Grumpy Editor

STUDY FINDS CONSTANTLY READING NEGATIVE NEWS IS 'BAD’ FOR YOU

A constant flow of negative news, such as the long-running pandemic plus shootings, inflation and natural disasters, is bad for you, according to a new study, notes Grumpy Editor.

Researchers in Spain looked at how people are best able to manage feelings of anxiety and depression at the height of the pandemic, finding that one of the most effective methods is to take breaks from the barrage of bad news, reports NBC’s Erika Edwards.

The best predictor for having lower anxiety and depressive symptoms is to "avoid watching too much news," Edwards notes from lead study author Dr. Joaquim Radua, a psychiatrist in Barcelona.  

Others say there's only so much negative news coverage a person can take before that reporting affects mental health.

 IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

BOOSTER SUGGESTED BY HALLOWEEN.  For maximum protection for the upcoming holidays, the White House says Americans should get updated COVID-19 booster shots by Halloween.  It also warns of a “challenging” virus season ahead.

PINK DIAMOND BRINGS ALMOST $50 MILLION.  A rare pink 11.15-carat diamond sells for $49.9 million U.S. in Hong Kong via Sotheby’s.  It sets an auction world record for the highest price per carat for a diamond. 

DELTA INVESTS IN ELECTRIC CRAFT.  Delta Air Lines invests $60 million in a startup that hopes to build electric-powered helicopter-like air taxis.  The aircraft take off and land vertically, like helicopters.

 CHIHUAHUA HOLDS OLDEST LIVING DOG TITLE.  A 21-year-old Florida chihuahua named Toby Keith, is "back on his throne" as the world's oldest living dog according to Guinness World Records.

BORDER PATROL SLIM IN ARIZONA.  Border Patrol agents say they’ve been largely pulled off the border in Arizona, allowing massive numbers of illegal immigrants to walk unstopped into the U.S. The National Border Patrol Council mentions only one in five agents in the Tucson region is assigned to patrol duties. 

GOLD COIN COLLECTION SELLS FOR $845,000.  A collection of 17th-18th century gold coins, found in England when a couple renovated their kitchen, sells at auction for $845,000.  The auctioneer describes the trove as "120 years of English history hidden in a pot the same size as a soda can.”

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LEVEL OF NEWS CONSUMPTION TAKES NOSEDIVE

Axios reports “the level of news consumption in 2021 took a nosedive following historic highs in 2020,” notes Grumpy Editor.

 

“Despite a slew of major stories, readers have retrenched further in 2022,” it adds.

 

"The war in Ukraine, a series of deadly mass shootings, the Jan. 6 hearings and the Supreme Court's revocation of abortion rights haven't been able to capture the same level of attention spurred by the onset of the pandemic and the 2020 election,” Axios adds.

 

It finds cable viewership on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC on average is down 19 percent in prime time for the first half of 2022, compared with the like period last year.

 

Axios also points out visits to the top five U.S. web sites dropped while engagement on social media with news articles cratered over the past six months.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS  MISSED THESE…

 

USPS AIMS FOR MORE ELECTRIC VEHICLES.  The U.S. Postal Service plans to "substantially increase" the number of electric-powered vehicles it is buying to replace its aging delivery trucks.  It plans 50 percent of its initial purchase of 50,00o next-generation vehicles to be electric.

 

WITH HEAT, MOVIE CHAIN OFFERS REDHEADS FREE TICKETS.  As an unusual heat wave sees temperatures in the United Kingdom topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit, Showcase Cinemas movie theater chain offers redheads free tickets to a movie of their choice when temperatures hit 104 degrees. 

 

ARMY STRUGGLES TO FIND RECRUITS.  The Army will fail to meet its goal by up to 28,000 soldiers this fiscal year, falling to a force of between 445,000 and 452,000 troops by Sept. 30.  However, it  still aims to finish the fiscal year with 455,000 soldiers despite ongoing recruitment struggles.

