The Suspect is..US!

    I've suspected for a long time that The Montgomery Advertiser played a part in the "Montgomery Plume", the stretch of contaminated groundwater underneath Downtown Montgomery. I said to any number of people over the years the the building's location, up high on Washington Avenue, and its raw materials: ink and chemicals, made it a prime suspect.

     This morning, The Advertiser itself has the story that the EPA has reached the same conclusion. The agency also points a finger the State Board of Education because of it's large printing operation.

     It is especially interesting to read the Advertiser's official comments...virtually meaningless babble. Reporter Jill Nolin did the "interview" though it's little more than press-release quotes. She's a good reporter, but most of her story is information from the EPA.

    Nolin writes:

The EPA believes the Advertiser could have poured "trade wastewater" down floor drains that were connected to the sewer system or washed soiled rags on site...(from the 1940's till the 1970's.)

     The old Advertiser building is now owned by Montgomery County, which spent millions renovating it.

     A few questions:

• Will the EPA seek financial damages from the the paper or the state (both of which are already suffering from The Great Recession.)


• Will the County (i.e. taxpayers) sue the Advertiser to compensate it for the loss of value in the building?


• Will the Advertiser appoint an outside reporter to write stories about the plume and give that reporter access to question management, the way the paper would on any other story? Let's face it, you can't report on yourself in a controversy without appearing to have a bias.


• As Jill's story asks, will the new plume developments hurt the city's Dexter Avenue developments?

Poor Puck's Plight

     The statue of Puck at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery is missing some fingers...intentional or accidental damage to a statue that had already suffered a more official slight,according to a story in today's The Montgomery Advertiser:

It was moved out of the foyer (of the theater) because there were complaints about how little clothing Puck has on.

     It seems that even when we here in the Deep South rise above our humble roots and manage to create a facility as absolutely world-class as ASF, we have to act like rubes when skin---even on a statue!--- is exposed.

None of The Above

     So The Montgomery Advertiser has backed out of the endorsement game, refusing to endorse either of the two major party candidates for Governor.

     Just wondering: what does that say to potential first-time voters who are conflicted over the choice between Democrat Ron Sparks and Republican Robert Bentley? Don't vote?

     Let's hope the paper doesn't feature an editorial next Sunday encouraging people to get out and vote. It might just ring a touch hollow.

Workplace

     A wake up call for the unemployed from Paul Krugman:

"We’re in the age of 'extra', and everyone has to figure out what extra they can add to their work to justify being paid more than a computer, a Chinese worker or a day laborer."

                                                         Paul Krugman, in a New York Times column





     Ouch. But likely true for many professionals.So what do you bring to the table?

     Alabama's unemployment rate is improving, The Montgomery Advertiser suggests it's because Alabamians who had given up looking for work are back searching because of the upward turn in the economy. But those returning workers may find the demands of the jobs they apply for will require more.

     Productivity has improved during the Great Recession as companies found they could maintain almost the same output even with the layoffs that lowered costs..