lows for the date in cities including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

 

TEENAGER FINDS $135,000 AT ATM.  A 19-year-old on his way to make a bank deposit in Albuquerque spots a plastic bag on the ground near an ATM machine.  It contains $135,000 in $20 and $50 bills.  Rather than pocket his find, he calls police.  The money, meant to supply the machine, is mistakenly left outside the ATM by a bank subcontractor.  The youth wins praise and fame for his deed.

 

ERRATIC DRIVER TURNS OUT TO BE 5-YEAR-OLD.  A Utah Highway Patrol officer turns on his siren and pulls over an erratic driver on Interstate 15 in Ogden.  Behind the wheel, sitting on the edge of the seat to reach the pedals:  a 5-year-old boy who tells the trooper he is going to his sister’s house in California.  The boy tells another trooper he was going to buy a Lamborghini when he got there, then flashed open his wallet showing $3 cash to purchase his dream car.  

 

TOP N.Y. RESTAURANT MAY CLOSE.  Future of New York’s Eleven Madison Park, named the No. 1 restaurant in the world in 2017, is uncertain, chef-owner Daniel Humm tells Bloomberg.  “There is definitely a question mark over Eleven Madison Park --- if it will reopen” and “it will take millions of dollars to reopen,” he reveals.

 

LONG-HAUL TRUCKS BUSY.  While passenger travel on roads declines nearly 50 percent since lockdown measures were implemented in mid-March, long-haul truck trips only decline by 13 percent, showing that trucking industry continues delivering despite the pandemic, a new report shows.

 

MONKEY BUSINESS AT AN ATM.  Police in New Delhi are called to a State Bank of India ATM after the front of the machine is pulled off.  Video shows a monkey, believed to be a Rhesus Macaque, climbing up the front of the machine and tugging at the top. The machine then falls open before the inquisitive animal jumps up and begins to explore its inner workings. The monkey pulls off a piece of plastic and sniffs it before bouncing up and down several times on the opened lid before wandering away.

STRUGGLING NEWSPAPERS FIND FINANCIAL AID HARD TO FIND

Newspapers, struggling for survival, are finding it difficult to get financial aid to curb layoffs and payroll cuts, observes Grumpy Editor.

The Wall Street Journal, citing data from the Alliance for Audited Media, reports, “Papers representing more than 80 percent of U.S. circulation are disqualified from the government’s Paycheck Protection Program because of the way their companies are structured.”

 

The Journal adds, “The issue has prompted a bipartisan push in Congress to either amend PPP rules to make an exception for local news, or get news organizations other forms of aid in the next stimulus bill.”

 

The Paycheck Protection Program features loans designed to provide direct incentives for small businesses to keep workers on payrolls. The Small Business Administration will forgive loans if all employees are kept on payrolls for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest or utilities.

 

However, some news outlets are ineligible for PPP loans because parent companies own large businesses unrelated to news.

 

University of North Carolina research finds the U.S. has lost 2,100 newspapers in the past six years, leaving 1,800 communities wirthout a news source.

 

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MOST FEEL TRUMP SLOW IN CORONAVIRUS ACTION.   Pew Research Center finds nearly two-thirds of Americans (65 percent) say President Donald Trump was too slow to take major steps to address the threat to the U.S. when coronavirus cases were first reported in other countries.

 

FOX BUSINESS VIEWERS UP.  Fox Business Network total viewers jumped 80 percent in April, attracted by news about the economy and stock market in uncertain times.

 

CLOSED NEWSPAPER REVIVED.  The Los Angeles Times-owned Glendale (Calif.) News-Press which closed last month, will be revived by the publisher of the nearby La Canada Outlook.   Established in 1905, lack of advertising forced the News-Press to stop the presses.

 

PBS'S JIM LEHRER HONORED.  PBS NewsHour plans the Jim Lehrer Journalism Fellowship "in honor of award-winning, longtime PBS NewsHour anchor and co-founder Jim Lehrer.”   Lehrer passed away at age 85 in January. The award-winning newsman co-anchored "PBS NewsHour" alongside Robert MacNeil for two decades before anchoring the program solo for nearly 16 years.

