Star-Telegram News

Allow us to bid farewell to Wes Turner, who is stepping down as publisher of the Startlegram at the end of the year. Although I have A LOT of quibbles with the S-T, I always respected Wes. I liked him a lot personally and thought he tried to do right by his people. I wish him a long and happy retirement.

The McClatchy-ization of the Star-Telegram begins! Gary Wortel, president and publisher of The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, S.C., will succeed Turner. I'm a little surprised that they selected someone from another old Knight Ridder paper. I'm not surprised that no one inside the building at 400 West 7th was selected. This line jumped out at me from the press release announcing the move:

"Gary did a stellar job as publisher in Myrtle Beach, one of the fastest-growing, most attractive markets in the country," said Lynn Dickerson, McClatchy vice president, operations, who oversees 11 McClatchy newspapers in Texas and the South, including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The Sun News. "Under Gary’s leadership, The Sun News delivered excellent revenue and profit growth, circulation growth and editorial excellence over the past few years. Weekly Surge, an alternative newsweekly, was started last fall by Gary and his team, and they have been innovative leaders in online traffic and revenue growth," added Dickerson. "Gary is an excellent candidate to lead the Star-Telegram during these challenging times in our industry."

Indications of things to come in Fort Worth? Obviously, something has to give. McClatchy earnings have been in the tank since the Knight Ridder acquisition and the pressure from Wall Street to do something about it will only continue. Online revenue growth will be essential to that solution. And right now there is a lot of room for improvement. I'm also wondering if an alternative newsweekly will also be in the cards. Stay tuned.

Although this here blogger and Bud Kennedy don't see eye-to-eye on every issue, sometimes you just gotta put down the brickbats and say Bonne chance, mon ami. The occasion? Bud's getting hitched. The 52-year-old Kennedy proposed to Shelly Seymour, 47, in Austin on Saturday. It will be the first time jumping the broom for both of 'em. No date is set yet. Congratulations, Bud. Best wishes!

The best and worst of the Star-Telegram on Sunday both came from the op-ed page. The Best: Bob Ray Sanders' excellent defense of Huckleberry Finn as it relates to the recent Birdville controversy. Well done, Bob! The Worst: J.R. Labbe's column on labels in local political races seemed to deplore the use of party affiliation in other knee-jerk labels, but then went to label just about every damn candidate running. Thanks for helping cut through this issue for the voters. In a word, lame.

What Then Must We Do?

I'm a little late on this one, but kudos to J.R. Labbe for an outstanding Sunday column on the homeless in Fort Worth. She wrote:

John Peter Smith Hospital spent more than $19 million during the past three years on emergency treatment and medical care for homeless people.

Otis Thornton, Fort Worth's homelessness coordinator, says that's a conservative number.

The top 10 chronically homeless users of emergency medical services at JPS last year cost $500,000.

Ten people. A half million dollars. That's $50,000 per person.

Tell me again why it doesn't make financial sense to put these people into permanent supportive housing with wrap-around services that cost between $14,000 and $17,000 a year?

An excellent point. This is a financial issue, it's a public health issue, but it is also a moral issue.

I once heard an interview with the director of the Presbyterian Night Shelter in Dallas. The director said that there are many reasons for a person to become temporarily homeless -- domestic violence, addiction, unemployment. However, 100 percent of the chronic homeless at the Dallas shelter were mentally ill. 100 percent.

I urge the city to get involved. But we also need to get involved as individuals who live in this community.

So what then must we do?

I'm not much of one for quoting the Bible, but in Luke 3:10, the multitudes asked Jesus this same question, and he answered them: "He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise."

Fort Worth, that's a good place to start.

Around Fort Worth

Smoking Ban Vote: After 18 months of debate, the Fort Worth City Council is scheduled to vote today on whether to extend the ban on public smoking. The council first discussed the changes in February 2006 and appointed a committee of business owners and public-health groups to come up with a recommendation. The committee suggested a widespread ban, including all restaurants and bars. City Council members balked at that, and City Manager Charles Boswell recommended allowing smoking in bars to avoid driving business out of Fort Worth. UPDATE: Council votes 7-2 to ban smoking in restaurants beginning in January, but the ordinance approved Tuesday still allows smoking in bars and bingo halls.

Vote Bernie Moment: Bernie posted this comment from a recent J.R. Labbe column in the Startlegram: "The last tear from Davis' emotional speech in front of the council hadn't dried upon her cheek before bicycle shop owner Bernie Scheffler, who ran against her just three months ago, had "elect me" signs in his yard." In the words of Fat Tony, it's funny because it's true."

Don't Sign: Pete had this post today: "If you live in any of the 10 neighborhoods in or around Ryan Place, PLEASE do yourself a favor and don’t sign anything you get from a drilling company until you check with your neighborhood association! I know that Ryan Place has an excellent team of concerned citizens working very hard to ensure that we get the best deal financially and the one that least impacts our quality of life." I know there was a Ryan Place neighborhood meeting regarding the leases last night. If someone has an update, please let me know.

Streetcar! Kevin at FortWorthology makes a (convincing) pitch for a downtown streetcar system.

On The Lighter Side: I'm glad to see I'm not the only one challenged by the siren song of the taqueria -- but I do not know this Taqueria San Luis. I must investigate -- after September 15.

Sunday Leftovers

I didn't spend much time with the Sunday paper, but this did jump out at me: J.R. Labbe, one of the more consistent conservative voices on the Startlegram's op-ed pages, announced that she believes Iraq is a sideshow from the War on Terror. Wow, the tide is really turning against this war.