“There are no snow days in the newspaper business”

Staffers heard on the police scanner this morning about kids obstructing snow plows to prevent plows from creating berms at the driveways of their homes. Police responded to this incident. Folks wondered if the parents are involved (whether the parents are telling their kids to be human shields), or whether this was a case of kids not wanting to shovel snow. No kid can conceive of this on his or her own, other editors argued, but “I don’t know, there are some pretty lazy kids out there,” said photo director Larry Reisnouer.

Was there too much news coverage on snow? Editor Steve Smith noted that staffers who are normally against weather stories were producing great coverage for today’s paper in print and online.

Well it snowed and the roads are dangerous - not just for people who drive and walk, but for the elderly and those who have disabilities, folks said. Other talk at this morning’s meeting revolved around newspaper delivery (Call (509) 747-4422 if your paper is late or missing), snow plowing schedule and technique, and how other cities handle this white gunk.

Kudos

• Hinckley remembered for a guiding vision
• Cold Reality : a new piece at Video Journal.

Coming up

• Underrated root vegetables
• A revolution to Spin Control (previously advertised)
• A verdict in the Bryan Kim trial
• Reporter Mike Prager, famous in the newsroom for oddball story ideas, is working on a piece about “A close conjunction of Venus and Jupiter on the morning of the 1st and a total eclipse of the moon on the 21st.”

“What does that mean astrologically? Is it going to be a bad month?” Smith asked.

Features editor Ken Paulman said, “It’s going to snow.”