NO CITIZENSHIP PROOF NEEDED.  A federal appeals court panel rules Kansas cannot require voters to show proof of citizenship when registering.

NON-THEATER FILMS OKAYED FOR OSCARS.  Eligibility for the next Oscars — set for Feb. 28, 2021 — is expanded to include films that were not release in theaters because of the nationwide shutdown. 

 

MORE LOCUSTS SWARM EAST AFRICA.  Another wave of locusts, 20 times larger than the first, are expected to swarm across East Africa, resulting in slashing agricultural production and mass food shortages.

CORONAVIRUS HITS REVENUE OF SOME DOCTORS

Doctors who focus on primary care checkups, endoscopies and other non-urgent services are facing tough times, notes Grumpy Editor.

As Axios points out, hospital care for COVID-19 and social distancing are taking priority, adding some doctors are reporting revenue falling 50 percent to 90 percent, as "loans and bailout money are helping some doctors stay afloat” while “the federal government and health insurers are paying doctors for telehealth visits, but that isn’t making up for lost revenue."

 

A survey of doctors indicates 20 percent of primary care practices believe they will temporarily close within a month.

 

Hospitals, insurance companies and private equity firms, which were rapidly buying practices before the pandemic, will view financially distressed practices as a golden opportunity, especially if the doctors are valuable sources of referrals, sees Axios.

 

 

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SUNDAY TRAVEL, SPORTS SECTIONS SUSPENDED.  With vacations cancelled and professional sports on hold, The New York Times suspends travel and sports sections in its Sunday print edition.  Sports news now is folded into the main section of the Sunday paper while travel coverage appears throughout the paper.

 

NAVY HOSPITAL SHIP READY TO DEPART.  After three weeks in New York harbor — mostly without patients — the U.S. Naval hospital ship USNS Comfort readies for departure.

 

CNN STAFFERS ABANDON OFFICES.  CNN president Jeff Zucker informs the network’s workforce that most staffers will not be returning to their offices until early September as precautions remain to curb the spread of the coronavirus. 

 

FOX CHIEF FORGOES SALARY.  Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch is forgoing his salary amid the coronavirus pandemic and 700 employees at the company will see pay reductions.

 

TV NEWS SHOWS NAKED HUBBY.  Camera of  KCRA-TV, Sacramento news reporter broadcasting from her home during the coronavirus pandemic, accidentally captures her naked husband taking a shower in the background.  

 

MARINES TO CUT TANK BATTALIONS.  The Marine Corps decides it must eliminate tank battalions and reduce its infantry and artillery units in 10 years as it converts its force to one more aligned with taking on potential adversaries such as China.

 

RIGHT TIME TO ORGANIZE?  Writers at Wired magazine form an editorial union as Condé Nast, the publication’s parent company, plans deep cuts amid the coronavirus-fueled economic downturn that has ravaged the media landscape.

 

JOB LOSSES GROW.  A Rasmussen Reports national survey finds 40 percent of American adults say they or someone in their immediate family has lost their job because of the coronavirus outbreak.  That’s up from 32 percent from a month earlier. 

 

WORLD'S INSECTS DWINDLE.  Researchers are alarmed that the world has lost more than a fourth of land-dwelling insects in the past three decades.  Bugs, they add, are disappearing at a rate just under one percent a year.

WITH LESS ADVERTISING, PUBLISHERS SLASH JOBS

With less advertising, hypoed by the coronavirus, more publishers are being forced to slash jobs — or worse, finds Grumpy Editor.

Latest newspaper to call it quits is the Glendale (Calif.) News-Press.  Established in 1905, lack of advertising forced it to roll out its final edition on Saturday.  

 

The Washington Post’s Jonathan O’Connell points out “cuts to the industry have accelerated so greatly that groups representing journalists have taken a maybe unprecedented step and asked the government to help, by keeping the industry afloat financially during the pandemic and seeding its resurgence once the economy begins to recover."

