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April 27, 2005
How bad is it?
Staff writer Zeke Barlow (zbarlow@VenturaCountyStar.com) will try to answer that old "Tonight Show" joke as it applies to air quality in Ventura County. The American Lung Association is coming out with its annual report that, basically, gives the county an F for air quality. Yet last year, the county Air Quality Control District says we had the best air quality in 35 years. So who's right? Zeke is find that they're both right ... it all depends on how you read the numbers. His story will be in tomorrow's Star.
The Ventura Music Festival has put Ventura on the map ... on the chamber musical map, that is. Staff writer Kevin Clerici (kclerici@VenturaCountyStar.com) will talk about the festival, now in its 11th year, for a Page One story. Meanwhile, in Time Out, staff writer Charles Levin (clevin@VenturaCountyStar.com) does a piece on the Big Phat Band, which will perform as part of the festival.
We are also looking for Page One on a story by staff writer John Mitchell (jmitchell@VenturaCountyStar.com) that talks about a most unusual meeting at a Thousand Oaks restaurant that takes the people back 60 years in time.
Posted by John Moore at 09:56 AM
April 26, 2005
We're rich
At least the State of California thinks we're rich. The latest median household income figures are out from the state Franchise Tax Board and show that Ventura County has the highest income in Southern California, and 12th highest in the state, at $35,370. Sacramento bureau chief Timm Herdt (therdt@VenturaCountyStar.com) will tell us how they got to that figure and what it means for Page One tomorrow.
The story we've been touting since last week about the Rebuild Ventura County group that is helping folks get back on their feet after the winter storms is on the schedule to run tomorrow. Unless it gets bumped. Again.
Tonight the Thousand Oaks City Council is finally expected to act on the resignation letter from City Manager Phil Gatch. T.O. city reporter Grace Lee (glee@VenturaCountyStar.com) will be at the meeting. If the decision comes before our deadline, we're looking to have it on Page One tomorrow morning. If it's too late for the print edition, come to the website, where Grace will report what happened.
Staff writer Stephanie Hoops (shoops@VenturaCountyStar.com) is following up on the report from last week about the layoffs at Los Robles hospital. She has a number of "strings" to that story and looks to have at least one of them nailed down for tomorrow's paper ... we just don't know yet which one.
Off the wires, we're looking at possible Page One play for Syria's withdrawl from Lebanon, the continuing battle in the Senate over confirmation of President Bush's judicial nominees and today's Supreme Court ruling on gun ownership for individuals convicted of crimes overseas.
Posted by John Moore at 10:40 AM
April 25, 2005
Monday morning news
We will be getting a rare look at the Navy's San Nicolas Island today with the ribbon-cutting for its new pier. Staff writer Raul Hernandez (rhernandez@VenturaCountyStar.com)is out at the ceremony. San Nicolas is the island the Navy uses for its testing ... much of it cloaked in secrecy and so the rest of us don't often get a look at the place. We will for tomorrow's Star.
Staff writer Zeke Barlow (zbarlow@VenturaCountyStar.com) has his story ready on Rebuild Ventura County, the local alliance of various agencies that is helping folks get back on their feet after the winter storms. Federal help and insurance only pay so much of the bill. Rebuild Ventura County is trying to fill in those gaps.
We'll also have coverage of Santa Paula's grand kickoff of the Vinick for President campaign ... at least it's the Vinick from Santa Paula for President campaign. With tongue firmly in cheek, Santa Paula is lobbying the producers of the hit TV show "The West Wing" to make one of their fictional presidential candidates, played by Alan Alda, from Santa Paula. When Alda's character announced his candidacy, the event was filmed in Fillmore. Staff writer Kathleen Wilson(kwilson@VenturaCountyStar.com) will be at the big event today.
The latest figures from California Association of Realtors on home sales are to be released today. We're not sure the current figures will include the numbers from Ventura County in March, but if they do we'll look to see if they should be brought out to Page One for tomorrow.
And we're following the latest in the long-running battle by the City of Simi Valley to keep a strip club out of town. Staff writer Teresa Rochester (trochester@VenturaCountyStar.com) will have that story.
The big story off the wire is the tragic train crash in Japan. The latest is that 52 died in that accident.