 

 FOX NEWS CHANNEL SKIPS JAN. 6 COMMITTEE SESSION.  Missing from last Thursday’s TV coverage of the House’s Jan. 6 committee focusing on former President Donald Trump’s actions during the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S.Capitol action was the top-rated news network, Fox News Channel.  It stuck with its own lineup of commentators in regular programming.

 

MAN’S NECK WRAPPED BY SNAKE.  Police were called to a Fogelsville home in Pennsylvania for a man in cardiac arrest with a snake wrapped around his neck.  When officers arrived at the house, the 28-year-old was lying on the floor unresponsive, with the middle portion of a large snake wrapped around his neck.  They shot the snake, saving the man it was strangling.

 

MASSIVE SEA TURTLE GOES OFF COURSE.  In Melbourne Beach, Florida, a massive green sea turtle wandered onto a beachfront patio and needed help from rescuers to find its way back to sea.  After hours stuck on the patio the turtle made its way back to the ocean after being carried in a harness away from the home and over the dunes.

 

BLUE ANGELS WELCOMES FEMALE TO TEAM.  The Blue Angels, famed Navy flight demonstration squadron, welcomes Navy Lt. Amanda Lee, its first female to the team.  She is named alongside five other officers as newest members of the squadron.

 

MONARCH BUTTERFLY ON ENDANGERED LIST.  The Monarch butterfly is close to extinction.  Scientists put the orange and black insect on the endangered list.  It is one of the world’s most recognizable butterflies.

 

HEMINGWAY LOOK-ALIKE CONTEST ATTRACTS 135.  The annual Ernest Hemingway Look-Alike Contest in Key West, Florida marks the famed author’s 123rd anniversary.  This year’s competition attracted 135 portly, bearded men.

 

TRUST IN MEDIA REPORTING NEWS DROPS: GALLUP

Gallup finds Americans' trust in media to report news fully, accurately and fairly has dropped from last year, notes Grumpy Editor.

The pollster says trust fell to 36 percent, four percentage points below 2020.

Gallup reports a slim seven percent of adults have "a great deal" and 29 percent "a fair amount" of trust and confidence in newspapers, television and radio news reporting.

Combined, that puts it four points above Gallup's 32 percent record low in 2016.

These findings,  from a Sept. 1-17 poll, are the latest in Gallup's tracking of the public's confidence in key U.S. institutions that began in 1972.

 

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WILL HOLLYWOOD BECOME GHOST TOWN?  A strike looms for Hollywood’s major industry as its key union --- representing more than 150,000 behind-the-scenes entertainment workers --- approves a strike if negotiations over working conditions and pay break down.

 TEXAS HOUSING COSTS APPEAL.  A key reason Texas is one of the fastest-growing states is housing costs, finds a University of Texas, Austin, study.  Most homes cost under $200,000.  In California. as comparison, about 58 percent of houses cost more than $500,000. 

N.Y. LIBRARY LATE FEES GONE.  Libraries in New York City no longer will charge late fees and will waive existing fees for overdue books and other materials.

 

RARE DISH SELLS AT AUCTION.  A rare 16th century dish depicting the biblical tale of Samson and Delilah sells at auction at more than $1.7 million.  Discovered in a drawer at a Scottish house, the plate measures 11 inches in diameter and is believed to have been made by Nicola da Urbino around 1520-23.

 

RETIRED AIRCRAFT CARRIERS SELL FOR ONE-CENT EACH.  The USS Kitty Hawk and the USS John F Kennedy, warships from the Vietnam and Gulf wars, are sold for one cent each to a scrap metal dealer in Texas.

SMALL HOUSE PRICE TAG DRAWS INTEREST.  In the Boston suburb of Newton, where the median home price is more than $1 million, interest is focused on a $449,900 property for sale.  But it’s only 251 square feet, yet features a loft bed, kitchenette, skylight, room for storage in the basement and a large driveway. 

SQUIRREL STORES WALNUTS IN VEHICLE.  Bill Fischer of Fargo, North Dakota, says he removed about 42 gallons of walnuts from his Chevy Avalanche pickup truck parked outside his home, after a red squirrel selected the vehicle as its winter storage area.