 

O’Connell reports Jon Schleuss, president of the NewsGuild labor union says, "We have to treat this as an emergency" and "there is a real interest in public health to keep people informed in this crisis.”

 

Since the pandemic began, newspaper chains have instituted furloughs of 10 percent to 25 percent of their staffs.

 

The Cleveland Plain Dealer, which covers a metropolitan area of more than 2 million people, lost 28 of its 32 union journalists this month due to new cuts.

 

Newspapers in Seattle, Portland, Boston, Sacramento, Reno and elsewhere have suspended print operations and furloughed their staffs, according to the Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida.

 

Cutbacks in advertising are "dealing a sharp and immediate blow to local news publishing," says News Media Alliance president and chief executive David Chavern.  "If this continues, there won't be local journalism in many communities.”

 

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ANIMAL SHELTERS EMPTYING.  Animal shelters across the U.S. are emptying amid the coronavirus pandemic.  People forced to wait out the pandemic at home are adopting and fostering shelter dogs and cats to keep them company. The shelters are thrilled.  Example:  Workers and volunteers at the Friends of the Palm Beach County (Florida) Animal Care and Control celebrate when the usually-packed kennel goes empty for the first time, stemming from lonely humans stuck at home seeking companionship.

LIFE INSURERS SHELVE SENIOR APPLICATIONS.  Some U.S. life insurers are deciding not to gamble on older Americans during the coronavirus crisis by temporarily suspending applications from certain age groups or imposing tougher requirements.

FORTUNE MAGAZINE TRIMS STAFF.   Fortune magazine cuts 35 staffers and CEO Alan Murray is taking a 50 percent pay cut. 

NBC NEWSCAST AIMED AT YOUNGSTERS.  NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt is leading an experimental version of the network’s flagship newscast aimed specifically at children and teens.  “Nightly News Kids Edition” streams on YouTube and is likely to appear at least twice a week and perhaps with  greater frequency.

 

VETS GET HOTEL ROOMS. The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to distribute $200 million to ease the burden on homeless shelters during the coronavirus pandemic and buy hotel rooms for veterans in need of help.

ESPN CUTS PAY.  With sports events on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, ESPN asks its 100 commentators to take a 15 percent pay cut over the next three months.

 

U.S. ASTRONAUTS LAUNCH SET.  Look for a May 27 astronaut launch.  That’s when NASA and SpaceX resume astronaut launches from the U.S. — the first since 2011.  Two astronauts will be sent to the international space station.

 

BALD EAGLES RELOCATE IN ARIZONA SAGUARO CACTUS.  For the first time in decades, bald eagles are found nesting in Arizona saguaro cactus.  Last known sighting in saguaro cacti in that state was in 1937.

 

 

 

U.S. POSTAL SERVICE FACES HALT IN OPERATIONS

 

Officials warn about a precipitous drop in mail volume as fewer people and businesses send mail because of the coronavirus outbreak that could hasten the decline of the U.S. Postal Service, forcing it to halt operations as early as June, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

With a negative net worth of $65 billion and an additional $140 billion in unfunded liabilities, the USPS originally expected to run out of liquidity by 2021 without intervention.

 

Compounding things, hundreds of postal workers have fallen sick during the pandemic and a dozen have died from the virus.

 

The Postal Service delivers about 1 million lifesaving medications each year and serves as the only delivery link to Americans living in rural areas.

 

Working with other delivery services like United Parcel Service, the agency supports $1.7 trillion in sales and 7.3 million private sector workers.

 

“At a time when America needs the Postal Service more than ever, the reason we are so needed is having a devastating effect on our business," says Postmaster General Megan Brennan.

 

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ANIMAL ADOPTIONS JUMP.  The pandemic is inspiring many people to adopt animals.  The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which reviews reports from 1,200 animal welfare organizations nationwide, says Los Angeles and New York shelters have seen a doubling of requests to adopt dogs.

