20080511 Bryan Schutt watch

Bryan Schutt watch

May 11, 2008

One of the latest reporters, who write for the Carroll County Times, that I have been following recently, is Bryan Schutt.

He has only been with the paper since March of 2008. He came to the Times after he earned his B.A. in Journalism in December of 2007 at Penn State University. And for a Yankee, he really doesn’t write badly at all.

Of course, as many readers are aware, I read writers. Too often, the headline for any particular article is misleading and the lead paragraph – the slug – is all too often a compromise between a writer and a copy editor who wants to punch up some interest in the piece.

So I read writers – not headlines.

I first met Mr. Schutt at the Main Street Mile event in Westminster and he asked good questions. He is typical of so many of the new young reporters that arrive at the Times; eager and energetic.

Of course, some of the new ones present as clueless and have an attitude. He seems to have some confidence. There is a big difference between attitude and confidence.

However, as I mentioned before, he asked good questions. And for the female readers, he looks like he is an avatar from GQ.

Of course, one of the first assignments they often get is Westminster city government. What a tough assignment as the current administration has mistaken transparent government to mean translucent; and no group of elected officials around manages the news as well as these folks.

As is so often the case with young reporters, especially at the Times, they fail to challenge their sources.

Anyway - one of several pieces I have taken notice of recently were the two articles on hybrids. I own a Prius and I love it.

*****

As gas prices continue to climb, companies are looking for new ways to power autos In 1985, a Ford Escort was rated at 26 combined miles per gallon. Twenty-three years later, the new heavily advertised Ford Focus is rated at a combined 28 mpg, according to fueleconomy.gov, a Web site that rates fuel efficiency. A 1988 Honda Civic r... May. 11, 2008

Hybrid owners pleased As a retiree, 66-year-old Kenneth Vrtacnik is determined to be economical. “Any way I can save, as far as the environment goes, I try to,” Vrtacnik said. The Westminster resident said he used to commute to Washington, D.C., astride his Ha... May. 11, 2008

Manchester to review fiscal year 2009 budget Fighting the same rising costs of health care, electricity and gasoline prices as other towns, Manchester’s town officials said they worked to save money and create a balanced budget that provides similar services to the town, at similar prices... May. 12, 2008

Taking to the skies: Maryland residents experience one-of-a-kind ride in World War II training plane There were no decorated pine trees, no sprinkled and shaped cut-out cookies and no familiar ringing sounds from the Salvation Army bell but sure enough, it was Christmas at the Carroll County Regional Airport Sunday for two Maryland residents. Vid... May. 12, 2008

Westminster overhauls Capital Improvement Plan Budget concerns became a reality in Westminster Monday, when the proposed Capital Improvement Plan featured a scaled-back fiscal year 2009 budget. The Westminster Common Council was presented with a CIP drastically different from the one originally a... Apr. 29, 2008

Westminster Flower & Jazz Festival offers gift ideas for mom Flowers and mothers go hand in hand, and Westminster has a history of successfully joining the two for its annual Flower & Jazz Festival. Always scheduled for the day before Mother’s Day, the festival is a prime opportunity for last-minute Moth... May. 9, 2008

Driven by her dad’s influence, Nancy Weller isn’t easily intimidated and is certainly capable of pulling her own weight Big-block engines, turbo chargers, and plain-old raw horsepower used to be exclusively under a man’s domain, but not anymore. Video Nancy Weller of Taneytown has been competing against and beating her male counterparts in tractor-pull compe... Apr. 28, 2008

City officials tout budget document's new look Westminster’s new budget document represents a bright spot in an otherwise tough fiscal year to plan, according to city officials, and now, they say it’s time for residents’ input. While the old budget was about 25 pages of numbers,... May. 5, 2008

History lives Today, Dan Graf of Hampstead will be at work as a plant operator for Maryland Paving. Video Sunday, Graf was roughing it outdoors, dressed in his wool Confederate uniform and battling Union soldiers. Graf was one of about 300 re-enactors taking pa... May. 5, 2008

Postage rates to increase Soon-to-be graduates and married couples getting ready to mail thank-you cards and invitations might want to make a trip to the post office to stock up on Forever Stamps before May 12. In tune with other rising costs across the country, many of the U... May. 3, 2008

Special Olympics Sportsmanship, activism primary themes of county games Video Hundreds of athletes and volunteers crowded Westminster High’s Ruby Field for the annual Carroll County Special Olympics Wednesday. Competitors, ages 8 to 58, competed in a range of ... May. 1, 2008

Proposed Westminster plan focuses on water, sewer issues Although city officials say Westminster needs additional funding for street work, water and sewer funds make up the majority of the six-year Capital Improvement Plan that was proposed during this week’s Common Council meeting. The water and sew... Apr. 30, 2008

Carroll Police Brief for Monday, May 12, 2008 Theft Milton Charles Humble, 26, of the 4300 block of Middleburg Road in Union Bridge was arrested Sunday by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and charged with being a fugitive from justice from the state of Pennsylvania. His original charges... May. 12, 2008

Carroll Police Briefs for Monday, April 28, 2008 Driving while impaired - Ryan Dorsey, 35, of the unit block of James Street in Westminster, was arrested by Westminster police Saturday and charged with driving while intoxicated and driving while impaired. He was released on his own recognizance. - ... Apr. 28, 2008

Westminster council delays budget hearing Westminster city officials decided to hold off on the fiscal year 2009 budget public hearing because they believe the city government needs to re-evaluate the lack of funds put forth for city streets in the Capital Improvement Program. Instead, the C... May 6, 2008