3 months ago
Friday, October 2, 2009
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- Chief Highknocker
- You aren't local until you have at least three generations in the cemetery.
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27 comments:
This makes me want to cry. Heads should roll and yet they haven't (yet).
None of this should have EVER happened. Shame on those responsible.
Heads should have rolled long ago! This was anticipated from the VERY beginning as a very poor business option when other better ones were available that would not have destroyed the property or been such a financial mess. He was warned, but was unwilling to cooperate with those who really cared about the ABA! It did not have to be this way!!!!
Prepare for more Lindenwood bashing. I thought the opposition had given up after all state and local approvals were finalized this year, half-acre lots and all. The part-time ABA homeowners’ lawsuit was laughed out of the courtroom, leaving the group rightfully embarrassed. But that didn’t stop them. It seems the NIMBYs are still feeding their half-truths to the Green Lake Reporter, which (not surprisingly) regurgitated them with no depth or context.
Chief, the “news story” you’re referring to is an abomination. Apparently, it’s out of the question for the Green Lake Reporter to actually CALL the Lindenwood folks and report their perspective. Instead, it’s just one side of the story. Very typical. What else should we expect from our Green Lake rag, besides more blurry photos, shaky stories and poor grammar. Unfortunately, it’s not the first time that publication has pulled this game. The Green Lake Reporter never bothers to quote Lindenwood whenever this sort of thing arises. Maybe if the Green Lake Reporter would actually share both sides of the issue, there wouldn’t be much controversy left.
If you read all the way to the end of that article (past the sensational headline and introduction), you’ll see how the remaining balance is a small fraction of what Lindenwood originally owed. The rest has been paid. The Green Lake Reporter owes Lindenwood, the ABA and the community a retraction and an apology for this lousy reporting.
The Green Lake Reporter and The Ripon Commonwealth Press are rags, reliable only if you want to know the dates of a brat fry or are thirsty for some transparent butt kissing. Uggghhhh! Where's the journalistic integrity and moral obligation!?!?!?!?!?!
Was a picture of the 86-year old, Ripon woman who was hit by a car (and died) during Green Lake's Harvest Fest, plastered on the front page of the RCP? If so, this woman and her family deserved more respect. This isn't Milwaukee where nobody knows your name and we neither need or want this type of media sensationalism. It may seem insignificant now, but this is how insensitivity grows just to sell a few more papers for financial gain.
What are you talking about? Neither paper "plastered" such a photo on the front page.
No one seems to know what is really going on at ABA/Lindenwood, as usual. It just does not sound good at this point in time, in this economy especially.
To the poster who calls the Green Lake Reporter story "an abomination" -
The story looked to me to be taken directly from court documents, which are usually accurate. Are you saying that the court records are inaccurate? Or that the reporter did not accurately report them?
Which of the facts reported in the story do you know to be inaccurate?
Was a second lien filed against Lindenwood Development? Was the lien filed by Davel Engineering? Was the first lien filed in May by PTS Contractors?
If there are incorrect facts in the story, we would like to know what they are.
Hence my question, asking IF such a photo was taken and printed.
I saw the photo in the paper and thought it was unusual for such a photo to appear. I don't recall what page it was on.
I'm sorry to have used "plastered", as some thought this implied the picture of a dying woman had been printed more than once in the paper. I meant to suggest my disappointment if even one photo had been printed.
"If there are incorrect facts in the story, we would like to know what they are."
No one said the Green Lake Reporter’s story was inaccurate. I said it was lousy reporting. The article may be technically correct, but it was written with zero depth or context. No effort was made to show the other side of the story. Is it too much to actually offer Lindenwood’s perspective? A simple phone call would do.
Also, the photo in question was printed on page 15, not the front page. It is not graphic. The woman is not even visible. The photo simply shows the backs of several paramedics.
To the person who said the Green Lake Reporter article about the lien against Lindenwood Development was "lousy reporting" -
There is a difference between facts and comments on facts. In this case, the court records provided the facts - and you indicate that they are accurate. If the reporter had chosen to get comments, it would have been essential to get comments from both sides of the lien - ie, from Lindenwood Development and the ABA on one side and from Davel Engineering and possibly PTS on the other side. The attorneys for either side might have also had something to say.
For whatever reason, the reporter elected to simply report the facts. That does not make the story either "an abomination" or "lousy reporting" - it is simply some facts taken from court documents and reported without comments from either side.
Hey City of Green Lake! How does annexation sound now?
Still sucks.
You just ain't seen nothin yet!
Pipe down, ya troublemaker.
Oh gawd. Ripon isn't annexing GL too is it? B-b-b-baby that wouldn't be n-n-n-nuthin - it would be GL's worst nightmare.