 

MUCH OF CNBC'S STAFF WORKS FROM HOME.  With the pandemic, most of CNBC’s staff — and 40 on-air contributors — is working from home.  To get them airborne, production kits are used based on the Padcaster platform which features a front-end lens for higher quality and adapters for the use of lapel or shotgun mics. 

 

JIGSAW PUZZLES JUMP IN POPULARITY.  There’s a boom for jigsaw puzzles with people confined to homes.  But it takes time to produce the puzzles.  Each puzzle piece must be uniquely shaped to avoid one accidentally fitting into the wrong place. That means 1,000 different shapes for a 1,000-piece puzzle, each drawn by hand.

 

WHITE HOUSE JOURNALISTS TESTED.  Before the White House press briefing last week, journalists were tested for COVID-19.  It marks the latest effort by the White House and the White House Correspondents’ Association to keep the coronavirus off the premises.

 

ASTRONAUTS DEPART WITH LITTLE NEWS COVERAGE.  With news columns focused on the virus-plagued planet, there was little coverage of three astronauts — one American and two Russians — who took off for the International Space Station last week.

 

TRIBUNE CUTS PAY.  Tribune Publishing plans a series of permanent 2 percent to 10 percent pay cuts, effective April 19, for non-union staffers with an annual base salary of $67,000 or more.

LOCUSTS INVADE AFRICA.  A second wave of voracious locusts — billions of them, some 20 times the size of the first wave — is arriving in parts of Africa, including Uganda.  They are winging in from breeding grounds in Somalia in search of fresh vegetation springing up with seasonal rains.

 

MAJOR LAYOFFS AT YELP.  Yelp is laying off about 1,000 employees and furloughing about 1,100 as the coronavirus pandemic closes doors of advertisers.

AS CORONAVIRUS MOUNTS, NEWSPAPERS CUTTING STAFF, HOURS AND PAY

Newspaper readers, seeking latest information on the spreading coronavirus, especially in their area, are finding problems with coverage, notes Grumpy Editor.

Newspapers and other publications under pressure with dwindling advertising, are cutting staff, hours and pay.  Some are dropping print editions or shutting down entirely.

 

Those that are still operating find “the coronavirus pandemic has been likened to a war,” says the Washington Post.  "But journalists are largely absent from the harrowing, heartbreaking front line of this crisis: hospitals. In a disaster with an invisible enemy — no burning buildings or swamped towns to photograph — it is emergency rooms and intensive-care units where the day-to-day human toll of the deadly illness is most plainly visible.

 

"But a combination of health worries and privacy concerns has made it extremely difficult for the members of the media to go into these places and capture a vivid, firsthand portrait of this facet of the crisis.”

 

Researchers have long worried that the next recession — which economists say is already upon us — “could be an extinction-level event for newspapers,” says Penelope Abernathy, a University of North Carolina professor who studies the news industry. 

 

In the past week, Gannett, the largest U.S. newspaper chain, announced 15-day furloughs and pay cuts for many employees. Lee Enterprises, another major chain, announced salary cuts and furloughs.  The Tampa Bay Times, cut five days of its print edition and announced furloughs for non-newsroom staffers.

 

 

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And away we go.

DOG IN DRIVER'S SEAT.  A Washington state motorist led police on a chase with speeds up to 100 m.p.h. and when stopped, the 51-year-old motorist claims he was teaching his dog how to drive.  Cops found the canine in the driver’s seat.  On a route from Marysville to Arlington, the car crashed into several cars.

CORONA BEER OUTPUT HALTED.  Corona beer production is being temporarily suspended in Mexico because of the coronavirus pandemic.  Grupo Modelo, the company that makes the beer, says it's halting production and marketing because the Mexican government has shuttered non-essential businesses.

DNC CONVENTION MOVES TO AUGUST.  The coronavirus pandemic is pushing back the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee to the week of Aug. 17.  It still is expected to run four days.

 

N.Y. GOV. CUOMO SAYS NO PRESIDENTIAL RUN.  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, with an approval rating near 90 percent, during an interview with his brother, CNN’s Chris Cuomo, says he has no thoughts of running for president. 

