The brother of a Philadelphia City Paper employee was twice barred from boarding a United Airlines flight for Phoenix recently. The reason apparently was his choice of reading material: the first time he carried Hayduke Lives! by Edward Abbey, which had a picture of explosives of the cover. The second time it was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Two former New Times employees write in the Daily Business Review about staff unrest at New Times Broward-Palm Beach. According to Julie Kay and Harris Meyer, the NTB-PB staff wrote a "manifesto" to Editor Chuck Strouse asking for greater editorial independence, among other things.
Eric Celeste muses in the Dallas Observer on the departure of Lee Newquist from New Times and the future of Fort Worth Weekly in the post-John Forsyth era.
Seattle Weekly fires a production employee over a campaign prank, the Seattle Times reports (second item). Plastering the news editor's office with campaign posters was the offense.
Pittsburgh City Paper has hired at least five former In Pittsburgh employees since its parent company bought the rival alternative newsweekly last month. It is also looking at picking up some of the closed paper's regular contributors and syndicated material.
Radio-station operator Saga Communications is the new owner of Champaign, Ill.'s The Octopus, which it bought earlier this month from Yesse! Communications. Senior Vice President Wayne Lada says Saga plans to add staff and build circulation.