Posted by John Moore at 10:55 AM
April 22, 2005
Identifying suspects
Comments have been raised in the last day on one of our stories about The Star's policy regarding identification of suspects in crimes.
The commenter got it right that we do not always use the suspect identification information provided by police.
But it's not a "PC" concern, or a concern about using the race of suspects that has prompted the policy, as some of our commenters have speculated.
We don't use the identification when we believe it is so generic as to be of little to no use in actually identifying a suspect.
In the case of the robbery at Ventura College, for instance, the police described the suspects as "two possibly Hispanic males wearing dark clothing, both approx. 5'6" with thin builds." That's a description that fits hundreds of individuals who walk across that college campus every day. We don't believe it is fair to all of them to potentially label them as robbery suspects.
We're not passing judgment on the quality of descriptions released by police. Quite often that's all they have. But if the description says, for instance, "white male, 5-foot-7 to 6-foot-1, medium build, wearing white t-shirt", which often happens, then we believe it is too generic to help ... and might actually do harm if citizens call police every time they see someone who might fit that description.
If the description is specific enough to identify an individual (facial characteristics, for instance), then we use it. Regardless of race.
Posted by John Moore at 10:00 AM
Helping the victims
A group called Rebuild Ventura County has been formed to help victims of this winter's storms get back on their feet. Staff writer Zeke Barlow (zbarlow@VenturaCountyStar.com) explains that federal help only pays part of the cost of rebuilding from storm damages. Insurance makes up some for some people. But there often is still a gap. And that's the gap this new alliance of non-profits, government agencies and faith-based broups hopes to fill.
Zeke is also heading to The Ojai today to give us a taste and touch of what it's like to be at this long-life tennis tournament. For another look at it, check out the Star video done by Anthony Plascencia. He did a great job of capturing yesterday's Day One of The Ojai and helping us all understand why this tournament is so unique.
It's a quiet day on the wires, so far. Among the possible Page One stories are the anticipated guilty plea by alleged Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and the follow on the arrest of the woman who alleged she found a finger in her fast-food chili.
Posted by John Moore at 09:47 AM
April 20, 2005
Afternoon update
Here are the stories going on Page One tomorrow:
-- Ojai tennis tournament. A overview of the 105th annual tennis tournament that draws thousands to Ojai. It begins tomorrow.
-- Thousand Oaks city feud. A report on the ongoing City Council feud surrounding allegations that some council members sought the resignation of the city manager.
-- Stocks. The Dow Jones hit new lows for the year today. So, how low will it go?
-- Lawsuit. A teachers' union and eight school districts in three states sued the Department of Education over aspects of the No Child Left Behind law. We get local comment on the lawsuit.
-- Pope. The first papal Mass by Pope Benedict XVI and how his remarks were received.
Posted by John Moore at 04:44 PM
The Ojai
It's tennis time in Ojai. The Ojai Tennis Tournament returns Thursday for its four-day run in the city and other West County tennis courts. It is the 105th consecutive tennis tournament in the city. Sports writer Rhiannon Potkey (rpotkey@VenturaCountyStar.com) writes about the tournament and its impact on Ojai. We'll give you a map of the courts where it's being played (many of the junior matches in the first two days are on private courts) and other details about this tennis extravaganza.
Staff writer Grace Lee is following the ongoing dispute in Thousand Oaks over the resignation letter of City Manager Phil Gatch. The divided city council joined together last night to agree to investigate itself over what led up to Gatch's surprise resignation.
Also, we will be following the lawsuit filed in several states today over the federal No Child Left Behind law; the merger talks between US Airways and America West; and Pope Benedict XIV's pledge to work to unify all Christians.
Posted by John Moore at 10:04 AM
April 19, 2005
Pope Benedict XVI
I would have given you the lineup from our 9 a.m. budget meeting today, but just as we kicked off the meeting, white smoke appeared. And we had a new pope.
So the meeting was cancelled as the newsroom went into high gear to produce an extra in the 90 minutes after the official announcement that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger would become Pope Benedict XVI. The design and copy desk, along with local staff, did a wonderful job in getting the 4-page Extra to the press room to have it produced and available by noon. A copy of the cover is on our home page and the Extra is available this afternoon and evening at various sites around the county.
