Archive for 'Brian Knox'
Spring fever
Posted on 28. Mar, 2012 by Brian Knox.
You can’t miss the signs of spring. Just look at today’s front page. Right at the top you’ve got a promotion for our annual Home, Lawn and Garden section that’s in today’s issue. It includes a feature on the Wise County Home and Lawn Show coming up in a couple of weeks, a feature on [...]
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Ready to try the STAAR?
Posted on 21. Mar, 2012 by Brian Knox.
Next week, Wise County students will join thousands of others around the state in taking the first round of STAAR, the state’s new standardized testing creation. I’ve been to a few meetings where some sample questions have been shared, and I can tell you that these questions are challenging. I wouldn’t even begin to offer [...]
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Spring Break memories
Posted on 14. Mar, 2012 by Brian Knox.
Wise County schools are on Spring Break this week. For many, that means trips. I haven’t been on a Spring Break trip since, well, probably when I was in junior college. Probably my most memorable Spring Break trip was when I was 8 years old. My grandparents took me and my sister (who was 6 at the time) [...]
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Appreciation for the firefighter
Posted on 07. Mar, 2012 by Brian Knox.
One thing that just about every reporter I’ve ever known has in common is an appreciation for the firefighter. Our job and that of the firefighter often cross paths – at fires, wrecks and even the occasional dog stuck in a tree. Most of these firefighters are volunteers – only Decatur has paid firemen (as [...]
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Rare day perfect time for awareness of rare disease
Posted on 29. Feb, 2012 by Brian Knox.
Today’s date, Feb. 29, only comes around once every four years. It’s Leap Day, a day added to our calendar every four years to keep our calendar from being off about 24 days every 100 years. I knew about Leap Day, but I didn’t realize that this day is also Rare Disease Day. This marks [...]
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Behind the scenes look at special sections
Posted on 22. Feb, 2012 by Brian Knox.
I would imagine most Making a Mess blog readers are familiar with the Messenger products. If not, here’s a quick rundown: Newspaper, midweek and weekend Update, printed and online All Around Wise (our lifestyle section in the midweek paper and mailed to all addresses in the county) Special sections Today, I’d like to talk about [...]
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Could newspapers charge your iPhone?
Posted on 15. Feb, 2012 by Brian Knox.
Researchers with Sony’s Advanced Material Research Lab have come up with a way to turn paper into electricity. Well, in a way. Editor and Publisher recently posted a story about how the researchers have unveiled a paper-powered battery that generates electricity by turning shredded paper into sugar that is then used for a fuel. “The [...]
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Stories after the stories
Posted on 08. Feb, 2012 by Brian Knox.
Journalists are often focused on breaking news stories. We often report on accidents in the county. Sometimes we are able to do follow-up stories on those involved, although new privacy laws and hospital policies are making it increasingly difficult to get information on patients. But sometimes we hear positive stories that come after a a [...]
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Odds and ends on this first day of February
Posted on 01. Feb, 2012 by Brian Knox.
Had several ideas for blog posts today but couldn’t settle on just one, so here’s a bit of a grab bag of various items for your enjoyment. Is it spring already? It’s Feb. 1, smack dab in the heart of winter and it’s … sunny and 70 degrees outside. What a difference a year makes. [...]