“That does not make the story either an abomination or lousy reporting”
Wrong. The story is lousy because it was written completely out of context. You don’t seem to understand that. The article makes people assume that Lindenwood is broke and refusing to pay bills. That’s not the case. It’s a misleading article, and therefore, is a lousy excuse for news. It would be like reporting that the government is shutting down a restaurant but never explaining why (for example, health code violations).
Reading the court documents and slapping together a two-bit article is not reporting, it’s regurgitation. Any fool can regurgitate court documents. It takes a reporter to provide balance and context so that people understand the real story behind the bare-bones facts. Not surprisingly, the Green Lake Reporter has failed to do that.
Since you won’t report the context, here it is. Lindenwood was guaranteed a $3.5 million bond in the developer’s agreement with the Township. But with the collapse of the economy, Lindenwood and the Township have not been able to secure that bond yet. Therefore, yes, some bills are not yet paid. It’s no secret. It’s only a matter of time before the bond is finalized. Then any remaining bills will be paid.
THAT is what the dinky article is missing. Get it?
Not really. How long has this been going on? Why should any of us believe that this "guaranteed" $3.5 million bond in the developer’s agreement with the Township will go through without problems (or at all)? This entire development has been a major fiasco from the beginning. Why the ABA went with a small-time "nobody" developer as they did is beyond me. At this point, nothing would surprise me.
Though what you say is true, the developer still hasn't sold one lot, they owe money and the ABA has put themselves out on the limb on this project. There's still money owed to banks, with the interest on the loan adding up, and no cash coming in.
A $3.5 million bond still has to be paid back, with interest. These guys and the ABA are a long way from being able to say they can pay everyone back and make some money.
Don't hold your breath on this one.
Chief, this Monday, the Green Lake City Council will decide whether to censure Chuck Mirr over the campaign paper controversy brought up by Joe Parise. This is definitely worth a fresh topic. It’s Mirr vs. Parise all over again. Get your seats, people!
The Evil Cabal is at it again.
Whatever.
Mirr had 17 months to do the right thing. His failure to provide information in a timely manner is not does not reflect well on him. As mayor, he should act within the rules. Someone who cannot be trusted with little things cannot be trusted with big things. I think he has too many things going on with his businesses etc. to devote his time to the public position to which he was elected.
Oh yeah, whatever - seems like the City Council has bigger fish to fry - like keeping pedestrians safe during big events downtown! This censureship is just a slap on the wrist and means nothing anyway, except to someone or several someones who have alterior motives in making another person look bad for their own gain. Yuch!
Keeping pedestrians safe downtown hasn't really been a big problem for decades. The problem is safety during the festivals, and here we have a wide assortment of potential dangers.
First are the raised sidewalks. A woman fell off the sidewalk during Harvest Fest. She twisted her torso and was in pain because of it. Ironic that there was an editorial in yesterday's GL Reporter from a disabled individual, asking that any new businesses downtown include a handicap accessible entrance. While this is a nice idea, it is hardly feasible when our sidewalks are not even handicap friendly. They aren't even pedestrian friendly!
Next is the street closings during the festival. Not a huge problem at first glance, but closing off the entire downtown routes heavy traffic onto the streets that are open, and this was a factor (in my opinion) in our recent pedestrian death. People are driving around, looking for a parking spot and not paying attention. Mrs. Vee had on a red shirt and was carrying a bright red purse. How could anyone not see her? Yet, she wasn't crossing (apparently) at the corner, and that was her big mistake. Perhaps crosswalks painted on all corners downtown might help, but having more crossing guards to enforce safe crossings during festivals would certainly help. What if this had been a child who died? The public outcry would be much louder. Is it only a matter of time?
We were downtown shortly after the car show began on Sunday morning, and were witness to an elderly man driving a big car out of the BP gas station and right down the block, through the middle of the car show! The street was full of pedestrians, who had to move out of this guys way. The old man looked puzzled and disoriented as he made his way down the busy street of car-gazers and finally around the barricades at the end of the street by the bank. Totally unacceptable! Yet how else was he supposed to buy gas and exit the BP?
One of the problems during the festival is that people are allowed in the street inside the festival area and then think that they can walk down the street outside the barricades. The crossing guard during the festival was extremely frustrated just trying to get people to cross the street under her direction while also trying to direct traffic. This is also a problem every Sunday morning outside the Federated Church as all of the octogenarians amble into the street and then stand there and talk to each other. It's nearly impossible to drive down the street after church lets out. The apparently think they belong in the middle of the street.
Back to the festivals, I guess it's more important to keep cute fluffy dogs out of the celebrations than to protect the public safety. I think we can do better, and I sincerely hope that the city looks into these important safety issues before the next festival.
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