We will continue our coverage of the new pope on tomorrow's Page One.
Obviously there will be a main story about the new pope, from the wire services. We are also looking for wire stories analyzing Pope Benedict's views on the church and the world; a look at the scene in the Vatican; and reaction from around the world, particularly Germany.
Locally, we will have an interesting discussion of the future of the U.S. Catholic church in a story being reported today by staff writers Stephanie Hoops and Zeke Barlow.
Other staff members gathered reaction from throughout the county. And we will have a separate reaction from Latino Catholics, many of whom were hoping that the new pope would be picked from Central or South America.
Posted by John Moore at 03:31 PM
April 18, 2005
A lot of choices
There were up to 10 stories in competition for Page One for tomorrow. After wrestling them down at our afternoon news budget meeting, here is the lineup Managing Editor Rich Luna selected:
-- Funeral and burial of Juan Venegas, the Simi Valley soldier killed last week in Iraq.
-- Details on the previously announced skyscraper project in Oxnard, a proposal for 31- and 48-story towers near the Esplanade mall. This is in advance of a hearing on the project Tuesday.
-- First day of the conclave of Catholic cardinals to select a new pope for their church.
-- Decision by the NFL to re-align its TV schedule, moving Monday Night Football to ESPN after 35 years on ABC and granting NBC the contract to televise Sunday night games. That means ABC won't televise any NFL games. The new contracts start in 2006.
-- Ebay sellers, a local story on some of the quirky things being sold now on the Internet auction site by Ventura County residents. A Moorpark woman is selling advertising space on her chest; an Ojai man is selling a small chest that he says contains the secret of life. Both have received high bids.
-- An examination of efforts by various states to make this country less inviting to illegal immigrants; and moves in the opposite direction by other states.
Among the stories that didn't make it to Page One (but will still run tomorrow):
-- Announcement by Lance Armstrong that he is retiring from racing after this year's Tour de France.
-- Conviction on murder charges in a Ventura court of David Zeismer in the death of 17-year-old Nichole Hendrix.
-- Study that raises questions about the heart safety of several over-the-counter pain killers.
Posted by John Moore at 03:42 PM
Waiting for the pope
We are watching the conclave of cardinals at the Vatican to see if, on their first ballot, they select a new pope. If that happens, then our attention will immediately focus on the pope, who he is and what changes, if any, he might bring to the Catholic church. We'll also look at his impact on Catholics in Ventura County. But there is to be only one ballot today, so the watch may continue for a few days.
Meanwhile, our coverage of local news continues.
Today, staff writer Stephanie Hoops (shoops@VenturaCountyStar.com) will cover the funeral of Juan Venegas, the 21-year-old Simi Valley soldier killed in Iraq.
Staff writer Charles Levin (clevin@VenturaCountyStar.com) brings some more detail and perspective to the plan by developer Doug Austin to build a couple of high-rise towers (31 and 48 stories) near the Esplanade Shopping Center in Oxnard. Austin says this is a perfect example of smart growth. Others disagree.
We're also watching the stock market today to see how it responds after last week's drop. That story might make it to page one.
And there were a series of Supreme Court actions announced this morning. We're going through those know to determine if we want to bring any of them out to the front page in the morning.
Posted by John Moore at 09:51 AM
April 14, 2005
The day of taxes
Tomorrow is Tax Day. The government says most of you ... most Americans ... wait until April 15 to file their taxes. Staff writers Stephanie Hoops (shoops@VenturaCountyStar.com) and Kevin Clerici (kclerici@VenturaCountyStar.com) are putting together a tax story for us for tomorrow. It will include tips on last minute filing, where to file, how to file late and etc. (etc. meaning the story will have a bunch of other stuff, but I don't know what it is).
Stephanie will also do a story on how folks are spending their tax refund checks, which this year average 6 percent more than last year.
And here is what else we're looking at for Page One for tomorrow:
Congress is nearing passage of a bill that would make it impossible for thousands of people to wipe away their debts in bankruptcy court. We'll look at local reaction to the bill which is being hailed as the biggest overhaul of bankruptcy law in 25 years.