ANTARCTICA ENCOUNTERS VERY DEEP FREEZE.  While this year’s summer set records for heat in the U.S., Antarctica was in a very deep freeze.  Average temperature at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station between April and September was minus 78 degrees, coldest on record, dating back to 1957.

BASEBALL GAME LENGTH GROWS.  Baseball games are getting longer.  Average time of a nine-inning Major League Baseball game this season is a record 3 hours, 10 minutes, 7 seconds.  Perhaps it’s time to speed up pitchers action from the mound.

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.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

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.

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.

 

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.

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

 

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.

MOST PEOPLE AVOID NEWS BECAUSE IT AFFECTS MOOD: SURVEY

 

Some 58 percent of people avoid the news because it has a negative effect on their mood or because they feel powerless to change events, noted Grumpy Editor.

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University two years ago found 29 percent of those surveyed worldwide said they “often or sometimes avoid the news,” including 38 percent in the United States and 24 percent in Britain.

 

This year those numbers increased to 32 percent worldwide, 41 percent in the U.S. and 35 percent in the U.K.

 

Why do people avoid news?

 

Leading causes for Americans were, “It can have a negative effect on my mood” (57 percent) and “I can’t rely on news to be true” (35 percent).

 

Among comments:

 

     There is never anything positive in the news. It’s always negative, and I’m not a negative person.

 

     I hate hearing or reading a paper that constantly has nothing but bad reports in it.

 

     News organizations have become dependent on sensationalism and shocking news. While I agree that we need to shed light on what is terrible and the atrocities in the world, balance those with what is right in this world.

 

     I haven’t read a newspaper in years. It was all too depressing, and I have enough to read.

 

     I stopped reading newspapers or watching the news when I realized that facts don’t matter anymore.  Pressing a political or commercial interest is all they’re good for, and that isn’t healthy.

 

    Grumpy Editor, meanwhile, observed that broadcast news has become too repetitious with the same headlines carried through the day (without a "fresh" hourly top, as in former days) and sometimes into the next day or two.

 

 

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WORKHORSE DRONE.   Iran’s attack on a U.S. RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance aircraft flying in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz marked the first known instance of an adversary shooting down the workhorse drone in its nearly 18-year operational history. 

 

WOMAN TO HEAD U.S. NAVAL WAR COLLEGE. Rear Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, a helicopter pilot who heads a military command in Guam, will be the first female leader of the U.S. Naval War College.  She will replace Rear Adm. Jeffrey Harley, who is being investigated for excessive spending and abusing his hiring authority.

 

FATHERS TEND TO BE BETTER EDUCATED.  A U.S. Census Bureau report finds fathers tend to be better educated than those without children and relatively few men over age 40 have children.  The report also discovered more than 60 percent of the 121 million adult men in the U.S. are fathers and just under a fourth between 40 and 50 are childless.

 

ONLY ONE NEWS CHANNEL CARRIES S.C. DEMOCRATS' GATHERING.  Other news networks were upset Saturday that that the South Carolina Democratic Party decided only one TV outlet — MSNBC — provide live coverage to the South Carolina Democratic Convention where presidential candidates spoke.  Among banned networks:  C-Span which has never been denied live coverage of a state convention in its 40 years.

165-YEAR-OLD BRITISH WEEKLY CLOSES.  An era came to an end on the Scottish island of Bute with closure of one of the United Kingdom's oldest weekly newspapers. The Buteman has recorded the ebb and flow of the island community of just over 6,000 residents 90 minutes from Glasgow for 165 years. With circulation dropping below 1,000, its owners decided to call time. 

ANGELINA JOLIE JOINS TIME MAGAZINE.  TIME announced Angelina Jolie will join the magazine as a contributing editor.  She will write on a variety of topics, focusing primarily on displacement, conflict and human rights.  Jolie’s writing for TIME will draw on her 18 years working with the U.N. Refugee Agency.

GOING AWAY PARTY FOR SARAH HUCKABEE.  A going-away party for departing White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is slated today at an upscale Washington bar and restaurant.  She plans to depart her post at the end of this week.

