Al's Morning Meeting reader Anne Krueger, from
The San Diego Union-Tribune, found that thieves nationwide are stealing bronze vases from cemetery markers.
Cemeteries in San Diego County and across the United States are
reporting thefts of the bronze vases used to hold flowers at a grave,
and in some cases, the bronze grave markers themselves.
The reason? Just as higher prices for scrap metal have made thefts
of copper wire or aluminum pipe more common, thieves are now scouring
graveyards for bronze that they can turn over to recyclers for cash.
It's a crime that particularly angers the police.
"Those guys deserve a slow death," San Diego Police Sgt. Ruben
Martinez said of the vase stealers. "How low can you stoop, stealing
from the dead?"
Who Makes What
The Indianapolis Star published the wages and benefits of every state employee -- all 69,000 of them.
Coaches at state universities are knocking down the biggest bucks, followed by university presidents:
Of the 100 highest-paid state government or
four-year public university employees, 99 are at universities. Here's a
look at presidents' salaries, deferred compensation and foundation
money.
|
|
Name |
School |
Annual Pay |
|
Martin C. Jischke |
Purdue University |
$480,950 |
|
Adam W. Herbert Jr. |
Indiana University |
$429,600 |
|
Jo Ann M. Gora |
Ball State University |
$295,000* |
|
Lloyd W. Benjamin |
Indiana State University |
$239,000 |
|
Howard Ray Hoops |
University of Southern Indiana |
$196,650 |
|
Coaches' Supplements
School boards generally tell taxpayers that high-school coaches are
paid to teach, and are given a supplement to compensate for their
coaching duties.
In places like Decatur, Ala. (and maybe your town, too), the supplements now top $18,000 a year. For context, Alabama's per capita income was $18,189, according to the last census.
The Decatur Daily has a look at how supplement pay has been rising -- fast.
How Safe is Your Roof?
The Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal
found that shoddy construction coupled with equally shoddy inspections
can mix to product a lousy -- and dangerous -- roofing job.
The story is especially important as we contemplate the lessons of Katrina. Heck, we
will have lots of people living under blue-tarp roofs here in
Florida -- the product of the 2004 hurricane season. And the 2006 hurricane season is well underway.
Inspectors are supposed to
"walk the roofs" of repaired homes, but often, they don't. As a result,
some nailing requirements are ignored. Other roofers try to slap down
a new layer of shingles over too many existing ones. Still, the
homeowner is paying for the inspections but not getting the service.
The News-Journal says:
A review of local building departments found many inspectors ignore
the state building code and professional standards, such as getting up
on roofs to check nailing patterns on shingles.
Local building officials also are signing off on contractors' permit
applications that are left blank in spots and spec sheets that don't
meet the code. Inspectors rarely check to make sure roofs are installed
according to manufacturer specifications, which could lead a
manufacturer to deny claims under its warranty if a problem develops.
Some cities even let contractors mail in pictures of their roofs.
And inadequate inspections are nothing new. A former emergency
management official said they've been commonplace locally since long
before the overwhelming workloads caused by the 2004 hurricanes.
The official says the damage in 2004 could have been far less if
roofers had faced strict inspections, and new roofs may be in trouble
when the next 'cane passes through.
"The poor individual who is putting in thousands of dollars for a
new roof isn't getting what he paid for. I feel sorry for the
individuals and also those roofers who are doing a good job," said
Cliff Campbell, who worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency
and the state's Division of Emergency Management before retiring to
Ormond Beach in 2002.
Brutal Concert Critique
This may be about as tough as any I have seen. The Washington Post battered Bob Dylan.
And yet, I have to say that I am thankful when movie, theatre and
concert critics get real. The work of critics should help me
decide where to spend my time and money -- and they should demand a high
level of artistic performance for the community.
Joe Rosenthal: 1911-2006
The Associated Press photographer who captured the
iconic images from the U.S. Marines' victory at Iwo Jima during World
War II died this weekend. Click here for more on his life and legacy.
We are always looking for your great ideas. Send Al a few sentences and hot links.
Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas,
edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites,
as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes
directly from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be
provided whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but depends
upon the accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. Errors
and inaccuracies found will be corrected.