Three people, including a Texas businessman, have been indicted in a scheme to pay millions of dollars in kickbacks to Saddam Hussein as part of the U.N.'s oil for food program.
The Oregon Supreme Court has nullified nearly 3,000 marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples.
And two car bombs in Iraq have killed 18 people.
Posted by John Moore at 11:20 AM
April 13, 2005
The afternoon update
Here's what we're planning to put on Page One tomorrow:
The math wars story by staff writer Jean Moore regarding the conflicts over how to teach math to our kids: formulas or reasoning.
Follow on the effort by Congress to give the federal government control over where LNG sites are located.
The House vote today to eliminate federal estate taxes in 2010.
The FDA reversal on breast implants, voting to allow Mentor Corp. to return them to the U.S. market under strict conditions.
And a story on an effort to use DNA samples from people all over the world -- including you, if you wish -- to trace the routes of human migration.
Posted by John Moore at 03:35 PM
You pick 'em
That's how Managing Editor Rich Luna viewed our wire news choices for Page One for tomorrow. Or, as he said, "There's plenty of opportunity out there." That translates that there are no real dominate wire stories, which means will be choosing from a number of choices for what goes on Page One.
We are looking at at least a couple of local stories.
One is by education writer Jean Moore (jcmoore@VenturaCountyStar.com) who talks about the math wars going on in classrooms. There are those who remain advocates of the traditional approach to math: memorize the formulas. Others believe there are better ways to come up with math answers, teaching students how to do it through reasoning.
Michael Collins (collinsm@shns.com), the Star's Washington correspondent, will follow the House efforts to put the federal government in charge of all decisions on where liquified natural gas facilities will be placed. Of course, two are proposed off the Oxnard coast, making this a hot topic for all of us.
Then there are the national/international news stories. Here are some of the choices at this hour:
-- U.N. General Assembly approves a global treaty making it a crime for terrorists to possess or threaten to use nuclear material.
-- Afghanistan is looking to sew up a long-term security deal that could include a permanent U.S. military presence.
-- Eric Rudolph has pleaded guilty in an Alabama court to a 1998 bombing of an abortion clinic that killed a police officer. He is also expected to plead guilty to three other bombings, including the one at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
-- Scientists are scrambling to prevent the possibility of a pandemic after a killer influenza virus was sent to thousands of labs accidentally. They're working to recall the kits that included the virus.
-- A series of explosions in Iraq killed 12 police officers. Also, al-Jazeera TV broadcasts what it says is a tape of a kidnapped American.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is pressing the U.S. to threaten Iran with international sanctions because of its nuclear program.
Posted by John Moore at 11:02 AM
April 12, 2005
Coming to a newspaper near you
This is the combined morning and afternoon news budget meeting report, because ... I missed the morning news meeting, because ... I was in another non-news-budget meeting, because ...
It was a day like that. You get the picture.
For Page One tomorrow, we will be reporting:
The FDA vote today on whether to continue the partial ban on silicone-gel breast implants.
The hearing today in Sacramento on legislation that would legalize physician-assisted suicide in California.
The bill proposed by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley of Agoura Hills that would jack up the fees on cigarettes by 10 to 20 cents a pack to fund costs to clean up stormwater ocean drainage in California. The tie-in to cigarettes is that the trash most often found on California beaches, swept there off our streets during storms, is a cigarette butt. The tobacco companies are opposed.
The filing of charges against three men in Britain suspected of being involved in a terrorist plot against financial institutions in New York, New Jersey and Washington.
And a story that I'm not supposed to talk about because it's embargoed. An embargo is an agreement that someone who has news makes with the media where they'll give us information, but we have to agree not to release it until a certain date and time. That gives us a chance to prepare the story. It gives them the advantage of controlling the release of the information. The embargoed information is regarding the Santa Clara River. It's embargoed by the American Rivers environmental group. This is the same group that annually releases a list of the Most Endangered Rivers in the United States.
Posted by John Moore at 03:55 PM
April 11, 2005
The Page One lineup
Here's the lineup (at this hour) for tomorrow's Page One:
Minuteman -- the story by staff writer Zeke Barlow on a Camarillo man who joined the Minutemen last week in their efforts to seal the U.S. border in Arizona from illegal immigrants.
