BEST & WORST OF THE WEEK (3-7 to 3-13-05)       The news this week has been dominated by the Penn Square Partner’s TIF proposal to the Lancaster School Board and, oddly enough, by Glenn Robinson, the son of Franklin and Marshall’s basketball coach, for firing shots near hunters on their property.  Part of the reason may be this was really the only other “true” news story the whole week with one exception which is below.     I won’t bore you with a lot more hotel/convention center news; the papers have been full of it..  But the winner of the Blatant Conflict of Interest and Do I Have Any Scruples Award? goes to Dave Hennigan for “Clyde backs the project” in today’s Sunday News.  This is journalism at its absolute worst, “ but much of the opposition comes from two sources, people who don’t understand the project, or who don’t want to; and the anti-everything crowd.”  That’s an outright lie and an insult to most of your readers, Hennigan.  Why don’t you ask Commissioners Dick Shellenberger and Molly Henderson about that?  And I don’t like the way you single out Luis Mendoza in your column, either.  Why don’t you just come out and say you and your paper back Charlie “Cannonball” Smithgall for mayor because he supports your employer’s plan?  Shame, shame, shame on you.      The Behind the Times Award goes to “Incident with rifle not first” in today’s Sunday News.  WGAL posted this information days ago regarding Glenn Wynn Robinson’s arrest in Maryland for a firearms violation four years ago.  Apparently, the Intell and New Era decided against doing an article or mentioning this fact the entire week.  This story broke in last week’s Sunday News, “Coach’s son fired shots from an AK-47,” and this has been the hot topic on the Talkback boards with 78 posts and 1,601 views as of 9:00 this morning.  The only other article during the week was in Tuesday’s Intell, “F&M coach says hunters fired at this son.”  Now, I don’t pretend to know what happened, but this “press conference” by Robinson’s father borders on the absurd.  First he completely turns the situation around and says, “ so I am very proud of Wynn and hope we can apprehend these men.”  He refers to the geese as his family’s “pets” and then is quoted as saying of his son’s shots, “If he wanted to hit any one of them, they would be laying there right now.”   Yes and your son would be in jail for murder, Mr. Robinson.  The irony here is that the younger Robinson is a criminal justice major at college and also a part time security guard at F&M.  F&M might want to rethink that really, really fast.  There will be more on this and other happenings at F&M later this week . WORST HEADLINES   1.  “County of Babel,” Intell, 3-10-05. This is a really boring story about Lancaster County being ranked seventh in the state in language diversity.  Blow me down.  But the headline is a dreadful pun that gives absolutely no indication of what this article is about.  A headline, folks at the Intell, is supposed to grab your interest and make you want to read the story. 2.  “The new gator aid spokesman,” Intell, 3-7-05. This is a really boring story about a “tough Miami-Dade County (Fla.) police officer” who is going to speak here at the Humane League’s annual dinner.  Apparently, on occasion, he has had run-ins with alligators.  Again, a really bad pun and a totally misleading headline. 3.  “Being Watched,” Intell, 3-11-05. This is a really boring story about “H. German Wilson, an eminent member of Philadelphia’s black theater community” who is directing a play at Millersville University.  Apparently the playwright will come and watch a performance and hence the "Watched."   This is a terrible headline (notice all three “winners” are from the Intell, I wonder if one person is responsible for all of them!)  This is also really bad writing by author Rebecca Ritzel.  A 69 year-old director of Pulitzer Prize winning plays deserves something far better than this mediocre and colorless article.   WORST HEADLINE TO DATE   “Friday fasts fan fish-fry fires at area restaurants, churches,” Intell,   2-18-05. I can’t let this one go.  There was no best and worst the week this ran so I am listing this now as the worst headline since this website began.  Say it quickly three times!  This is a really boring story about Friday fasting for Lent.  It is written by Carla Di Fonzo, who also had the bad luck to write the articles in the #1 and #2 worst headlines above.     BEST WRITERS   “Artie” from the Lancaster Online Talkback Board. Knowledgeable and well-spoken he has posted again and again against the hotel/convention center.  He has researched convention centers on the internet and read all the reports done on the proposed one in Lancaster. Ad Crable for “A dirty little secret,” in Thursday’s New Era.   This is the first investigative reporting I have seen in the Lancaster  Newspapers.  You didn’t have to go on for quite so long, we believe you!  It happens in Philly, too.  Now we have to find a way to “force” these trash haulers to recycle and also make it profitable for them to do so.  Back to work, Ad. Buck from the Lancaster Online Talkback Board.  A creative writer who keeps things fun and finds the fascinating  and bizarre, including a recent article in the York paper that is so gross I won’t discuss it here.  Also an honorary mention goes to his “Buckette,” otherwise known as his student, Pop.  They are the super-hero duo of the Brown Hornet and the Power Puff.  Wow.                             WORST WRITER     Gil Smart, “Blood and treasure, honest inquiry and the wedge project,” today’s Sunday News.  As he says in his opening sentence, “So much wingnuttery, so little time.” This is a disjointed and stupid column about three different subjects as far as I can tell.  I don’t have time to read this crap.     KNOCK ME DOWN AWARD     “It’s my potty / With slow-closing lids, men can rest assured,” by Catherine Molitoris, New Era, 3-11-05. Getting an assignment to write about the latest technology in toilets has to be the worst assignment for a journalist ever.  Here, however, Catherine has taken to the task with gusto and tells us way more than we need to know.  If you have $5,000 or $6,000 for a toilet, let the salesperson fill you in on all the details, please.