Organized Burglary, Looming Deadline, Don Nelson

Just how organized is burglary in Athens? Joe Johnson’s story about burglaries in Sunday’s Athens Banner-Herald really intrigued me. I want to know more about organized fencing operations, and about whether Athens police are doing a good job busting burglars. How did some Pakistani convenience store owners get into this racket, and why? What's the history behind this connection? Are there other organized fencing operations at work here? How are other cities fighting burglaries? How would crime-fighting experts evaluate our cops’ efforts? [Photo credit: Flickr user timsamoff]

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Will next Friday’s paper be the last for Athens Banner-Herald? Probably not, but June 12 is the deadline for Morris Publishing Group LLC, the parent company of the Athens Banner-Herald, to make a $9.7 million interest payment. According to this article, the interest payment is way, way overdue and creditors could—if the payment isn’t made—force the publishing company to start repaying more than $400 million in bonds, interest and revolving credit. What’s going to happen? I’m afraid for the future of local news coverage here, though in this letter the publisher told us not to worry. [Photo credit: Flickr user Dan Lorentz]

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Newspaper reporting can’t be replaced by bloggers. Don Nelson, Athens Banner-Herald business reporter, columnist and editor, is a good example of why not. This collection of Nelson’s columns is a great way to learn about Athens, and it offers a taste of what a good, full-time, paid, professional journalist brings to the table: clear writing, insightful choice of topics, diligent research, steady productivity, deep knowledge of the local scene and years of experience. You just don’t—can’t—get that whole package from local bloggers, who usually aren’t paid and don’t have copy editors. [Photo credit: Athens Banner-Herald]