News-Record.com

I hope she addresses two points:
(1) Who are the contractors who are really responsible and who has the oversight for them?

(2) Is it isolated or are other new/refurbed schools having similar problems?

It's apparently not isolated, information we discovered late Friday. We'll pursue.

As for the contractors responsible, it appears as if the courts will have to determine that.

Wait just one minute.

Harvey Gantt is involved?

Boy, that fact sure is buried.

If he had been a Republican politician, you can sure bet his name/affiliation would have been either in the headline or lead.

It almost writes itself: a project with ties to a former Republican candidate for senate is mired (got to get the word mired in there) with problems and cost overruns, leading to serious issues that affect children in schools... yada, yada, yada...

The more I read this story the funnier it is: idiots who run the schools (yes, awful, wasteful bureaucrats) hired one of their own (Harvey Gantt -- a champion of socialism) and now they are getting what they deserve: waste and ineffiecency and incompetence (but everyone feels warm and fuzzy because Harvey Gantt is still employed.)

It would be funnier if the real people holding the bag weren't 1) children and 2) taxpayers!!!

For the record, we've written about Gantt's connection with the Dudley project many times.

Gate City blog makes short work of Jim Wilson's comment.

http://gatecity.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_gatecity_archive.html#114762591965791976

"That is hogwash. Architects don't check pilot lights on boilers or chance air filters. The problems do not seem to be structural in nature as much as a lack of proper care."

It doesn't matter!!

Had this been, say, Richard Burr (assuming he had lost) or Lauch Faircloth, EVERY story would somehow integrate their name -- high -- in the story.

No matter how weak the link.

My point is actually being made for me! Look at the rush to defend just here on the blog.

I can't tell you how many stories about Richard Carrington (Raleigh guy who plead guilty) included VERY HIGH (usually the headline) his party affiliation, but where is the same kind of mentioning in stories about Jim Black (obviously not convicted, but certainly shady)

http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060513/NEWSREC010201/605130301

That story only mentions he's the House Speaker. Conspicuously missing is what party.. nice..

When Ballance plead guilty there were entire stories that ran in some media that never included his party affiliation.

To the media, tenuous links between Republicans and scandals mean "there is really something happening behind the scenes that we're not in on so" when it's with Democrats, it's truly a tenuous link and "we're not going to further it in our stories."

Ugh

"Rush to defend"? I simply stated that the Gantt connection is well-known and documented. Not what I consider a defense. (I don't think one's needed. Jim can blame us for not blaming a Democrat. Fair enough. Perhaps it's political, but it's a long stretch in my world.)

Ed points out that A Republican blogger defends Gantt.

And then we get Burr, Faircloth and Black. OK.

Just for a point of clarity, the page Mr. Wilson points to re: Black is an editorial in our opinion section, not a news story.

I'm hard pressed to think of a staff written story or any AP copy regarding any state-level elected officials that neglect to mention their party affiliation fairly prominently.

And I'm pretty sure that Black and company would tell you different about "the media" ignoring tenuous links. Check audio file D listed in this post for confirmation:
http://blog.news-record.com/staff/capblog/archives/2006/05/speaker_black_o.html
" target="_blank">http://blog.news-record.com/staff/capblog/archives/2006/05/speaker_black_o.html

Sorry for the funky coding with that link, I'll try again a couple different ways:

http://blog.news-record.com/staff/capblog/archives/2006/05/speaker_black_o.html

http://blog.news-record.com/staff/capblog/archives/2006/05/speaker_black_o.html
" target="_blank">http://blog.news-record.com/staff/capblog/archives/2006/05/speaker_black_o.html

Look, continue to dilude yourselves.

But, I can tell you for certain that if Gantt was a Republican, his party affliation AND the position he sought would preface his name in EVERY SINGLE story you've written about him.

And, it would likely be integrated high in the story.

As for Mark's point, I don't doubt that the AP or the N&R doesn't MENTION the party affiliation (although that opinion piece oddly omitted it).

What always happens, however, is that the Republican affiliation is mentioned higher and more prominently in scandal stories than it is when the lawbreaker is a Democrat. I can't believe that Gantt's wasn't mentioned at all in this story:
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060509/NEWSREC0101/605090304/-1/NEWSRECRSSARKIVE

OK, somebody explain to me why we need court adjudication of who's responsible for checking pilot lights and changing filters? Just do it. Somebody.

So the pilot lights are out for two winter months and NOT A SINGLE PERSON in the school or in the system is clever enough to think, "maybe we should check the pilot lights"? Or to ask a maintenance person to do so? Instead, the thought seems to have been to make phone calls, form PR committees and task forces, and prepare litigation to determine whose responsibility it is to maintain the heating system.

Look, lighting a pilot isn't rocket science. It involves a match and basic literacy skills (usually the directions are printed on the boiler--by law, I think). I've lit pilots on at least three furnaces with no training at all. I do not congratulate myself on any special achievement in performing this task, nor in considering the possibility of an unlit pilot when a furnace failed to produce warm air. It's the equivalent of checking your tire when you notice a thumpity-thumpity sound and sluggish steering.

Apparently no one at Dudley or in Guilford County School System possesses these capacities. It's depressing.

Jim Wilson, what do you except from this paper? Fair and balanced? Mr. Binker when have you every not given Black and Basnight a free pass?
Mr. Robinson tell us who you have on your staff, that ever has a kind word for anyone except democrats?

We have the name of the custodial engineer who is responsible for pilot-light-checking, but we're not going to publish it because he's a Democrat.

Just kidding, of course. Not everything divides into a red-state, blue-state argument.

Dog, I'll answer a different question, but one I think you mean to ask. We've also been aggressive writing about another building with construction issues: the Civil Rights Museum. Has construction problems. Has money problems. Does anyone not know that two Democrats, Skip Alston and Earl Jones, are connected to the Museum? And does anyone not know that that the believe they've been unfairly treated by the newspaper?

Dog (or anyone else): If there's some specific story in which you think we've given a state-level politico "a pass" they didn't deserve, I'd be happy to talk it over with you here or via e-mail or phone.

I don't think Gantt is a legitimate part of the story and yes, the N&R is certainly willing to hold the feet of Jones, Alston, et. al. over the fire. Still, I have to agree with Jim Wilson that if the architect had been named, say, Helms, the link would have been made. The little (Democratic) guy vs. big (Republican) guy is too much a part of the passive mental equipment of most journalists.

How many stories about Enron or Halliburton don't somehow mention ties--however irrelevant to the matter at hand--to Bush/Cheney?

Well, you tell us, Brian. What specific examples can you offer of stories about Enron or Halliburton whose mentioned ties to Bush/Cheney you consider irrelevant? And what percentage of overall Enron/Halliburton coverage do those examples make up?

OK, this will get no response from Comrade Robinson, but I'll post it anyway.

Here is a PERFECT example of what I am talking about. AND I ONLY HAD TO WAIT FIVE DAYS TO FIND ONE!!!

AP story about a Republican who jammed phone lines for an HOUR...

http://www.wtov9.com/politics/9237494/detail.html

Has GOP in the headline

AP story about FOUR DEMOCRATS -- including the SON of a congress member -- who actually SLASHED TIRES on election day (more violent and directly stopping people from voting)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/26/politics/main1549034.shtml

No Democrat mention in the headline.. Hmmm

And just GUESS the party affiliation here, which is NOT MENTIONED AT ALL

http://www.wcnc.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8EQKBDO4.html