BEAR GETS INTO HOUSE, LOCKS DOOR, NAPS.  A black bear in Missoula, Mont. decided he didn't want to be disturbed while taking a nap inside an empty home he entered.  So, somehow, he locked the deadbolt inside, making it difficult for authorities to reach him.  They finally did, and he was relocated. 

WOULD TODAY’S MEDIA KEEP D-DAY PLANS A SECRET?

 

 

D-Day landing, 1944

 

 

With the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landing in France being observed on June 6, press action — or more precisely inaction at that time — on activity leading up to the event that led to liberation of Europe would never happen today, declares Grumpy Editor.

 

Those representing print and radio at that time were patriotically mum on the most heavily guarded secret on the planet:  Invasion of Normandy across the English Channel.  It was the major turning point in the war.

 

Nowadays most members of the media can't keep a secret, or even a rumor, without firing it off.

 

On that noteworthy day in 1944 surprise was crucial, especially with Germany’s 55 divisions in France.

 

Six parachute regiments, with more than 13,000 troops, flew from nine British airfields in more than 800 aircraft, part of a massive flight of more than 11,000 planes.

 

More than 300 aircraft dropped 13,000 bombs over coastal Normandy in advance of the invasion when more than 160,000 troops stormed the beaches.

 

The main Allied invasion force of almost 7,000 naval vessels carried troops, weapons and heavy equipment, including tanks.  The armada included 1,200 warships that transported the troops and nearly 30,000 vehicles.

 

Ships of various sizes dotted the 100 miles across the channel, stretching as far as the eye could see.

 

True journalists at that time kept the secret that resulted in a surprise landing in Normandy.

 

Most of today’s media, with many members holding political science rather than journalism degrees, simply wouldn’t abide by a top-secret label on a major event.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

NAVY UNIFORM PATCH UNDER REVIEW.  The federal government was reviewing Defense Department policy regulations on dress code after some service members wore a uniform patch with the words “Make Aircrew Great Again” along with a likeness of Donald Trump during the president’s visit to the USS Wasp in Japan.

WETTEST 12 MONTHS SETS RECORD.  The National Weather Service said there's never been a wetter 12 month period in the past 124 years. The continental U.S. averaged six inches of precipitation above average during the period.

 

PATRIOTIC PARADE GETS SLIM COVERAGE.  Outside of the nation’s capital, there wasn’t much coverage of the thousands of spectators who lined Constitution Avenue to pay tribute to the past and present U.S. military in the National Memorial Day Parade.  Parade participants wore uniforms dating back to the Revolutionary War.  Along with floats, vehicles carried the parade's grand marshals — World War II veterans — as well as Medal of Honor recipients and celebrities.

 

MAN SHOOTS PROWLERS, GETS ARRESTED.  A 64-year-old man was arrested for possession of an illegal handgun after he fatally shot a pair of prowlers burglarizing his home in Deerfield, N.Y.  He told the district attorney the weapon he used in self-defense was his late father’s.   He was charged with felony possession of an illegal handgun.

SINGLE PURCHASE BOOSTS STORE SALES.  Costco performed a price check after noting a nearly $400,000 purchase at one of its stores during its most recent quarter. The lofty price tag was linked to one item — a diamond ring.

 

CANINE RULES TOWN.  Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller II (Max for short), has been Idyllwild, Calif.’s mayor since 2014. The non-incorporated community in the San Jacinto mountains has has been electing canines for its highest office since 2012.  

 

BANK ROBBER NABBED IN CASINO.  A suspect in at least four armed bank robberies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island was captured as he gambled at the Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville, Mass.

 

CHINESE COUNTERFEIT GOODS CITED.  Military Times reported military and government agencies plus others purchased more than $20 million worth of Chinese-made counterfeit goods designed to look like domestically produced gear from a company that defrauded the government and helped to orchestrate the counterfeiting process between January, 2013 and October, 2018. 

 

51ST STATE LOOMING?  A House committee will hold a hearing July 24 on a bill that proposes Washington , D.C. be recognized as the nation’s 51st state.  The bill calls for two senators and one representative for D.C.

