The storied and venerable but also absolutely first rate Eastern Avenue pizza place, Matthew’s on Eastern Avenue, was the venue for a mid-summer break of The Examiner’s news interns a few evenings ago. The pizza was the real thing and the Matthew’s servers were as good as it gets. But the headline is that those who fear the future of newspapers haven’t read enough of the bylined stories of The Examiner intern class of 2006 or felt the vibrant enthusiasm in their young voices as they told stories the other night of their early summer on our team. They don’t think but believe that reporting news is important. They don’t feel but know that doing it and doing it well is rewarding, exciting and fun. They’re smart, resourceful, reliable, hard-working and tough, and our newsroom and its readers have been the beneficiary of their talent, drive and spirit.

They are: from the University of Maryland, Geremy Bass, Falls Church, Va.; Sam Hedenberg, Beltsville; Carolyn Peirce, College Park; Michael Silvestri, College Park; Stephanie Varga, Potomac; from Gonzaga University, Kristin Deasy, Spokane, Wa.; from the University of Pittsburgh, Doug Denison, Westminster; from Howard University, Heather Faison, Laurel; from Rutgers University, Meghan Shapiro, Montclair, N.J.; from the University of Delaware, Kyle Siskey, Baltimore; and from Slippery Rock University, Rachel Seeman of Hanover and Genevieve Cocco, Towson, from The Corcoran College of Art and Design.

Cover issues, not war chest

This story continues below
Advertisement

What follows (it just happens to be the most recent generic press release to appear on my screen) is what constitutes way too much of political exchange these days. Underlined italics are mine.

John Sarbanes reported that he raised more campaign funds and has more cash in hand than any of his rivals in the race for the 3rd Congressional District.

Based on this successful second-quarter fundraising, Sarbanes has the strongest position heading into the final two months of the campaign, as he has more cash on hand than both Peter Beilenson and Paula Hollinger combined.

Don’t “we the people” deserve more in the way of addressing issues and less in the way of chest-pounding about whose money bag has the most in it to buy uninformative television advertising that the thoughtful among us zap or TiVo away anyhow? Despite their shortcomings, weren’t televised or big venue debates a good idea? Unedited Q & A’s with the League of Women Voters on policy positions?

Do the candidate handlers believe or we are really so manipulable that we can be swayed about whom to vote for based on campaign money-raising ability? Are we?

Many happy returns

Lucy Ewbank, formerly of Ruxton, celebrated her 100th birthday July 9, with cakes, parties, scores of family members and friends, in Oxford, Ohio.

She and her husband, Weeb, who with his quarterback Johnny Unitas, led the Colts to the NFL championship in 1959, retired in Oxford where Weeb got his start as a high school coach in 1930 and went on to spend 14 years as assistant coach for the Miami Redskins at his alma mater. Weeb, who went on to coach the Jets and Joe Namath to the 1969 World Championship by defeating the Colts in Super Bowl III, died at 91 in 1998.

Those from here who remember her will be unsurprised that Lucy continues to play bridge aggressively as well as enjoy a cocktail (Crown Royal) with friends or family late each afternoon.

Looking after our veterans

Burning U.S. flags isn’t attractive nor, frankly, is putting the flag on T-shirts or car window decals. But doing all of that and more is handily and wisely covered as free speech on the wonderfully straightforward First Amendment to our Constitution.

Would that the politicians whose patriotic zeal drives them to condemn the flag burners transfer all of it to an all-out effort to better care for the true patriots, U.S. military veterans and the families of those whose lost limbs or lives on our behalf. For those true patriots, service has made the “pursuit of happiness” a grinding struggle. We owe them all the help we can give.

Reader input requested

The Examiner has no agenda but reporting the news. Some of that news is and will be about the successes of those who govern us. Some is about those who fail in their service or waste our tax dollars. Please help us point our reporters to both kinds of stories via e-mail at newstips@baltimoreexaminer.com.

Michael Phelps is president and publisher of The Baltimore Examiner.