Week in Review, Reporter’s Notebook: May 19
A story last week about conservative activist Chuck Muth’s crusade to name a mountain peak to honor President Ronald Reagan drew positive and negative comments from Review-Journal readers.
The negative ones were decidedly more colorful. One angry caller who did not leave his name had this to say: “You tell him he can stick Mount Reagan up his nether region.”
Then, after a short tirade against the 40th president, the man collected himself long enough to say, “Thank you. Have a nice day.”
HENRY BREAN
For a couple of minutes, the report from the blogosphere sounded spectacularly surreal: Sacramento Kings co-owner George Maloof trapped in a Dallas hotel closet by a horde of reporters seeking comment after the NBA voted down a plan to sell the team to a group that would move it to Seattle.
“Media just chased George Maloof into the Bell Stand closet!!! UNREAL!!!” according to Kevin Flippin of the Kings blog SacTownRoyalty.com. “He is in the closet guys!!”
Turns out that Maloof nipped into the bell stand to get his bag, according to USA Today, and he talked with reporters when he popped out.
Pity. The closet thing made a much better story for the Maloof haters in Sac-town, who have lived for three years with dislocation dyspepsia as the brothers tried to move the team to Anaheim, Virginia Beach and Seattle.
For now, both sides get their happy ending. Sacramento gets to keep the Kings, and the Maloofs get out of town more than $200 million richer.
MARK WHITTINGTON
A defendant in District Judge Kathleen Delaney’s courtroom last week first tried to fire his lawyer.
When that didn’t work, he said he also wanted the judge to remove herself from the case.
Why? Because she has decorated her courtroom walls with large portraits of basset hounds and wears a bright green robe on the bench.
“I don’t want to go before a judge with dogs and wearing a green robe,” the man said in disgust.
Delaney denied his request.
CARRI GEER THEVENOT