CRIME HEADLINES OFTEN INCLUDE 'VETERAN,' NOTES NEWSPAPER READER

Are news outlets giving veterans a slap, asks Grumpy Editor.

It seems whenever there are criminal acts by former soldiers, sailors and Marines, the person is identified in headlines and text as a veteran, observes a Nevada newspaper reader (a veteran) who points out the criminal veteran’s status has nothing to do with the story or the criminal act.

 

The reader adds, "I note suspects in many local and national crimes have Hispanic names,” yet he rarely sees the term “illegal” or “undocumented" linked to the perpetrator, especially in headlines.

 

He notes that news outlets seldom identify criminals as white, black, Asian, Hispanic or Native American, so why veteran?

 

“Do the media believe that veterans are somehow tainted because of their military service?” he wonders.

 

 

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WILL DROUGHT TALK CONTINUE?  Precipitation over the last year (May 2018 to April) in the United States sets a record. An average of 36.2 inches fall over the Lower 48, the first time it tops 36 inches during a 12-month period in more than 120 years of record-keeping.

 

COIN MYSTERY.  Two coins, one minted in Madrid in 1660 and the other made around the 1200s, are found on the ground at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah. Their presence in the desert remains unexplained while other artifacts could remain in the area.

 

TYPO ON 46 MILLION BILLS.  An Australian radio station notices a typographical error on 46 million $50 bills printed by the Reserve Bank of Australia last year.  Seems "responsibility" is incorrectly spelled on about $1.6 billion worth of currency.

 

WALMART PAYS ABOVE MINIMUM WAGES.  Walmart, the nation’s largest employer, pays its U.S. store managers an average of $175,000 a year.  A company report says its one-million-plus U.S. workers earn more than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, with the average wage for full-time hourly workers at $14.26.

 

MAJOR NEWSPAPER'S STAFF GONE WITH SALE.  The Times-Picayune, top newspaper in New Orleans --- founded in 1837 --- is sold to its major rival, the New Orleans Advocate. The deal results in the layoff of every member of the Times-Picayune staff.  But some of those may wind up at the Advocate.

BEVERLY HILLS PLANS BAN ON TOBACCO.  Beverly Hills, Calif., home to the rich and famous, may be the nation's first to outlaw the sale of tobacco products everywhere except a few cigar lounges and via concierge or room service in the city's luxury hotels. The Beverly Hills City Council is slated to vote on the measure May 21.

ALLIGATOR IN WOMAN'S PANTS.  A Florida woman pulls a small alligator out of her pants during a highway traffic stop in Punta Gorda. When an officer asks "Do you have anything else?" 42 striped mud turtles and one softshell turtle are found in the woman's vehicle.  Florida is home to more than a million gators, protected under state law.

WALL STREET JOURNAL BOOSTS POLITICAL TEAM.  Preparing for the 2020 elections, The Wall Street Journal is expanding its political team with the hiring of three reporters who will focus on national politics, the White House and Congress.

 

WAITER FINDS BIG CHECK ON TABLE.  Clearing off a table at Patsy’s Pizzeria in Manhattan's East Harlem neighborhood, a waiter finds an envelope containing a $424,000 cashier's check left behind by a customer. The restaurant's owner contacted the Daily News which helped locate the mystery woman, a 79-year-old retired social worker from Manhattan.  The waiter refused a tip for his efforts.

MORE MILLENNIALS LIVE AT HOME.  Zillow, a housing research firm, finds student loan debt, rising rents and stagnant wages result in more millennials living at home with their parents than at any other point this century.  It tallies 22% of millennial Americans are either staying home or returning to childhood bedrooms.

NEW REGULATIONS IN TV PITCHES.  In a move to improve transparency in health-care costs, new regulations will require TV pitches for prescription drugs to include list prices.  The disclosures will appear in TV commercials within a few months.  

AWARDS SEASON INCLUDES TRUMP'S 'FAKE NEWS' LIST

With the “awards season” in full force, President Donald Trump last week reveals via Twitter the winners of his self-proclaimed ‘Fake News’ awards, observes Grumpy Editor.

