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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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.

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.

 

 

 

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 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.

$250 MILLION SOUGHT FOR EVERGLADES RESTORATION PROJECTS

It’s interesting to note that while a federal budget request seeks to cut about $15.5 million a year from Stars and Stripes, the daily newspaper produced for U.S. military personnel around the world, president Donald Trump included $250 million for Everglades restoration projects in his proposed $4.8 trillion budget for fiscal year 2021, observes Grumpy Editor.

As pointed out here last week, Stars and Stripes receives about $8.7 million annually in operations and maintenance funds and about $6.9 million in contingency operations funds to support news reporting in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq.  The Pentagon wants to reinvest funds in functions it considers more critical for warfighting.

Everglades National Park, a 1.5-million-acre wetlands preserve on the southern tip of Florida, is made up of coastal mangroves, sawgrass marshes and pine flatwoods that are home to hundreds of animal species, including the endangered leatherback turtle, alligators, Florida panther and West Indian manatee.

Maintenance of the wetlands preserve is provided by entrance fees that range from $30 per vehicle to $200 per commercial motorcoach.

 

So an additional $250 million injection for the Everglades would be quite a boost.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

BLOOMBERG SAYS HE'LL SELL COMPANY IF ELECTED PRESIDENT.  Michael Bloomberg, latest on the Democrats' presidential campaign list, says he will sell Bloomberg LP, the financial-data and media company he co-founded in 1981, if he is elected president. 

WELLS FARGO TO PAY $3 BILLION.  Wells Fargo plans to pay $3 billion to settle criminal and civil investigations linked to when the bank opened millions of unauthorized accounts — which came to light in 2016 — in efforts to meet unrealistic sales goals.

 

CHINA EXPELS THREE REPORTERS.  Beijing’s expulsion of three Wall Street Journal reporters comes a day after the State Department said it was imposing restrictions on five Chinese state-run news organizations operating in the United States, saying they would now be treated as the equivalent of foreign government missions.

 

IWO JIMA BATTLE OBSERVED.  The nation's top military officer pays tribute last week to thousands of Marines and Navy corpsmen who took part in what was called "the bloodiest campaign in American history, per square mile” — the World War II battle of Iwo Jima.  It began on Feb. 19, 1945 and lasted through March.  Nearly 7,000 U.S. service members died and over 19,000 were wounded.

VIRUS TRIGGERS GARLIC PRICE RISE.  As the coronavirus outbreak widens, garlic prices are rising because of disruptions in the supply chain from China. The Wall Street Journal reports China, in recent years, is responsible for up to 80 percent of the global garlic supply and more than two-thirds of garlic U.S. imports comes from China.

COMEDIANS SET FOR CORRESPONDENTS DINNER.  The White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25 will see the return of comedians.  The White House declines to say if President Donald Trump will attend this year.  He has skipped the annual event throughout his presidency.

 

KEEP SMILING SAYS OLDEST MAN.  Oldest living man, nearing 113 years living in Japan, says his secret to longevity is “don’t get angry and keep smiling.”

 

McCLATCHY FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION.  McClatchy Co., second largest newspaper operation by circulation, files for bankruptcy protection as it struggles to pay off debt as revenue shrinks, stemming from more advertisers and readers going online.

 

RING LOST IN 1973 FOUND IN FINLAND.  A woman's class ring lost at a Portland, Maine, high school in 1973 is found by a welder while metal detecting in a Finland forest.

PENTAGON SEEKS TO CUT FUNDS TO MILITARY NEWSPAPER STARS AND STRIPES

A federal budget request seeks to cut about $15.5 million a year from Stars and Stripes, the daily newspaper produced for U.S. military personnel around the world, notes Grumpy Editor.

The Pentagon wants to reinvest funds in functions it considers more critical for warfighting.

 

Stars and Stripes receives about $8.7 million annually in operations and maintenance funds and about $6.9 million in contingency operations funds to support news reporting in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq.

 

The proposed cut in funds to Stars and Stripes equals about half of the news organization’s annual funds to pay expenses. The military newspaper’s remaining money comes from sales, subscriptions and advertising.

Stars and Stripes first appeared during the Civil War and has been published continuously since World War II.