 

THEATER CHAIN SHUTTERS.  AMC Entertainment Holdings closes more than 1,000 theaters around the world in response to the spread of the coronavirus.

CORONAVIRUS HYPOS CONSUMPTION OF NEWS

Axios finds "news consumption has skyrocketed in the U.S. over the past few weeks due to the coronavirus, according to TV ratings, web traffic, app downloads and social media interactions,” notes Grumpy Editor.

Here's the quickest review of the story so far — how it happened and how the U.S. lost control, compiled by Axios.

• The first known cases in Wuhan emerged in November or December, and Chinese officials spent part of January downplaying the problem.
• In early January, China posted the virus' genome for all to study — and later that month, China put strict measures in place that helped eventually limit its outbreak.
• Communities around the globe that had previous experience with the SARS outbreak prepared early and have so far avoided the worst impacts.
• The U.S. bought itself some extra time by screening passengers from Wuhan mid-January and advising against unnecessary travel to China later that month.
• But the U.S. squandered that time — failing to resolve the breakdown of its testing system, to ramp up production of masks and ventilators, or to move quickly on social media distancing measures.
• Invalid comparisons with seasonal flu outbreaks led individuals and leaders to downplay the virus’ danger.
• For now, until we develop treatments and vaccines, distance and hygiene are the only weapons against the spread of the new virus.
• Shutdowns cause widespread economic harm. So does mass illness. Economies can recover.  The dead can’t. 
• Our errors have all been on the side of underestimating the virus and, despite warnings, under-preparing for the crisis.
• Whatever mistakes lie behind us, each day offers new chances to limit future harm.

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HISTORIC HOTEL SHUTS DOORS.  The historic Hotel del Coronado in California takes the unprecedented step of shutting its doors temporarily in the face of dramatic declines in business because of the continuing spread of the coronavirus.  Closing the 132-year-old oceanside hotel affects 1,171 staffers.

 

MARINES TO REDUCE UNITS.  The Marine Corps decides it must eliminate its tank battalions and reduce its infantry and artillery units in 10 years as it converts its force to one more aligned with taking on potential adversaries such as China, reports Stars & Stripes.

 

TEXAS CITIES LEAD IN POPULATION GAINS.  Dallas and Houston metropolitan areas lead the biggest U.S. population gains over the past decade.  Dallas added 1.2 million people while Houston increased by 1.1 million.

 

TONY AWARDS SHOW POSTPONED.  The coronavirus causes the 74th annual Tony Awards, scheduled for June 7 in New York, to be postponed.  The show was slated to be carried live on CBS.

 

WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS DINNER SHELVED.  The White House Correspondents’ Association postpones its annual dinner scheduled for April 25, but still hopes to hold the event this summer or fall if the coronavirus threat abates.

 

ST. LOUS NEWSPAPERS HIT.  Webster-Kirkwood Times Inc., ceases publishing a trio of St. Louis area newspapers, the latest media company to be hit by the coronavirus.

 

TWITTER DONATES $1 MILLION. Twitter is donating $1 million between the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Women’s Media Foundation to further their work related to supporting those reporting on COVID-19.

 

POSTAL SERVICE NEEDS HELP.  The Postal Service needs “urgent help” amid the coronavirus pandemic or it could shut down as early as June, warn Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney (New York) and Gerry Connolly (Virginia).

 

BASEBALL PLAYERS OK WITH EXTENDING SEASON.  With the coronavirus pandemic, Major League Baseball players are willing to extend the season as long as needed to cover as close to a full schedule as possible, even if it involves several day-night doubleheaders.

CORONAVIRUS FORCES SOME LOCAL NEWSPAPERS TO SHUTTER

 

The coronavirus crisis is smacking some local newspapers hard, forcing them to suspend publication, perhaps indefinitely, notes Grumpy Editor.

Forced closing of “non-essential” businesses --- ranging from movie theaters to restaurants to concerts--- is producing a sudden steep drop in ad revenue for newspapers.