GOP.com, which ran the list, notes “studies have shown that over 90 percent of the media’s coverage of President Trump is negative” and called 2017 “a year of unrelenting bias, unfair news coverage and even downright fake news.”

Topping the list is New York Times columnist Paul Krugman who predicted  the stock markets would never recover from Trump’s election.

It is followed by ABC News’ Brian Ross for his bungled report that Trump advised former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to make contact with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign.

Among others on the fake news list:

CNN falsely reporting the Trump campaign had early access to hacked documents from WikiLeaks.

A Time magazine report that Trump removed a Martin Luther King, Jr. bust from the Oval Office.

The Washington Post’s Dave Weigel tweeting that a December rally in Pensacola, Fla. wasn’t packed --- when supporters were lined up outside waiting for doors to open.

CNN footage suggesting Trump overfed fish in Japan during a visit with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

A Newsweek report that Agata Kornhauser-Duda, Polish first lady, did not shake Trump’s hand.

A New York Times story that the Trump administration hid a climate change study.

 

Trump declares Russian collusion "is perhaps the greatest hoax perpetrated on the American people.  THERE IS NO COLLUSION."

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

 

 "SNOW CAR" LOOKS LIKE THE REAL THING.  A Montreal man neatly crafted a fake car made from snow and it looked real enough that when police came around to look for cars parked on the side of the road during snow-plowing hours, they wrote a ticket and left it under a real windshield wiper.

GOOD READING.  For writers, especially those who focus on books, just released is the free quarterly Writers Tricks of the Trade written by writers for writers and produced by veteran author Morgan St. James.  See it at https://joom.ag/aErL

BRIEF DEMOTION FOR SCHUMER.  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in a page one story on government shutdown in some editions of Friday’s Wall Street Journal is incorrectly identified as House minority leader.

L.A. TIMES PUBLISHER TAKES LEAVE.  Los Angeles Times publisher and chief executive Ross Levinsohn, hired five months ago, agrees to take an unpaid leave of absence while allegations of workplace misconduct at prior jobs are investigated.

TAXPAYERS HAPPY WITH ECONOMY.  A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds Americans satisfaction with the economy reaches a 17-year high and support for the Republican tax law is growing.

BETTER LOOK FOR WIDE TREES.  With the federal government shutdown, many national parks remain mostly open.  However, public restrooms are closed.

ANIMAL PROBLEMS IN AIR.  Facing a jump in problems with animals in cabins, Delta Air Lines is calling on passengers to provide more documentation for service and support animals.

AMAZON CUTS SECOND HQ LIST.  Seattle-headquartered Amazon narrows its list of a possible second headquarters city to 20.  The new facility could employ up to 50,000 workers, compared with 67,000 full timers in Seattle.

SUDDEN JUMP IN VEGAS SHOOTING EVIDENCE.  After almost four months with scant evidence available to media in the Oct. 1 Las Vegas massacre that resulted in 58 people killed and hundreds injured, a Metro Police report over the weekend says the killer left an enormous amount of evidence for investigators to go through. 

TECH GIANT SQUEEZES SUBSCRIBERS.  Amazon hikes its monthly Prime fee by 18 percent to $12.99 a month. Subscribers get free two-day shipping service. 

NEWS FEED CUT.  Facebook Inc. is cutting the amount of news in its news feed, saying it is prioritizing information from publishers that are deemed most trustworthy.

GLOBAL WARMING A FACTOR?  CNN reports "a substantial amount of snow" fell in Ain Sefra, a desert town in Algeria known as the "Gateway to the Sahara.”  The location is one of the world’s hottest places. 

BAD YEAR AT THE BOX OFFICE.  Movie attendance last year is down by 92 million, compared to 2016, but average ticket price is up 3.7 percent since 2016, reports the National Alliance of Theater Owners.

 

 

 

2017 ENDING AS BIGGEST YEAR FOR 'FAKE NEWS'

This year turns out to be the biggest for "fake news" as many writers released incorrect or made-up stories, most aimed at the White House, finds Grumpy Editor.

