Will London bombings force Groene stories off Page 1?

How much longer do the stories about the Groene case belong on Page 1? Especially when there’s big terrorism news out of London?

Tomorrow might be the day in which the Groene stories move inside the paper. But, then again, maybe not. More signficant details about the murders and the motives could be revealed today, and that might keep the story on Page 1 for another day.

It’s worth pointing out that the Groene stories from Tuesday and Wednesday received 5,227 and 6,162 pageviews, respectively, on our web site. That’s about 10 times the number of pageviews for a top story on any “normal” news day. So we know reader interest in these stories remains high, no matter where they’re positioned in the printed newspaper.

For tomorrow, we’re trying to localize the London bombings story. Apparently a group of middle school students from Spokane are visiting England and are set to depart from London today, if the airport stays open. We’re also checking to see if any local businesses with financial ties to England might have local executives in the London area. That’s probably a long shot.

This morning, reporter Benjamin Shors is interviewing Father Joe Weitensteiner, head of Morningstar Boys Ranch, about the serious allegations of abuse at the ranch, and specifically at the hands of Weitensteiner. That promises to be a fasinating interview.

Jim Camden is working on a story about Spokane County’s auditor, who is proposing that the county switches over to “all-mail” voting. That may seem radical, but roughly 60 percent of voters already vote that way by choice, with absentee ballots.

The InLife cover story for tomorrow will be about the movie “Fantastic 4,” while the “7” cover will be about drunken driving laws in Washington and how to drink responsibly. (A recent “7” cover extolled the virtues of microbrewed beer. This provides some sort of karmic balance.)