 

It prints European and Pacific editions. 

 

During wars and other times, the newspaper is a key source of worldwide news for those in uniform, including those at front lines and foxholes.

 

During the Korean War, for example, it published five editions a day from its Japan-based newsroom.  Editions were delivered to South Korea, the Philippines, ships at sea, throughout Japan along with a Tokyo street edition hawked by Japanese boys.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

NAVY PUNISHES PATCH-WEARING SAILORS.  U.S. Navy punishes several sailors who wore “Make Aircrew Great Again” patches while attending a President Donald Trump speech in May, 2019 aboard a Navy ship in Japan.

 

WOMAN KEEPS 130 CATS IN APARTMENT.  Authorities find a woman in Moscow with 130 cats in her small inner-city apartment.  Seems it all stems from when she took in a pregnant stray cat four years ago after divorcing her husband.

MILITARY VETERANS IN JOURNALISM FORMED.  Two former military journalists team up to form the nonprofit Military Veterans in Journalism to help fellow former service members find work and also increase the number of veterans working in the media.  About 10 volunteers help run the organization.

MOST AMERICANS SAY THEY ARE BETTER OFF.  A Gallup poll finds 61 percent of Americans say they are economically better off now than in early 2017 at the start of President Donald Trump’s administration.

SAN FRANCISCO TOPS HEALTHY CITIES LIST.  The 10 healthiest cities in the U.S. tallied by WalletHub: San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, Portland (Ore.), Washington, D.C., New York City, Denver, Irvine (Calif.), Scottsdale (Ariz.) and Chicago.

AIRMEN GET NOD ON WEARING TWO-INCH BEARDS.  Airmen will be allowed to wear up to two-inch beards under a new Air Force guidance that outlines grooming standards for religious accommodations. The updated grooming policy, published Friday, also allows members of the Sikh faith to wear turbans and Muslim women to wear hijabs

 

 

 

BUFFETT SELLS NEWSPAPERS FOR $140 MILLION

Lifelong newspaper supporter Warren Buffett, via his Berkshire Hathaway, is selling BH's newspapers to publisher Lee Enterprises for $140 million, notes Grumpy Editor.

Buffett views the current newspaper business as unsustainable, warning in recent years that the industry is “toast” due to the decline in advertising.

 

His first job in the field was as newspaper delivery boy.

 

Among the 30 newspapers in the deal are the Buffalo News, Tulsa World, Richmond Times Dispatch , Omaha World Herald, Waco Tribune Herald and more than 100 weekly publications.

 

The newspapers’ earnings have been declining in recent years.

 

Buffett’s newspapers operations employed 3,685 at year-end 2018, down from 4,337 a year prior.

 

The deal is expected to close in March. 

 

 

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Sinatra's gold-seated toilet sells for $4,250.

SINATRA'S GOLD TOILET SEAT SOLD.  Singer-actor Frank Sinatra's highly sought-after Italian marble and gold-seated toilets are sold.  A gold one goes for  $4,250 while a basic marble one without a gold seat sells for $1,800. Also sold:  Sinatra's baby grand piano for $7,000.  Sinatra died in 1998.

POSTAGE STAMP HONORS GWEN IFILL.  The 43rd stamp in U.S. Postal Service’s Black Heritage series honors Gwen Ifill,  journalist, television newscaster and author.  In 1999, she became the first woman of black heritage to host a nationally televised U.S. public affairs program with Washington Week in Review.

BLOOMBERG SPENDS HEAVILY ON TV.  Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg spends $188 million from late November to year end.  In that period, about $140 million is spent on TV and digital advertising.

MURDOCH PLANS RADIO STATION.  Rupert Murdoch,  media mogul who founded News Corp., plans to inaugurate a radio station to rival BBC Radio 4 . Programming will run uninterrupted with no breaks for advertising.

 

HALF BILLION DOLLAR HOME IN L.A.  Movie producer turned developer Nile Niami says he's  about ready to test the market with a 100,000-square-foot mansion in the Bel-Air section of Los Angeles with an asking price of  $500 million . The property includes a nightclub, four swimming pools, bowling alley and 360-degree vistas.

