"Irrelevant column devoid of any understanding...

...of how an improvement district works."

That is one of the comments on the latest column in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram by Mitch Schnurman.  Apparently he's on a roll.  And apparently doesn't realize the city he doesn't live in is made up of 300 miles, all of them in need of something, not just downtown, "central city", Seventh Street or his favorite boondoggle, the Trinity River Vision. 

As usual, the comments are more telling than the column.

The folks that "run" downtown and have the most to lose financially by taking downtown business over to 7th Street or the Southside don't want any part of it. They happen to be very influential and have spent many years making sure they control the political establishment in the city of Fort Worth. Don't think they are going to allow any changes until they buy up these new areas as well. And of course long term they don't want anything to impact their beloved Trinity River Vision the taxpayers are buying for them.

THE People want more

Many were looking forward to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram becoming YOUR paper. 

Some still are.

Read the following Letter to the Editor.

More letters, please

Has anyone besides me noticed that, since the Star-Telegram implemented its latest reformatting of the paper, the letters section has been dramatically reduced in size? Editorials and guest columnists seem to get more space than all the letters combined. Several times since the reformatting, I have totally missed the letters section when going through the paper and had to thumb back through to find it.

This seems a shame for what I once looked forward to as a good cross-section of views and commentary from readers.

We need more space for letters from readers and less space devoted to editorials and guest columnists, in my opinion.

-- Michael A. Jones, Fort Worth

WHO's news??

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram recently claimed they were YOUR paper.

Funny, we received an email from an active Fort Worth citizen that tells a much different story.  What happens when the officials and industry are your only customers?

The Fort Worth Startlegram has blocked me from making online comments on their stories because of my prolific responses to stories about bad air quality and the negative impacts of gas drilling on ground water sources. Also, I would imagine their censorship is because I will not back down from the real jerks who post on the ST site! Sad...truly sad that if it were not for the Associated Press and the New York Times, the ST would not even report on any of this crap we are having to deal with because of corrupt elected officials and an industry that cares not for any of us. I guess advertising dollars are more important to the ST than we are!

Catching on

The Fort Worth Weekly makes note of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram recent changes. Is it new?  Or old?  Are they targeting the young? Or old?  We can't tell anymore.

Though we like the fact the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is going to expand Cheers and Jeers over many days, since it's the "most popular feature".  That says a lot.  And as we've always said, if you want to know what's going on in Fort Worth, you go to THE PEOPLE, not the paper.  Now, let's hope they quit arguing with the Cheers and Jeers writers and print the darn things.

Editorial Director J.R. Labbe chimed in with her own column, saying the editorial section would run “Cheers & Jeers” four days a week instead of one. After all, it’s one of the paper’s “most popular features.” 

(Actually, the “Jeers” are a popular feature. Static’s never met anybody who reads the “Cheers.”)

So: The paper is changing by running more cheers, jeers, and columns written by you, the “readers.” Actually, that makes sense. A newspaper that’s bought out, laid off, fired, or otherwise gotten rid of much of its staff would do well to rely more on guest writers to fill space. Witt nailed it when he ended his column by saying, “This is your newspaper!”

No "news"

Check in with Durango to find out WHY the Fort Worth Star-Telegram didn't report much on the Earthquake and Tsnumai in Japan or the MHMR Paradise Center scandal.

Then, think about all the other "news" you are missing in Tarrant County.  And ask WHY?

Pick and Choose

So the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is suing Grapevine for violating the Open Meetings Act. 

WHY Grapevine and not the Tarrant Regional Water District?  They are the ones holding the meetings behind closed doors to determine HOW they are going to spend YOUR money.  Guess Grapevine is fair game, they must not have as many cocktail parties.