Mixing business with pleasure
The radio scanner in the newsroom is a good source of information. It can also be a source of entertainment. In one recent case, the scanner gave staffers an indication of the football leanings of a police officer. While reading a license plate to dispatch for a check, the officer started with Yankee, Zulu, Romo... That was one day before the NFL game that would decide the NFC East champion. Involved in that game were the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants. Dallas' quarterback - Tony Romo. The phonetic for 'R' - Romeo. Maybe if the Kansas City Chiefs had been the team in question, Head Coach Romeo Crennel would have gotten the officer to the right word.
Odd man out?
There are three officer positions among the Warren County commissioners. There are also three commissioners. After the chairman and vice-chairman positions had been given out Commissioner John Bortz was not surprised when he was named secretary. "I feel like I get the only present left under the Christmas tree."
Gas migration (Pockets of gas?)
A discussion of the opportunity represented by Molecular Shale gas drilling led to a questionable statement at a recent meeting of the Warren County Commissioners. "We're sitting on so much gas."
Trouble-maker
When Warren County Commissioner Stephen Vanco skipped an agenda item during his first meeting as chairman, his fellow commissioners and the county fiscal director brought his attention to the bypassed item. The commissioners' work would be easier if they weren't constrained by how much money they have to work with. "You would probably be the one I would like to ignore the most before I'm done," Vanco said to the fiscal director. No such luck. The dollar figures look very much like last year's.
Maybe another time
At the end of a Warren County commissioners meeting, the chairman asked if there were any comments or questions from those in attendance. A regular at the meetings suggested that a Glade Township supervisor might like to address the commissioners. "Not right now," the supervisor said. A few seconds later was a different time and he was ready to speak. "I knew it was too good to be true," one of the commissioners said.
Swearing... and other exclamations
Swearing in new elected officials can be tense, especially with a judge in the room. That tension, however, was eased during a municipality reorganizational meeting by a well-timed cry from a newborn in the audience. The judge did not send the bailiff to escort the child out of the courtroom and instead continued swear in a new member of Warren City Council.