SEINFELD WRITING COMEDY BOOK.  Comedian Jerry Seinfeld is writing a book about comedy, his first in 25 years.  Due out in October, the book is organized by decade, from the 1970s.

 

FTC WARNS ON ROBOCALLS.  The Federal Trade Commission puts 19 internet-based phone companies on notice that assisting or facilitating robocalls could place them in legal trouble.

 

ALASKA AIRLINES HIRING.  Alaska Airlines plans to hire almost 2,800 people this year, including about 400 pilots, divided equally between Alaska and Horizon Air, along with more than 300 flight attendants, more than 1,100 passenger service agents, 450 ground service agents and 90 maintenance technicians.

 

CHASE TRIMMING STAFFERS.  JMorgan Chase & Co., in a cost-cutting measure, this week plans to dismiss several hundred workers from its consumer unit as the lender seeks to rein in costs.  The unit contains deposit, credit-card, home-loan and auto-lending businesses.

ALMOST ONE FOURTH OF U.S. NEWSROOM STAFFERS LIVE IN N.Y., L.A. OR D.C.

 

Almost one-in-five (22 percent) newsroom employees live in New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. metro areas, according to a Pew Research Center analysis, notes Grumpy Editor.

The analysis is based on U.S. Census Bureau data from 2013 to 2017.

By comparison, the three metro areas --- financial, entertainment and political capitals of the United States –- are home to 13 percent of all U.S. workers, points out Pew.

 

As media capital of the world, New York, at 12 percent, has the greatest share of all U.S. newsroom employees – reporters, editors, photographers and videographers in the newspaper, broadcasting and internet publishing industries.

Los Angeles and Washington metro areas, are each home to 5 percent of the nation’s newsroom employees.

 

The remaining seven metro areas – Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Philadelphia and Houston – each have between one percent and three percent of newsroom staffers.

 

Pew also finds between 2008 and 2018, the number of U.S. newsroom employees dropped from 114,000 to 86,000.

 

 

 

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MADE THE SWITCH TO STANDARD TIME?  With the clock adjustment every year, seven out of 10 Americans prefer not to switch back and four to mark daylight saving time, according to a poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs research.

NATIONAL GUARD ON THE MOVE.  It's the trusty U.S. National Guard members that began moving into eastern Syria with heavy armored vehicles as part of the Pentagon’s new mission to secure oil fields wrestled from the Islamic State.  Specifically, they are soldiers with the North Carolina-based 4th Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment and the South Carolina-based 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade.  They are deployed to Deir al-Zour to protect American-held oil fields around that city.

FOX'S HERRIDGE MOVES TO CBS.  Fox News chief intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge is joining CBS News.  She’ll be based at the Washington bureau.

21-YEAR-OLD BOTTLE FLOATS TO HAWAII.  An Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researcher at a remote Hawaiian island finds a message in a bottle from a 1998 Washington state kindergarten class. The bottle also contains drawings and photo from the class in North Bend along with a typed message dated June 15, 1998.

 

WORLD SERIES VIEWERS DIP.  This year’s World Series baseball action averages 13.91 million viewers, down 1.3 percent from last year and third lowest on record, notes Nielsen.

 

NO DRAPED FLAGS.  Did TV viewers observe that there was a lack of usual patriotic decorations of the stadium in Houston?

 

AIR FORCE ALLOWS UNLIMITED REENLISTMENTS.  Starting Nov. 18, those in the Air Force with at least 12 years of service at their date of discharge can reenlist for an unspecified period, extending their enlistment term to the year they must be promoted or face separation, also known as the high year tenure mark.

 

APPLES RECALLED FROM MARKETS.  A Michigan produce supplier is recalling half a dozen apple varieties due to concerns the fruit might be contaminated with listeria. The recall involves nearly 2,300 cases and two bulk bins of fresh apples shipped between Oct. 16 and 21 to distributors and retailers in Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin.

HIGHER SEA LEVELS MAY AFFECT MORE.  Rising sea levels are on track to affect about three times more people by 2050 than originally thought. New research by Climate Central suggests 300 million homes will be affected by coastal flooding in the next 30 years.

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. 

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.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

 

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.