Stop the presses…seriously?
They don’t make front page stories like they used to. Come to think of it, what’s a front page story anyway other than a relic of the past?
However because tens of thousands of Kansas Citians still get at least a portion of their daily news from the Kansas City Star‘s print edition, it speaks to the news judgment of the organization as well as to its allocation of the remaining meager resources.
Which brings me to Monday’s front page feature on Horton, Kansas.
In addition to being a year late in being reported, certain key details were either reported in error or missing in action. Details that probably would have rendered the story less front page worthy.
For starters the Topeka Capitol Journal reported essentially the same story last June, describing how millionaire Marcus Lemonis – host of CNBC reality show The Profit found his way to the tiny town in northeast Kansas.
However in Star reporter Eric Adler’s account, the reason Lemonis came to Horton – then later decided to try and help – was “because the mayor all but beseeched him to come.”
Not so in the Capitol Journal‘s more thoroughly reported account.
“Lemonis’ involvement dates to December (2013), when an 88-year-old World War II veteran and business owner in Horton was jailed because he couldn’t afford to make repairs to a downtown building to bring it into compliance with city code.
“The story went viral, and Lemonis tweeted an offer to pay for the repairs. On his TV show, Lemonis invests his own money to help turn around struggling small businesses.”
Pretty major difference.
In addition, the Capital Journal reported that Horton was home to 105 businesses and 10 vacant downtown buildings. That appears to essentially to still be the case – in other words little to no progress – however Horton’s self-aggrandizing mayor did not return a request for an interview.
Also unreported in the Star schmooze piece:
That Lemonis has told locals he’s in negotiations to lease several of the buildings he purchased in Horton.
“I believe Marcus has 14 applications from people who want to put a building downtown,” says longtime Horton resident and member of the Reinvent Horton Committee, Connie Werner.
Werner and her husband own a successful horse drawn vehicle biz in Horton.
Yet while hope springs eternal, the jury’s still out on Lemonis year-and-a-half old plan to save the town.
Because none of the hoped for businesses named by residents in a survey – a deli, fast food, clothing store, bakery, gift shop, movie theater, evening and weekend fine dining, soda fountain, ice cream/doughnut shop, bowling alley, youth center, antique store, preschool and museum – have come to pass.
Still, “It’s been wonderful, it’s just rejuvenated the town itself,” Werner says.
The end game for Horton – which lies 55 miles from Topeka, 50 from St. Joe and an hour from KCI:
“To sustain a town of 2,000, to keep jobs and have some of the kids come back as residents,” Werner says. “You know, (Marcus) kind of lifestyle, we can’t even fathom. But we’re still on his radar.”
Stay tuned…
I love this show. Marcus is in charge.
I have a theory that for every tear shed, Lemonis ups his ante $100k.