They forgot to mention that right wing coward-apologists don't sell as well anymore. On another note, maybe Wooten will get fired. I hear they're hiring at the new Wal-Mart on Howell Mill Road. Too bad about the health insurance though.

I'm torn about Luckovich (if he's on the chopping block). It's great that he's local, but he deserves- and I'm sure could get- good money anywhere. Same for Bookman.

If the AJC actually started covering local news in depth again, like this below, they'd keep their readers...

http://championnewspaper.com/moldmain.html
Mold levels in housing project may be unlivable
2/15/2007
by Andy Phelan and Brian Egeston | Staff Writers
andy@dekalbchamp.com | be@brianwrites.com

Twins Sheldon and Weldon Freeman play in their apartment run by the Housing Authority of the City of Lithonia. Mold covers the walls of their three-bedroom home. Photos by Brian Egeston.

Visible mold grows on the walls of the twins’ bedroom.

In addition to mold, the apartment is also infested with roaches.

Weldon breathes in asthma medicine he takes through an inhaler.
Because twins Sheldon and Weldon Freeman, 4, were born with asthma, they spend at least 20 minutes a day taking treatment through inhalers.

But even more dangerous is the fact that they live in a mold-infested apartment run by the Housing Authority of the City of Lithonia [HACL], which answers to the Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD].

In a follow up by The Champion to a story on its front page this week concerning a family living in potentially unhealthy conditions, mold experts completed a thorough test of their mother Shannika Grant’s apartment.

Professional mold inspectors, acquired by The Champion, suggested the conditions they witnessed and tested are probably unlivable. Scientific data, which will available Friday, Feb. 16, will indicate the type of mold present, the concentration in the air Sheldon and Weldon breathe and will compare the air inside to conditions outside.

Grant, who has been evicted by the housing authority in part for allegedly not telling HACL about the mold and roach infestation in her apartment, insists she did inform not only the Department of Housing and Urban Development, but HACL as well. According to a letter from HACL attorney, Grant and her kids will be evicted March 2.

Grant said she's tried to clean the mold, but it won't go away. She said the HACL told her to just use bleach and buy a de-humidifier.

HUD and HACL insist they did everything they could and “responded promptly and corrected the condition.”

Grant said she's been seeking help with conditions in her apartment since the spring of 2006.

HUD officials inspected the site Feb. 14, but had not yet provided The Champion with a copy of the report.

According to the EPA Web site, exposure to this level of mold can cause severe reactions that may include fever and shortness of breath. Some people with chronic lung illnesses, such as obstructive lung disease, may develop mold infections in their lungs.

For small children like the Freemans with weak immune systems, this level can be lethal.

Results of the mold test will be posted online Feb. 16 at about 3 p.m. and in The Champion-Free Press on Feb. 23.

Memo from Journal-Constitution editor Wallace (in full):


Shawn McIntosh moves to a new job, Director of Culture and Change, focusing on all of the organizational issues to move us where we need to go. These include training, analysis of process and implementation of standards, and guiding the transition in the months ahead. Her job will be critical to make sure we really change.

The leadership team also includes Stacy Lynch, Director of Innovations, the four Managing Editors and Editorial Page Editor Cynthia Tucker. Hyde Post, Vice President of Internet, and Amy Glennon, Director of Product Development, will continue to report to me and General Manager Scott Whiteside. They will work closely with the newsroom leadership team.

What else is happening?
We are extending a voluntary separation program offer to about 80 employees who are 55 years of age or older and have 10 years of Cox pension vesting service. The offer is completely voluntary. We don't expect everyone to take the offer, but we will not limit the number who can accept. We want people to make the decision that is best for them, and we will honor it. Because of that, I can't tell you today how many people will choose to leave the newsroom. Nor can I or other newsroom leaders say anything about what the future will hold for anyone individually. We will talk more specifically in the weeks ahead about the future we see and share that with everyone.

Because the reorganization is timed with the voluntary separation offer, the rules of that separation program will guide our timing. Clearly we will lose some very talented and veteran folks. It's hard, but it's necessary for our economic realities. We consider it a generous offer that provides some financial flexibility to those who choose to accept that they wouldn't otherwise have.

One thing to remember: We will remain one of the largest newsrooms in the country, and we will continue to have a larger news gathering staff than all of the other local print and broadcast news organizations in Atlanta combined.

You're part of the process
As we begin this journey, we know we don't have all the answers. We have some work to do to figure out the best way to organize the staff. We will engage all of you in this conversation, because no one understands this place better than you.

We will look at what works and doesn't work now and how to improve it. We'll talk about what we know about reader needs and how we must respond. We'll talk about engaging readers more regularly and understanding what information they want and need. We will discuss the best way to get the work done, jobs to be created, jobs that need to merge and jobs that will remain the same.

As we implement changes, we will boost our commitment to training, adding more classes focused on areas such as understanding our audiences and how to serve them.

Summary: Vision
We will become a new newsroom -- one that is bold and assertive. We will not allow ourselves to be steamrolled by events beyond our control. We will seize control of our fate.

What you will not hear is a change in the commitment to the important work we do. We are the dominant source for news and information in metro Atlanta. We do the work that strengthens our democracy and helps our readers find fulfillment in their daily lives.

In the coming months, we'll ask you to participate in brainstorming sessions. We need your help as we further define, develop and fine-tune the new structure.

Here are some key milestones to note:
Organizational planning continues -- Feb-April
New structure and positions announced -- April
Interview and selection process – late April -- late May
Announce new organization as positions are filled -- June
Full implementation of new organization -- late June
Voluntary Separation Program volunteers' anticipated last day of employment -- June 30

As we go through changes in the next few months, know that although these are difficult times for newspapers, this newspaper is committed to navigating through these waters and to taking the time to do things right. There will be some uncertainty, and your leadership team and I will speak to you often about what we are learning.

I believe in each and every one of you, and I know that we will succeed.

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