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4A Daily News – Friday, December 13, 2013 Opinion The terrible anvil of daily deadlines DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes letters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submitted will be considered for publication. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong community newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehicles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its communities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the residents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 I'm not particularly good with deadlines. That may sound strange, considering what I do for a living, but it's the truth and this week it has been more true than usual. I should clarify that every newsroom has a daily deadline to send the next edition to the press. In the 10 years or so I've been in this business, I've missed my deadline maybe a half-dozen times and almost always because a story was developing that needed to run. Some newspapers have a series of deadlines throughout the day — usually an early deadline for the business and feature sections and a later deadline for sports. At the Daily News we stick with one deadline — 9:30 p.m. — for the whole edition and typically send the last page well before that. We also have deadlines for folks to get news to us for any given edition. For community news briefs, we ask that readers send us the information a couple of weeks before it needs to run. That may seem a bit extreme, but the idea is that allows a larger window for the item to run. If I have two weeks to run something, there's a heck of a lot better chance it will fit than if it has to be in the next day's edition. Are we sticklers for this deadline? Not really. It's helpful to receive items well ahead of time, but I always make an effort to fit in an item that shows up at the last minute. Such has been the case this week. The approach of Christmas and New Year's means everyone is busier, so I understand why some things might be left until the last minute. So far we've been able to fit in every item submitted — even those that have shown up late in the day for events that take place the next day. I wish I could say the same for my personal life. I had a few minutes to spare before work Wednesday so I decided to pull out the stack of before being rescued and that 16 of the dogs had bills that had accumudied. lated on my kitchen A grim story, but counter over the last she says her Sebastian, several weeks. an orange chow, is In that stack I came doing fine in his older across my property tax years. She wants to bill that I had received obtain a copy of whatmonths before. I ever news coverage remember opening it there was and make at the time and noticsure the man who did ing that the deadline this to the dogs was was months away, so it prosecuted. found its way to the After much time bottom of the stack Chip searching through the where I hadn't even peeked at it for many Thompson archives of the Daily weeks. 545 Diamond News, I came up empty. Perhaps menYou guessed it. The Ave. tioning the incident deadline to avoid a here will spark a readpenalty was Tuesday. er's recollection of *** I received a request from a this event? woman in Portland who adoptChip Thompson can be ed a dog that was rescued from a mobile home in Red Bluff reached at 527-2151, Ext. 112 by email at back on Aug. 23, 2004. She or claims that 18 dogs were left editor@redbluffdailynews.com. him on Twitter inside the single-wide home Follow for two weeks without food @EditorChip. Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Dan Logue, 150 Amber Grove Drive, Ste. 154, Chico, CA 95928, 530-895-4217 STATE SENATOR — Jim Nielsen, 2635 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico, CA 95928, (530) 879-7424, senator.nielsen@senate.ca.gov GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 5583160; E-mail: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-2253076. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 3930710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary Angel faces In last Saturday's DN, readers were urged "to reflect on the existence of angels at A Holy Hour of Prayer with Angels led by sisters Gloria Heese and Janel Sawatzki." The article continued. "All are invited to take time from this busy holiday season to pray and contemplate angels and their presence in our lives from 5:45-6:45 p.m. Dec. 8 at Marsh Cottage next to St. Peter's Episcopal Church." I wasn't in attendance. This will come as no surprise to readers who, by now, are aware of my skepticism regarding organized religion. However, if one is to set aside such reservations, it may be worth exploring the existence of angels. Fairies, on the other hand, I think, have been pretty much discounted by most adults. What we all desire is to find solutions to our everyday cares and woe. And what better way than to assume we have real functioning guardian angels keeping us from every miss-step in life. It is a feel good concept personified by the film "It's A Wonderful Life." I say, for a moment or two, let's suspend disbelief and warm up by singing the first verse of "The First Noel" which goes "The first Noel, the angel did say..." Can't hurt, and it might help the homeless to get through another cold night. Even curmudgeons have a heart. *** "Group pitches elephant reserve in Tehama County," or so writes Rich Greene. "Representatives from the Oakland Zoo and Ndovo Foundation shared their visions with the Tehama County Planning Commission." Although Rich added "...ideal location for, of all things, an elephant reserve," there is precedent for the idea. Years ago, a group was pitching such a reserve for a rock strewn parcel north and east of town on 36E. Locals thought it a pipe dream, but the backers floated a trial balloon to see if there were any investors who secretly harbored thoughts of riding one of the beast in the Red Bluff Roundup Parade. However, the idea never got off the ground. Perhaps the Diamond Range west of town might have better luck...especially if the project does not require investor money. *** Last week's quiz was apparently too easy A friend in the news business thought I would be interested in the following news and many checked in with the correct answers, first of which was release: "Newsweek to L. Lazar who reported that start printing again next what the month of Decemyear. Paper copies of ber has that no other month Newsweek will again be has is the letter "D," the rolling off the presses startpreferred pronunciation of ing next year. Editor-in"forte" is "fort," and the Chief Jim Impoco says the answer to "Railroad crossnew magazine's owners, ing, look out for the cars, IBT Media, want to 'hit the can you spell that without reset button' and move to a any "r's ?" is, t-h-a- t. business model where a This week's quiz: What weekly print magazine Robert is so rare as a day in June would be mainly supported (in the calendar), and what by subscription fees would Oliver Wendell instead of advertising. Holmes, Jr., have been had Impoco said officials he had his father's talent haven't decided how much for writing verse? Try the magazine will cost, but it's expected to be less than $10 per issue." Googling that answer. *** This seems expensive to me, but in lieu of In a convent in Ireland, the 98-year-old advertising, it may be their only option and Mother Superior lay dying. The nuns gathhope for a cult following. I'm a TIME man and a subscriber now ered around her bed trying to make her last for over 60 years. As such, TIME likes me journey comfortable. They gave her some a lot. They keep wanting to send me free water and then some warm milk to drink but tote bags and things for just extending my she refused it. One of the nuns took the subscription before it expires. But the mis- glass of warm milk back to the kitchen, and sus, who is on to their tricks, only extends remembering a bottle of Irish whiskey when due. It keeps them on their toes and I received as a gift, she opened it and poured a generous amount into the warm milk. get my TIME ...in a timely fashion. Back at Mother Superior's bed, they held *** University of Nebraska published a the glass to her lips. The frail nun drank a paper debunking fears of hormones in beef. little, then a little more and before they They report, "All multi-cellular organisms knew it, she had drained the whole glass. As contain hormones. But some meat produc- her eyes brightened, the nuns thought it tion systems use hormone implants which would be a good opportunity to have one cause the meat to have slightly more hor- last talk with their spiritual leader. "Mother," one of the nuns asked earnestmones than the non-implanted. It increases more muscle from less feed more quickly ly, "Please give us some of your wisdom which keeps prices down and reduces the before you leave us." She raised herself up in bed on one environmental impact of production." Although this sounds like PR to downplay elbow, looked at them and said...."Don't sell concerns of too much hormones getting into that cow." our diet, we used to implant cattle in our Robert Minch is a lifelong resident of feedlot at Gerber with implants into their Red Bluff, former columnist for the Corning ears. I wonder if this method has been used in Daily Observer and Meat Industry the NFL. Some linemen in pro football look magazine and author of the "The Knocking Pen." He can be reached at like beef on the hoof. rminchandmurray@hotmail.com. *** Minch I Say