When Justin Kalmes of the Toledo Free Press contacted me last week to ask me if after reading the AP piece ” Everything seemingly is spinning out of control,” would I like to comment I didn’t realize it was going to be the cover story of this week’s Toledo Free Press. Not all of what I shared was included, but the main jist of my point was shared except I think the reason why we are more focused on negativity is because decades ago our primary source of news was the nightly news and one or two newspapers. With the internet and the birth of the 24/7 cable news channels not everything has changed for the worst, it’s that we now have access to much more information about what’s happening in other parts of our world that before unless you knew someone who lived there? Chances are you didn’t hear about it.
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I love stormy weather, some of you know one of my dreams is to be a storm chaser and to actually get video of a tornado, so I love Weathermen or as they are officially called, “meteorologists”. I love to look at the different radars, talk to my television screen when they are wrong and hope those huge red areas demonstrating a circular rotation come close enough to enjoy but not overly damage…It should be no surprise then that the cover story of this week’s Toledo Free Press titled, Stormy weather puts spotlight on local forecasters was one I enjoyed. Getting all four of the chief meterologists from Toledo’s news stations was quite a feat.
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If you have ever attended a political rally, the phrase “Fired up and ready to go” is one often heard, but in this week’s Toledo Free Press, the term “fired up” has a different meaning, the cover story focuses on the Smoking Ban and how the Senate introduced Bill 346 would give some of the decision making process on smoking versus non-smoking back in the hands of some of the business owners as it was felt the original voter approved issue was supposed to provide.

It’s always hard for me to acknowledge compliments, but after I read Michael Miller’s piece it confirmed for me that I’m doing what I need to do. Some of you won’t agree, but I found the Captain Ahab quest for power ala Lucas County Republican Party a good read. Karl Rundgren focuses on beyond intermodal and raises some excellent points about moving more than just freight. Related to the topic of intermodal, it could be said that Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop is “fired up and ready to go.”
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This week’s cover story in the Toledo Free Press is on the “Big Fitz” or the Edmund Fitzgerald. For those of you are history buffs there are quite a few articles of interest on this topic. Another walk down memory lane is found in Michael Miller’s column which focuses on the demise of Southwyck. I’m old enough to remember “Monkey Wards” and when the mall first opened…

Karl Rundgren focuses on the coming of Sonic which on our recent trip out west many a Sonic was seen. While I didn’t try one out, the constant television commercials shown in this area showing what Sonic offers does make me want to try one when they open here. Perhaps then I would be dedicated enough of a fan to travel almost two hours.
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This week’s cover story in the Toledo Free Press focuses on “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” with a story and a review that’s also the focus of Michael Miller’s Lighting the Fuse column. Somehow the title of his weekly column just really fits with the whole Indiana Jones mystique.

Karl Rundgren focuses on the truth behind a phrase that I’ve unfortunately heard before too, “Do more with less.” As Karl points out there comes a time when all of the cuts possible have been made and it’s almost impossible to cut any more, while he’s sharing it in the form of what’s happening with the media, there are many people who will read his story and nod their heads…They’ve been there…
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The title of the Cover Story, “Crystal Mess” gives you a good indication as to what several articles in the Toledo Free Press focused on. It’s generated quite a bit of national attention and quite a bit of local discussion, here and on other discussion sites as well as over 700 letters to the editor, some of which are shared online.

The discussion varies from Michael Miller taking the bigger picture view of the media and what consequences the media can have on people’s lives to Karl Rundren sharing how he has to balance his personal opinions and his position in the media. While I have a bit more freedom since I don’t have a paycheck in the balance it is hard to balance personal biases/opinions with the greater desire to share information, it’s something I struggle with almost daily. How far to go in the balance of personal opinion versus the goal of attempting to present all sides.
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This week’s edition of the Toledo Free Press is the Summer Events Edition, the picture makes me want to head to The Point, though I think I’ll wait till it’s just a bit warmer. I’m a huge roller coaster fan though my all time favorite will always be the Cedar Creek Mine Ride, it to me is one of the “must rides” every time we head to Cedar Point.