Could it stem from some offending writers graduating with a political science rather than a journalism background?

A constant barrage of fake news or dopey news continues to make headlines.  An example of dopey news: The mighty New York Times, on a day when Congress was kicking around a capital gains tax hike that would affect thousands of Times readers, it came up with a startling revelation that President Donald Trump drinks a dozen cans of Diet Coke each day.

Other than a hearty free plug for the Coca-Cola Co. and similar drinkers, who cares?

A few days ago the president tweeted that over the weekend there were six attacks on what he called fake news, saying the "out of control" media issues purposely false and defamatory stories.

Media members such as CNN's Jim Acosta call the misinformation "honest mistakes."

At a White House press briefing, press secretary Sarah Sanders responded, "There's a very big difference between honest mistakes and purposely misleading the American people."

Photos also have been misleading.

Latest example:  The Washington Post ran a deceptive picture on the number of attendees at a Trump rally in Florida.  It was snapped while people were waiting outside.  A Post reporter apologized --- after the president demanded an apology.

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, communications professor and director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, told Associated Press writer David Bauder that news organizations corrected themselves but fell short in explanations.

“When a mistake is made, the public really needs to understand why it was made and what corrections have been put in place to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” she added.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE... 

TWO WORDS OF THE YEAR.  Oxford University Press, publisher of Oxford dictionaries, named "youthquake" its top word for 2017 while Merriam-Webster dictionary announced “feminism” as its top word of the year.  Youthquake is defined as "a significant cultural, political or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people.”  Oxford added youthquake also has the potential "as a word of cultural significance."  Merriam-Webster in naming “feminism” as its word of 2017, said the term was driven by women’s marches, new TV shows and films on women's issues plus a string of news stories on sexual assault and harassment claims. The dictionary defines feminism as "the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes.” 

DOW CONTINUES UPWARD MARCH.  Dow Jones Industrial Average on Friday reached 24651.74, notching a new high on the upward path toward 25000, putting the year-to-date advance at 25 percent.  In today's close, the Dow set another record, up 140.46 points to 24792.20.

DON’T MENTION GLOBAL WARMING HERE.  Winter hasn’t officially arrived, but in Redfield, N.Y., the Oswego County town already has received 82.6 inches of snow.

COVERAGE CALLED MEDIA MALPRACTICE. Interviewed by Fox News’  Tucker Carlson, Stephen F. Cohen, a contributing editor at The Nation, criticized the Washington Post, the New York Times and others, stating he has "never seen media malpractice" like the establishment press's year-long effort to breathe life into what he insists has been a completely ginned-up claim that Russia tried to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

CAVUTO TO DEBUT SATURDAY PROGRAM.  Fox Business Network anchor Neil Cavuto will host a two-hour program --- "Cavuto Live” --- on Fox News Channel starting Jan. 20.  Cavuto and a panel of experts will focus on headlines impacting business and politics.

MARGARINE, SPREADS BUSINESS SOLD.  Unilever is selling its margarine and spreads business to KKR & Co. for $8.1 billion as it focuses on faster-growing food and personal-care niches. It’s the biggest leveraged buyout announced in Europe this year. 

EMPLOYEES BUY THEIR DAILY NEWSPAPER.  A group of employees at the Prince Albert Daily Herald in Canada reached a deal to purchase the publication from Alberta-based Star News Publishing and run it as an independent newspaper. The employees said they’re pleased to return the Herald to its roots as an independent, locally owned and operated news outlet.

A SOLID MENTAL CASE.   A homeless man told police in Olathe, Kan. that he dismembered his wife in a Missouri hotel room then slept in a Kansas storage unit with her remains and their two children is headed to a mental hospital.  He's also charged in the death of a California man whose body hasn't been found, said authorities.

NEW ADULT GETS BIG WELCOME TO LAS VEGAS.  Aidan Gilbert of Arizona celebrated his 21st birthday by winning $426,840 while playing Wheel of Fortune at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.  Along with his father and friends, Gilbert stopped at The Cosmo soon after dropping off luggage and headed for the machine.  It was his first visit to Sin City as an adult.