Implants -- a wire story with local inserts on the debate before the FDA today over lifting the near-ban on silicon-gel breat implants.
Passports -- staff writer Sylvia Moore's story on the impact of the Bush administration plan to require passports whenever we leave the country.
Bolton -- the hearing today on the nomination of John Bolton to U.S. ambassador to the U.N.
Bush-Sharon -- the meeting today in Texas between the president and the Israeli prime minister.
Unification -- decision by the county superintendent of schools on moving forward with the vote to unify Camarillo schools ... if the decision gets made today.
Posted by John Moore at 04:30 PM
On the border
A 61-year-old grandfather from Camarillo was one of the Minutemen who volunteered to patrol the Arizona-Mexico border last week. Staff writer Zeke Barlow (zbarlow@VenturaCountyStar.com) and photographer Dave Getzschman went along. Their report on the Minutemen on the border will be in tomorrow's Star.
Also tomorrow, staff writer Sylvia Moore (smoore@VenturaCountyStar.com) explores the proposal that all of us will need a U.S. passport anytime we leave the country. She will explain the impacts, costs and how to get a passport.
We'll be staffing a meeting this afternoon between the county superintendent of schools and Camarillo and Oxnard school officials over the proposed Camarillo school unification issue. If there is movement on that story, we'll have it online later this afternoon.
Off the wires, there are a number of stories that caught our interest at the morning news budget meeting as possible A1 stories: President Bush's meeting today with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon; the hearings on FDA suggestion to lift the ban on silicone-gel breast implants; and the raids in Baghdad rounding up Iraqi insurgents.
Posted by John Moore at 09:52 AM
April 07, 2005
Covering the pope's funeral
The funeral of Pope John Paul II will begin about 1 a.m. our time tomorrow. That's right in the middle of when our presses are rolling in Camarillo for tomorrow's edition. The funeral is expected to last around four hours.
So, by dawn tomorrow, when you are picking up your newspaper with the latest news, the funeral will be over ... and it won't be reported in The Star.
It's the worst of timing for a daily newspaper.
So, here's what we're going to do. We're going to have coverage of the funeral throughout the night here on our website. When you wake up, you can log on to www.VenturaCountyStar.com and read the latest coverage, complete with photos.
Tomorrow morning, we will be producing a special section covering the funeral. It will be wrapped around the outside of the Saturday morning Star. When it's completed, PDF versions will be posted on our website late Friday morning, or early afternoon. The special section will contain all the news of the funeral; the regular Saturday paper will have the rest of the news.
Speaking of the rest of the news, here's what we're looking at for tomorrow's page one:
Final coverage of the lines of people filing into St. Peter's today. There will be a local story talking to dozens of county residents who met the pope and whose lives were touched by the pope. Staff writer John Mitchell (jmitchell@VenturaCountyStar.com) has been putting together this piece this week.
We're also looking at the involvement of a local man as a defendant in a lawsuit being filed today against the California Department of Education over the decision to hvaae its performance tests in English only. Education writer Erinn Hutkin (ehutkin@VenturaCountyStar.com) is doing that story.
We're following on the pesticide incident yesterday in Moorpark to see if there is any potential longterm impact from the exposure to the farm workers.
Oxnard city writer Raul Hernandez (rhernandez@VenturaCountyStar.com) is writing a piece on the surprising comments this week by a pair of Oxnard city council members expressing an interest in slowing down growth in that city.
And, we are looking to talk to local pharmacists on alternatives to Bextra, the Pfizer painkiller that the FDA today said should be taken off the market.
Posted by John Moore at 10:04 AM
April 06, 2005
Afternoon update
Here's the lineup for tomorrow's page one:
County settles suit with D.A. and sheriff over funding formula.
U.S. delegation, headed by President Bush, arrives in Rome and pays respects to pope at St. Peter's.
Local Catholic schools teach about the death of the pope.
Judge approves Santa Paula Hospital bankruptcy plan, paving the way to reopen the hospital.
Iraq parliament elects Kurd as new president.