Staffers are being laid off and print editions are ceasing to be published.

Typical are small weekly newspapers in California and Nevada.  Jeff vonKanael,  president of the Sacramento, Chico and Reno News & Reviews, says the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic “could be the end” for the organizations.

He reports the Chico News & Review, for example, lost 50 percent of its ad revenue in less than a week.

 

Media companies are working to offset revenue losses by turning to companies more likely to advertise now, such as streaming services, food delivery and e-commerce companies.

 

Meanwhile, The Denver Post is suspending its regular sports section "until things start returning to normal,” says its publisher, adding the sports staff will now be free to help the newspaper focus on covering the impact of coronavirus in Colorado.  On Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays the Post will produce a smaller than normal sports section, then on Wednesdays through Saturdays any sports news will be placed in the paper’s main section.

 

 

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CHINA REVOKES PRESS CREDENTIALS.  China revokes press credentials of American journalists representing The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post.  It represents the largest expulsion of media since the Mao era, amid an escalating battle with the Trump administration over media operating in the two countries.

 

CENSUS BUREAU HEAD COUNTS EXTENDED.  U.S. Census Bureau is extending the deadline for head counts by two weeks --- now to mid-August, because of the coronavirus.

 

CORONAVIRUS HALTS DENTAL WORK.  Dentists in Nevada are being informed not to perform routine checkups and cleanings in response to the coronavirus.

 

PHYSICAL PROTECTION FOR BIDEN.  Former Vice President Joe Biden now has Secret Service protection as the Democrat presidential candidate is off the campaign trail amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

 

BIRTH IN WALMART STORE.  A woman gave birth in the toilet paper aisle of a Walmart in Springfield, Missouri.  A nurse shopping in the store provides a delivery assist.

 

BASEBALL WATCHERS ONLY ON TV PROPOSED.  Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon advocates starting the baseball season with fans only watching on TV. Doing so could allow MLB to test pace-of-play initiatives.

 

BANK OF AMERICA PLEDGES $100 MILLION DONATION.  Bank of America pledges to donate $100 million to support populations hurt by the coronavirus with the funds distributed to various communities as well as national and global organizations.

 

KANGAROO CONTRIBUTES TO TOILET PAPER CRISIS.   A kangaroo visits a campground in South Australia, enters the restroom to munch toilet paper from a bathroom stall.

WITHOUT SPORTS GAMES TO AIR, NETWORKS LOSE AD REVENUE

Imagine a TV network with no regular fare to show, asks Grumpy Editor.

That’s the problem networks that air sports now face.  Almost every major sports league and conference is suspending play, rescheduling or canceling events stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Among them:  National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and National Hockey League.

 

Losing games puts a big hole in TV networks schedules.

 

Without games to air, networks will take a substantial hit in advertising revenue.

 

The Wall Street Journal points out Walt Disney’s ESPN and AT&T’s Turner, parent of TNT, together spend about $2.7 billion a year to show NBA games nationally while regional networks owned by Comcast and Sinclair Broadcast Group, among others, air NBA games in local markets.

 

In the last NBA season, for example, a reserach firm says TV networks brought in nearly $600 million in ad revenue from NBA games and $972 million from playoffs. 

 

Meanwhile, ESPN, Turner and Fox all have Major League Baseball rights.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

POTENT STORM BRINGS HEAVY SNOW TO CALIFORNIA MOUNTAINS.  With an average temperature 4 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average, this winter ranks first among the warmest winters on land in the Northern Hemisphere, beating the very mild winter of 2015-2016.  But spring doesn’t arrive until Friday and a large and potent storm system on the West Coast brings very heavy snow to northern and central California Mountains in what looks to be the most significant storm of the season for parts of the Golden State.

WASHINGTON POST INSTRUCTS STAFFERS TO WORK FROM HOME.  The Washington Post instructs employees to work from home, if possible, in response to the coronavirus outbreak. “We have decided to begin encouraging (but not mandating) employees to work from home if your role and equipment needs make it practical to do so,” says the publisher.

