After the Manhattan alt-weekly named Keach Hagey its new media columnist last week, it didn't take long for the NYC blogosphere to find her band, Fur Cups For Teeth, which Philadelphia City Paper has described as "part vacuum-pushing pep squad, part women's studies posse." But Hagey assures Gawker that her new responsibilities at the Voice will not be the demise of Fur Cups. "Nothing's gonna happen to the band," she says. "We're going to keep rocking!"

Continue ReadingVoice’s New Press Clips Columnist Promises She’ll ‘Keep on Rocking’

In a preview of an on-campus panel discussion about The Onion, Tim Keck tells a student newspaper that he and Chris Johnson (now publisher of Albuequrque's Weekly Alibi) started the satirical newspaper in their dorm room in 1988 in honor of Keck's hometown paper. "At the time, (the Oshkosh Northwestern) was really bad, and the headlines were unwittingly hilarious," Keck says. He also tells the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's The Spectator that Johnson's uncle came up with the name, which derives from the steady diet of onion sandwiches that penury compelled the co-founders to consume during their college days.

Continue ReadingThe Stranger’s Keck on The Onion’s Origins

After an investigation that began when a detective saw an ad for Paradise Tanning in the Seattle Weekly's "sensual" section in August, the Everett, Wash., police have cited one employee of the spa with prostitution, reports the Daily Herald. An undercover detective and three other men working with police say they were offered sex for money at the spa, according to a search warrant filed Monday in Everett Municipal Court. Paradise also placed ads in The Stranger. "I'm not sure why people think police don't look at these newspapers. We are paying attention and we will respond as we need to," Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz says.

Continue ReadingAlt-Weekly Adult Ads Lead to Sex Sting in Seattle Suburb

Last week we reported that Vancouver alt-weekly Georgia Straight broke the story that British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell and his wife own shares of stock in mining giant Alcan Inc., which does business with the state-owned water utility. In fact, the article also appeared in Monday Magazine, an AAN-member paper that is published in Victoria, the seat of the provincial government. Russ Francis, who wrote the story, contributes to both papers. Blame Canada? No, blame Canada.com, the Web site of the National Post, which is where we found the partially erroneous story.

Continue ReadingCorrection: Georgia Straight and Monday Magazine Report Conflict

Tom Robbins is the second distinguished journalist to occupy the post at Hunter College, established to honor Newfield. Robbins, a former colleague of Newfield's at both the Voice and the Daily News, will teach a course entitled "Urban Investigative Reporting" and will also assist students in researching and writing a lengthy article or series of articles focused on an aspect of city life. "Whether tomorrow's journalists are writing online or on paper, we need more of them who understand and share Jack Newfield's passion for justice and the city he lived in," Robbins says in a press release.

Continue ReadingVillage Voice Reporter Named Jack Newfield Visiting Professor

The syndicated political columnist passed away Wednesday evening at her home in Austin. Ivins, whose column was syndicated in over 400 newspapers, including several alt-weeklies, served as co-editor of AAN member Texas Observer from 1970 to 1976. Even after leaving the Observer for a larger stage, she remained an ardent supporter of the perpetually insolvent bi-weekly, donating speaking fees and book royalties and continuously helping to raise money for the not-for-profit magazine. For the time being, the Observer has dedicated its entire Web site to remembering Molly.

Continue ReadingMolly Ivins Dies of Breast Cancer at 62

The New Democratic Party launched an attack on the head of the British Columbia's provincial government last week, based on information it learned in an article published in the venerable Vancouver alt-weekly, reports the National Post. In the article, the Straight's Russ Francis reported that Premier Gordon Campbell (pictured) and his wife own shares of stock in mining giant Alcan Inc., which does business with the state-owned water utility.

Continue ReadingGeorgia Straight Story Leads to Conflict of Interest Charges

"Offbeat Bride" author Ariel Meadow Stallings and alt-rockers Half Zaftig were thrilled when they received positive reviews in "Seattle's snarkiest alt-weekly." But they weren't surprised, since the critiques were purchased as part of the paper's annual Strangercrombie pay-for-play program, whereby creative types bid for review space in auctions designed to raise money for Northwest Harvest, a local hunger relief agency.

Continue ReadingThe Stranger Sells Review Space!