Author: jbenton

Will this streak ever die? Wilmer-Hutchins, Day 5, in which the district fails to meet payroll, leaving teachers wondering how they’ll pay their bills, and the district appears to take out an illegal loan to pay short-term bills.
If I’m reading the tea leaves correctly — always a risky bet — the streak should go to six tomorrow. But it might end there.

Want to have fun? Tune into the Fox local news tonight (in Dallas). You’ll get to see video of a disheveled me knocking on the car window of Wilmer-Hutchins superintendent, as he speeds away in his Cadillac moments after his district went into financial default.

Steve Blow, the DMN’s metro columnist, has been doing a great series of columns lately. In 1979, he and a photographer decided, just for the hell of it, to drive the length of State Highway 16, the longest highway in Texas, and tell the stories of whomever they met along the way. Now they’re doing it again, 25 years later.
Steve’s done a great job with it — and if you get a chance, pick up the paper and look at photog Randy Eli Grothe’s then and now photos. Here’s the Sunday column that started the series; here’s today’s part two. Two more parts to come; they’ll be linked here. Finally, here’s a video Randy made along the way.

The streak lives! For the fourth consecutive day, I’ve got the lead story on today’s front page, this time coauthored with the multitalented Robert Tharp. The story: State officials have decided to launch an investigative audit into Wilmer-Hutchins’ finances. (And not to brag, but a couple state types told me this audit is a direct result of my stories.)
If all goes according to plan, there should be a fifth front-pager tomorrow, but no promises after that. Joe DiMaggio has nothing to worry about.
Since I never got around to posting it before, Chanda ended up losing to Mauresmo in Olympic singles, sadly.

Just to prove I don’t write only about Wilmer-Hutchins: here’s my story from tomorrow’s paper. (New crabwalk.com motto: Tomorrow’s news today!) It’s a highly subjective ranking of the 10 best local school rivalries. It’ll be on the cover of the Texas Living section tomorrow, with some lovely graphics drawn by the very talented Michael Hogue.

Here’s the latest chapter in the Wilmer-Hutchins saga, from today’s front page. (That would be three straight days writing the paper’s lead story — a new personal record.)
Today’s story reveals (a) a grand jury investigation into corruption at the district, (b) the finance director’s surprise acknowledgement the district is, in his words, “broke,” and (c) that state officials are meeting today to discuss intervention into the district’s affairs.
This journalism stuff is fun.
Maybe some day I’ll blog something not about Wilmer-Hutchins. Maybe.

Here’s the second story in my ongoing series on the Wilmer-Hutchins school district. It’s about a consultant’s report that found that all but one of the district’s schools had been maintained so poorly that they should all be abandoned and razed.
Update: Habla espa

Here’s my story from today’s front page. It’s on the Wilmer-Hutchins school district — perhaps the worst school system in Texas. (Check out the graphic linked in the story for more background. Actually, if you get a chance, pick up the print version — the story takes up two full pages inside.)

I can’t decide if having Suicide Prevention Week end on September 11th is brilliant or stupid.

Joshwatch: I just taped an appearance on TXCN that’ll run hourly tonight and repeat sporadically through the weekend. If you don’t know what I look like, I’ll be the guy looking very somber in a dark blue mock turtleneck.
Barring an unexpected late-night bender, I should also be interviewed live on KVIL 103.7 (“#1 for Lite Rock!”) at 7:00 a.m. Sunday morning. My apologies if the interview’s Yawn Count exceeds its Coherent Thought Count.
And pick up Sunday’s paper — I’ll have a big story on the front page. (That’s what I’m busy talking about in all these spots.) Should have another one on Monday’s front page, too.