Busy day, just like lots of readers, so only time to fly through today’s Star at light speed…
Make that yesterday’s Star…
If I didn’t see Mark Morris’s byline on Wednesday’s front page lead story about the KU ticket scandal, I’d wonder about the timing of the story. If it got somehow released after the basketball team’s run in the NCAA tourney. As if not to spoil things on KU’s way to another National Championship. Or even now, perhaps, in the hope that the news might get lost in the Sweet Sixteen shuffle. But Mark Morris’s is all about hard news reporting and journalistic integrity.
That said, I don’t recall seeing much if anything in the Star of any significance on or around March 8th when the Lawrence Journal World reported that now-former Williams Fund honcho Rodney Jones had been mysteriously “stripped of his duties.”
Got that? Stripped!
The Williams Fund is the arm of KU athletics that caters to 5,000 or so donors who fork out (relatively) big bucks for the esteemed pleasure of buying premium basketball and/or football tickets and/or otherwise support KU’s athletic endeavors.
Jones appears to be at the center of an investigation into whether NCAA tourney tickets and KU season tickets were taken illegally from the university.
The Journal World story weeks ago – carefully written as it was – made clear that Jones departure was not a happy one and there was a likelihood of more, probably bad, news to come.
It arrived out of the blue yesterday in Wednesday’s Star. However Journal World readers knew something fishy was going on more than two weeks earlier.
Local: The headline today in Mike Hendrick’s column reads: “Pletz Firing Suddenly Interesting.”
Hello, what about the summary, terse and mysterious dismissal of The Kansas City School of Medicine head honcho this past winter was anything else but interesting? And now that some of the unseemly details are out in the open, I don’t have time to spend reading what most people already know and/or have figured out.
Yes, it’s interesting – still interesting. Bring on some more news!
Another goofy headline: “Exercise: The goal is 60 minutes daily.”
Hey, what happened to 30?
Sports: OK, the NFL approved the overtime in the playoffs rule we looked at the other day.
Hey, that’ll do it – see you tomo…
H.I.G.
Hearne, still jealous you couldn’t cut the mustard at the Star?
Robertoe
Yeah, the Karen Pletz story is interesting. And if you want a good chuckle, check out what the KCStar deemed as a valid perspective earlier this month:
http://voices.kansascity.com/node/8016
Karen Pletz writing about ‘leadership, humility, integrity, compassion, and service.’ !!!!
Clueless!
llsanders
“Hearne, still jealous you couldn
bschloz
New T-shirt for JC
“Where’s Rodney”?
Robertoe
You guys must have a convoluted definition of ‘not cutting the mustard’. I believe Hearne’s column was either #1 or #2 of ‘most read’by most rankings. The KCStar is in terminal decline. Online is the future, and he’s well positioned. I don’t blame him for departing. It was a good move.
jr high
Hearne cut the cheese not the mustard
smartman
Hearne got fucked at the Star. He didn’t suck the weenie and all the other “true journalists” were jealous of his success. That’s the way tree hugging commie libs play and why tools like Steve Penn and Mike Hendricks still have jobs. Life ain’t fair. Edna in Eudora, what’s your question?
JoHawk
Why do the douchebags who criticize Hearne take time to come here and read him?
MandDShagger
Not all of Hearne’s critics are douchebags. Some criticism is deserved, some is funny and some is over the top. Welcome to the internet. There was no justification for Hearne getting pinched. He was doing what he was paid to do, attract readers. Given his breadth of experience they could have pressed him into other roles in business, entertainment and society reporting. Instead he took it up the pooper. Even if he rubbed the suits the wrong way that’s not justification for whacking one of your top draws.
Lezak
He took it up the pooper…..I wonder what that feels like.