Posted by John Moore at 03:19 PM
Public safety funding lawsuit settled
Ventura County and the county's top public safety officials (the sheriff and district attorney) announced this morning they have settled their lawsuit over the funding formula for those offices. The settlement ends lengthy and costly litigation over the divisive issue. Staff writer Charles Levin (clevin@VenturaCountyStar.com) who has covered the story from the beginning will explain what the settlement means, and how it came about.
In Santa Babara, word is expected later this morning from a bankruptcy court approving the plan to reopen Santa Paula Hospital. Once the judge gives his approval, we'll get the news up on our website. Staff writer Kathleen Wilson (kwilson@VenturaCountyStar.com) who has covered this long-running story will give all the details, and what it means for Santa Paula, in her coverage for tomorrow's Page One.
We're continuing our coverage of the death and funeral of Pope John Paul II. In addition to wire stories about what is going on in Rome, staff writer Erinn Hutkin (ehutkin@VenturaCountyStar.com) will have a story on how Catholic schools in Ventura County are teaching the death of the pope.
Another wire story that is possible for Page One tomorrow is the election of a Kurdish leader as the new president of Iraq.
Posted by John Moore at 10:13 AM
April 05, 2005
Afternoon update
How do you like this idea: the price of gasoline could be coming down in California. Pretty nifty. Of course, the plan, floated by Democrats in Sacramento, has a few strings attached. Our Sacramento bureau chief Timm Herdt (therdt@VenturaCountyStar.com) is writing about the Democrats' idea to cut gas taxes by about 11 cents a gallon. They'd make up with revenue with a quarter-cent increase in the sales tax. Then, next year, they'd return 3 cents to the gas tax and put that money in a special road construction fund. Timm will also find out what the opposition has to say about the idea.
Our coverage of the rituals surrounding the death and funeral of Pope John Paul II continue, with amazing photos of the public procession at St. Peter's in Rome. As a sidebar to that story, staff writer Sylvia Moore (smoore@VenturaCountyStar.com) talks with members of the local Polish community about the pope.
We are also waiting on information coming from Caltrans, which was holding a press conference in Los Angeles today to release details of its plans to improve the 101/405 interchange. Staff writer Grace Lee (glee@VenturaCountyStar.com) is covering that for us.
And staff writer Zeke Barlow (zbarlow@VenturaCountyStar.com) previews tomorrow's state Supreme Court hearing on the constitutionality of the California Coastal Commission.
Posted by John Moore at 03:52 PM
Who controls the coast?
The Supreme Court holds a hearing Wednesday on an issue that could prove critical to the future of Ventura County, and all coastal California counties. The court is getting involved in a case to determine whether the California Coastal Commission is unconstitutional because it has both executive and legislative powers. Staff writer Zeke Barlow (zbarlow@VenturaCountyStar.com) previews the issue and its potential impact on development in the county.
Coverage continues today of the remarkable scenes coming from Rome as people wait up to seven hours to pay their final respects to Pope John Paul II. As a sidebar to that coverage, staff writer Sylvia Moore (smoore@VenturaCountyStar.com) talks with members of the Polish community in the county on their rememberances of the first Polish pope.
Beyond those stories, the rest of Page One for tomorrow is up in the air.
Among the local stories that might make it out there:
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger visits the Reagan library this morning for an address in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of National Crime Victims' Rights Week.
The county Board of Supervisors gets an updated report on the damage from this winter's storms, and what the cost was / is to the county.
Caltrans holds a press conference in Los Angeles this afternoon to talk about its plans to upgrade the nefarious 101/405 interchange.
And the legislature holds a hearing on the bill to force pharmacists to either dispense emergency contraceptions or refer the patient to someone who will.
Posted by John Moore at 09:45 AM
April 04, 2005
Afternoon update
Our top story tomorrow will be something other than the continuing coverage of the death of Pope John Paul II. But we'll have plenty of pope coverage on Page One.
We'll lead the paper with the merger of Chevron Texaco and Unocal. It's a $16.4 billion deal combining the No. 2 (Chevron Texaco) and No. 9 (Unocal) biggest oil and gas producing companies. Unocal, of course, has a long history in Ventura County.
