Everyone’s talking: The Max Gilpin story — the PRP football player/student who died from complications of heat stroke after he collapsed during practice last August — has gone international. Last Thursday, former PRP coach David Jason Stinson was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of reckless homicide. His arraignment is today at 3 p.m. According to some reports, this is the first time in American legal history that a coach has been charged in connection with a high school player’s death. Meanwhile, neighbors and supporters held a second vigil for Stinson this weekend. Stinson told WHAS-11 that he’s still broken up over Gilpin’s death. Check out that interview here.
Good journalism done well: Yet again this weekend, the C-J illustrates a point I’ve made recently about putting out strong work in print a couple times a week, not every day: Read Patrick Howington’s disturbing tale of a self-abusing patient at Our Lady of Peace and the ensuing state investigation of possible malpractice; also, the always excellent enviro reporter James Bruggers digs up some citizen angst with this story about a stinking heap of trash that the city and a private operator are ignoring — to the detriment of neighbors.
Oh joyous day: Lt. Gov. (and homophobe) Dan Mongiardo announced today that he’ll run for Senate against Jim Bunning in 2010. Jake at Page One called it first. Dr. Dan will probably lose in the Democratic primary, to AG Jack Conway or Auditor Crit Luallen. Snooze.
Clean air acts: President Obama signed an executive order today asking the EPA to reconsider whether to allow states (in this case, California) to determine their own emissions standards. Big reversal of a shitty Bush administration policy. Another mark toward a good start.
Death to the economy: How long, O Lord, how long? The WaPo reports that some 43,000 more American jobs are gone as of this morning, leading us to wonder: How long before Obama makes the federal government big enough to employ 300 million people? Read an interesting proposal from economist and Nobel-winner Paul Krugman (from the Jan. 22 Rolling Stone) about how the gub’mint must rescue the private sector here.
Icy!: Thinking of going to Iceland soon? How about buying a chunk of it while you’re there. The country’s economy and government have collapsed, signaling and end to … Iceland.