The roller coaster description could almost be used for the Crystal Dixon story, especially now that she’s been terminated from the University of Toledo. It’s the source of quite a few letters, a Publisher’s Statement and Michael Miller’s Lighting the Fuse column.
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I know we’ve been focusing on “Dann land” but the discussion related to Crystal Dixon is one where many questions concerning free speech, what constitutes hate speech, and do gays deserve the same civil rights protections as blacks. Then the news today where the two State Troopers were fired.

Does Crystal Dixon as a person have the right to express her opinion in a newspaper no matter who she works for if she is speaking as an individual and not on behalf of the University of Toledo? Is firing the two troopers excessive given they were involved in a prank that did not involve any members of the public?
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This week’s cover story in the Toledo Free Press was one that immediately drew me in, Steinem: Toledo time ‘important, valuable’ with a second piece, Classmates remember Steinem’s Toledo days. Gloria Steinem and Shirley Chisholm were two women who had a strong impact on me in my early years, being one of those who does believe:

that feminism is about the ability to choose what’s right at each time of our lives

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The cover story this week in the Toledo Free Press is an interview with Republican Presidential candidate, John McCain. Justin Kalmes asks McCain questions directly related to our economy, it’s one of the recommended reads this week. I didn’t realize that Michael Miller’s column mentioned me until I sat down to read, The State of the Media. Michael makes some interesting points, while you should read the whole piece in full, two parts I want to point out:

Are Myers and Ward journalists in the traditional sense of the word? I do not believe either of them would argue they are, but I have more trust in them than in many of the daily media reporters in this market. They’re not quite bloggers, not quite journalists. We need a new word that combines the two. Joggers? Blournalists?

And:
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I heard about this earlier today and did verify through the Toledo Clerk of Court that charges were filed, but waited until media reports were available for more details. The Toledo Free Press has the story online as well as the Blade, that Jon Stainbrook was cited last night for failure to disclose personal information and obstructing official business. Police issued Stainbrook a citation and released him, he’s scheduled to appear in court later this month.

The Toledo Free Press article contains a statement provided to Fox News:

“Clearly this incident is politically motivated. It’s not a coincidence that I am being harassed by the police at the same time I’m mounting a challenge to the status quo of the Lucas County Republican Party. The charges will be proven to be ‘trumped up.’ ”

The Blade article states:
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The cover story of this week’s Toledo Free Press is a sneak peak into the wonders of the new Bass Pro store set to open in Wood County. I’m sure my RV loving in-laws will have a great time on their next visit when the store is open (smile).

Michael Miller almost always evokes some type of an emotion each week in his columns ranging from laughter to tears. This week We could be heroes was one that had me reaching for the tissues…So then I turned to Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop’s guest piece, A badge of honor which did not make me cry, though this is very likely true:

Maybe the politicos think that if people believe I’m actually on to something, the public will start asking tough questions themselves and demanding answers. This could lead to a whole new batch of people getting elected and change actually occurring. I think there could be worse things for our community than wholesale change.
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This week’s edition of the Toledo Free Press has a cover story entitled, “Class Act”, it’s about the three major colleges in our area, UT, BGSU and Owens and how College presidents believe higher education will revitalize the region. On a similar theme of economics and future plans, Michael Miller faces the reality that his Peter Pan complex may be over.
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While one could assume from the title that goodwill should be used when it comes to gay rights while blogging about it…The title is related to some of the many articles in this week’s Toledo Free Press. This week’s cover story is about Goodwill Industries celebrating 75 years of creating jobs. My grandmother’s second husband worked at Goodwill Industries before I was born and after I was born, he was in a wheelchair after having lost his legs from the knee down and parts of his hands. It was one of the few places he could find work after he became disabled, and I’ll always remember how he expressed his feeling of pride in himself was restored by being able to earn a living, he felt that he was the same man he was before but many area employers did not feel that way during that time period…He’s just one of the many people that Goodwill has helped through the years.

Michael Miller touches on the issue of Gay rights and Ohio’s gay rights laws, or lack thereof and I share his feeling of sadness of how Ohio has treated members of our own community when it comes to not giving them equal protection under the laws of our State. Karl Rundgren shares some thoughts after being on the roof of the Toledo Art Museum that is also a recommended read.
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