Our pope coverage will include a main story about the details of the funeral and today's first public viewing of the body. We're looking to a New York Times story describing the scene at the Vatican. And we'll combine that with a staff writer Stephanie Hoops (shoops@VenturaCountyStar.com) story on the church since Vatican II.
Sacramento bureau chief Timm Herdt (therdt@VenturaCountyStar.com) writes about the push for legislation that would require pharmacists to fill all legal prescriptions. A Pharmacists for Life group is urging pharmacists to not fill prescriptions that would allow patients to do something that would violate the pharmacist's moral values -- mainly targeting "morning after" birth control.
There was also some advocacy for putting out front a story on a state Supreme Court ruling restricting hospitals from chasing after patients to pay the difference between their bills and what their insurance companies pay. But it looks like that story will be inside the paper.
Posted by John Moore at 03:48 PM
Today's news
Mourners begin the viewing of Pope John Paul II today at St. Peter's Basilica. The funeral is set for 10 a.m. Friday (1 a.m. our time) and burial will be in the grotto of St. Peter's. We will be continuing to cover the events of the day on Page One tomorrow.
Also tomorrow we are planning a local story looking back to the Vatican II changes implemented in the 1960s that many thought would liberalize the Catholic church well beyond where it is today. We'll explore those changes with local people and talk about what comes next for the church.
Star Sacramento bureau chief Timm Herdt has an interesting story on legislative discussion in response to a drive by a group called Pharmacists for LIfe International which is urging pharmacists who are against abortion rights to decline to dispense medications against their views,including "morning-after" pills.
Off the wires, we will be looking at non-pope related stories for Page One tomorrow. One would be the merger of Chevron and Unocal. The other would be the Supreme Court decision making IRAs untouchable to creditors in bankruptcy cases.
Posted by John Moore at 09:52 AM
Pope coverage
Included with your edition of the Ventura County Star this morning was an eight-page special section on the life and legacy of Pope John Paul II.
Aware of the pontiff's ill health, Star editors and reporters began work on this special section months ago to have it ready for the time of his death, giving local perspective and views to this global story.
It was nearly finalized Friday morning, ready to be pushed out to the press to be included in the next edition of The Star.
But we have a problem ... it's a good problem for a newspaper ... but it's a problem. Our Sunday edition includes so many sections that we keep our presses busy from about 7 a.m. Saturday morning until the final copy is printed around 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning. We fill the press to capacity and run various sections, put them in a pile and then run the next series of sections, ending with the final news and sports sections, and then insert them all together to make your Sunday paper.
The problem is that there is no additional time or space for any additional sections to run after 7 a.m. Saturday. And, as you know, the pope's death was announced shortly after noon Saturday. If that had been any other day of the week, the special section would have appeared in the next day's paper. But the only way to do it Saturday would have been to absolutely cancel certain news and classified ad sections or push back the press runs (and then delivery) so you wouldn't receive your paper until mid-morning Sunday.
The only option that seemed to make sense was to wait a publication cycle until Monday. The stories from the section were posted online at www.VenturaCountyStar.com shortly after the death was announced Saturday. But the actual keepsake package, with its elegant design, simply couldn't come off the press and onto your doorstep until today.
The last time we pre-prepared a special section was for Ronald Reagan. It was done several years in advance, to be honest with you, and just updated with dates.
As you remember, President Reagan died on a Saturday. Well after 7 a.m. The section did not appear until Monday morning.
We are not currently planning any more special sections like that.
Posted by John Moore at 09:40 AM
April 01, 2005
Pope John Paul II
The newsroom is on hold this morning, as we all keep checking out the ever-present TV sets in the newsroom to monitor the condition of Pope John Paul II.
That doesn't mean we're not busy. We have had a plan in place for months to outline how we are going to cover this story and present it to you. We are ready to go to press with an Extra edition of The Star that could be on the streets within hours of his death. We also have in place a special section to appear with the next edition of The Star that will provide detailed coverage of the impact the pope had on the people of Ventura County. Reporters, photographers, videographers will be on the streets within minutes to begin recording your reactions. That will be in addition to expanded news coverage in the main news section.
We have other plans in place for upcoming editions ... but we'll hang onto those plans for now.
Posted by John Moore at 10:17 AM