U.S. MILITARY EXERCISE SCALED BACK.  The largest U.S. military exercise in Europe in a generation will be scaled back because of concerns about coronavirus, marking a possible setback for the Army after the service spent years building up for the drill known as Defender-Europe 20, reports Stars and Stripes.

KANSAS CITY STAR ENDS SATURDAY EDITION.  The Kansas City Star’s Saturday edition is going away.  But the paper is expanding its Friday and Sunday print editions, so subscribers will continue to get their favorite Saturday features, including comics and puzzles. The Star has not missed a single day of covering the news since its first paper was printed almost 140 years ago.

 

GANNETT URGES TELECOMMUTING.  The head of Gannett, the nation's largest newspaper chain, urges employees able to telecommute to “refrain from coming into the office unless absolutely necessary” because of the coronavirus outbreak.

FOX NEWS CURBS LARGE GATHERINGS. Fox News says it is encouraging its shows to book guest appearances via Skype or remote locations. Staffers are told to avoid large gatherings and, when possible, conduct business by phone or video conferencing.

 

 

PROS AND CONS WITH DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME

In the second day of Daylight Saving Time in 2020, there are strong pros and cons on the time change, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Many Americans would like DST to vanish, thus ending the twice-a-year ritual of moving clocks ahead in March and back in the fall.

 

Some states would like to shelve DST.

 

Meanwhile, legislation supporting year-round DST has been introduced in Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Vermont.

 

First use of DST in the U.S. started as a temporary measure in 1918 during World War I in order to conserve coal.

 

With World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt imposed DST to conserve fuel.

 

Current time change stems from when Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966.

 

Those for the time change cite a switch to DST brings more light to enjoy in the evening, the crime rate drops, energy consumption is lower and there are fewer traffic accidents.

 

However, a poll by Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds four in 10 Americans would like clocks to stay on standard time year round while about three in 10 prefer DST.  About three in 10 prefer the status quo.

 

Only Arizona and Hawaii skip the time changes.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

 

 

Various Gibson guitars

 

GIBSON TO REPLACE LOST, DAMAGED GUITARS.  Gibson, the iconic guitar manufacturer headquartered in Nashville since 1894, says it will replace guitars lost or damaged in last week’s devastating tornado.

SMITHSONIAN ADDS COMMAND MODULE.  New addition to the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center is the Columbia command module in which Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins went to the moon in 1969.

WARMEST WINTER HITS MOSCOW.   Moscow, Russia, usually blanketed in snow during winter months, sees the warmest winter in the 140-year history of meteorological observations, recording a staggering 13.5 degrees Fahrenheit above average.

THIEF USES FISHING ROD.  Melbourne, Australia police are seeking a thief who used a fishing rod through a hole in a window to hook a Versace necklace from a mannequin’s neck at a high-end designer store.

U.S. ARMY OFFICER SELECTION CHANGES.  In the biggest shift since the Vietnam War era, the U.S. Army changes  how it selects a key class of officers.  Rather than relying on physical fitness scores and  recommendations of generals to promote officers to battalion commander, the new routine includes surveys by subordinates, writing tests, psychological assessments, cognitive evaluations and a series of simulated scenarios.

HOSPITAL THERAPY DOGS 'WED.'  Therapy dogs Peaches and Duke, golden retrievers, "tie the knot" at Methodist Mansfield (Texas) hospital where the facility's vice president of pastoral services performs the ceremony followed by the newlyweds enjoying a "doggy wedding cake” before returning to help physical therapy patients.

 

AUSSIE NEWS AGENCY TO SHUTTER.  Australian Associated Press (AAP), the country’s only news agency, is closing after 85 years.  CEO Bruce Davidson says the business is no longer viable in the face of increasing free online content.

 

U.S. LEADS WITH SUPER RICH.  The U.S. leads the world with the super rich with 13,443 individuals last year with fortunes of $30 million or more, according to Knight Frank’s 2020 Wealth Report. China comes in second with 7,892 people, while Japan is a distant third.