It’s a long story why dent is retiring from the scene, but the main reason, I think, is that a single blog trying to cover all “news & politics” of interest to us at the Indy ended up being too much and not enough at the same time.

I’ve started a blog about Raleigh, called Citizen and invite readers here to take a look at it. And Scan, our Indy blog about music, continues under the aegis of the amazing Grayson Currin, who’s young enough and into it enough to think he can do it all — whatever “it” is — which is the key to good blogging, I guess.

Nothing’s changed about journalism since I typed my first missive long ago except the speed of distribution. But that has changed, which means there’s no longer any need to wait when information’s available or a point just must be made. On the other hand, the fantastic speed with which so much useless information flies around today in formation with the useful makes a thoughtful essaying of things all the more important. The Indy strives for the thoughtful. Our blogs are about scratching that other itch.

– Bob Geary

It’s been right about a year since the Indy decided to give this blogging thing a try. I got the greenlight last July to set up Dent and Scan, news and politics and music respectively. Several hundred posts later, the one year mark seems like a good time to hit the pause button on Dent and the Morning Post. Really. It’ll make doing any analysis a lot easier.

That said, there is still plenty of posting going on. Bob Geary, Indy columnist, reporter and regular Dent contributor on Raleigh and Wake politics (and other stuff) has got his blog, Citizen, rolling. It’s about Raleigh’s Zen. Yeah, Zen
Grayson Currin has taken charge of Scan and is starting to rev that back up.
And I’m still filing away on the Exile on Jones Street Weblog and writing some kind of journal about NC travels, events and “items of interest” called the Cape Fear Mercury.

Thanks for reading and writing. Special thanks to Ruby at Lotus Media for gracious tutoring and getting us off the ground. Now it’s off in the sunset time.
Over and out.

kmr

According to the Wall Street Journal Nielsen is about to offer ratings for ads—a move that could shake up the economics of the media biz. Link (sub. req.)
Meanwhile,
• Something up with a bill to move UNC construction along.
• Session heading to the end. Whew. Following the action at Exile.
• Policy Watch on the need for tax action
• School starts on, gasp, Monday?
• Pay a visit to Bob’s Citizen

• Hayes/Potter connection explored at Blue NC
• Open minds on offshore drilling in NC?
• Well, back to the old playbook
• Edwards on the road in Ohio
• The lawless universe
• The lawmakers‘ universe
• Major secret

Hate groups in the military—This NYT story–based on a chilling report by the Southern Poverty Law Center–notes that some recruiters, under pressure to make quotas, are looking the other way when racists line up for training. Here’s the SPLC report. Here’s the story from Intelligence Project
Meanwhile,
• Georgia voter ID back in court
• You may get a kick out of this
• Home air in Haywood
• And the world’s fastest lawn mower

• Miller replacement–Larry Hall, winner of the Dem primary, gets to go to Raleigh early.
• Peterson attorney Maher to take Center for Death Penalty Lit. job
• Lovely little budget graph via WSJ. More on your tax dollars at work and the politics around it.
• OK, I tried to like this and/or dismiss it, but now I’m convinced it’s a really dumb idea with a central message that you can fit in anywhere if you learn to mock and stereotype people. And what’s Mr. Professor doing in a turtleneck and jacket in the summer?

This just in via CQ:

Senate Chairman Proposes Interim Storage for Nuclear Waste

A leading nuclear power advocate unveiled an energy and water spending bill today that would require the Energy Department to establish a network of interim storage sites for the nuclear waste currently piling up at reactors around the country.

The proposal by Sen. Pete V. Domenici, R-N.M., chairman of the Energy-Water Appropriations Subcommittee, would require the Energy Department to designate potential sites to consolidate spent nuclear fuel in states that are home to nuclear reactors.

The language is part of a fiscal 2007 spending bill that Domenici’s subcommittee was expected to approve this afternoon.

Staff members stressed the bill would provide only temporary authority — 25 years — for each storage site, and that the proposal is not designed to take the place of the planned permanent repository at Nevada’s Yucca Mountain.

Might want to keep an eye on what in this state with reactors is named as the interim—25 years!!—site.

This is an evolving story, but you can bet NC WARN will have something to say on this.

Cross-posted from Exile on Jones Street

Women’s Advocacy Day at the General Assembly next Tuesday, June 20. There’s a briefing on the issues beforehand at Meredith College, fyi, starting at 8:30 a.m.

Then, the main event begins downtown at 11:30 a.m.:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lindsay Siler (919) 833-7534 x134

Media Advisory

Women’s Advocacy Day – June 20, 2006
In an effort to advance public policies that support the full economic, legal and social equality of North Carolina women, NC Women United will be hosting Women’s Advocacy Day on June 20th. (more…)

Keep an eye on the watches and warnings today. Flooding expected in areas and tornado watches this morning for the eastern counties. Here’s the NWS in Raleigh. Map link goes to the river data section.

Ap is reporting that the Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that  “death-row inmates can file last-minute challenges to lethal injection after they’ve exhausted their regular appeals.”