Jeff Genung

• “Chenango sees double-digit sales tax increase.” Always nice to write a good news headline on a Monday. You’ll have to read the story to find out what the county treasurer attributes it to, of course. Or you can read only the headline, and come to the conclusion, as did one ‘30 Seconds’ poster, that “Sales tax is up because of Agro Farma. Duh. What a bunch of genius.” Indeed. Someone’s eating a hell of a lot of yogurt in Chenango County to cause a double-digit sales tax increase!

• Proud to say I did not follow the lemmings and watch the Super Bowl yesterday, even if just for the commercials. Or Madonna and M.I.A. Yikes. When was the last time we had a good, family-friendly halftime show that everybody liked? I say bag the whole thing next year and let the cheerleaders do a kickline or a pyramid or whatever cheerleaders normally do and call it a day.

• Before I devolve into yet another treatise on the weather, I’m going to call it quits for today. Tune in tomorrow for my 217th blog on evesun.com, surpassing, I must note, our all-time blogging champion, Melissa Stagnaro, who ended up with 216. I win!

Jeff Genung

• Friday seems to have worked out to be a good news/bad news kind of day, depending on your perspective. The county’s natural gas advisory committee all but gave up the ghost at a meeting earlier this week, deciding to meet half as much due to the lack of progress in the Marcellus Shale prospects in New York. On the good news front, Unison’s proudly declaring a sound, stable future in Chenango County for years to come, thanks to higher demand for its aerospace products and the success of its corporate owner, GE. That’s always good to hear.

• A shout out, again, to my unnamed friends at Chobani, who apparently read my blog a few installments back and sent me a case of their new flavors I’d lamented not having tried yet. I’ll be sure to do a taste test this weekend and report back

• On a similar note, I have never owned a Cadillac. Worth a shot.

• Headed over to the Arts Council tomorrow night for “Kaleidescopika” performance (hopefully that’s the last time I’ll have to try to spell that). Should be a good show … and a Members-only reception at the Bohemian Moon, to boot. Pays to be an arts supporter in this town, let me tell you!

• Got any plans for Super Bowl Sunday? … I don’t even know where I’m going with that. It’s Friday afternoon, and way too late to pretend to care about football.

• On a somber note, Brian, Julian and I just went down to Behe Funeral Home in Oxford for Fred Stagnaro’s calling hours. He was, of course, the father of our former colleague and dear friend, Melissa Stagnaro. Our hearts go out to you and your family, Melissa, and our deepest condolences on your loss.

Jeff Genung

• Insert obligatory remark about uselessness of Punxsutawney Phil’s “prediction” here.

• And yes, @ScottBSheldon, “Gobbler’s Knob” does sound incredibly dirty.

• Check out George Franke’s debut “Outdoors” column on today’s Sports page. Welcome to The Evening Sun crew, George!

• Yup, that’s former Evening Sun crime reporter Sean Brigham (now of Norwich Dodge) in “jail” on today’s front page for the MDA Lockup. Always knew you’d end up behind bars, Sean!

• Cleaning out my in box, I found this neat little link to a blog about Norwich’s Caboose Diner (forever in my heart as Millie’s) … Unchained Restaurants.

• Speaking of Groundhog Day (and aren’t we all?), here’s a little poem sent in to me by Norwich’s Perry Owen. I didn’t have anywhere to work it into the print edition, so I thought I’d share it here.

MARMOTA MONAX

When GOD in six days made the world,

He had some stuff to spare,

He scarce knew what to do with,

Just teeth and bones, some fur and hair.

He’d already made all creatures, on land and sea and air.

So he stuck these bits together, and said because I’m GOD,

From now and in the future,

I’ll call this stupid creature, a woodchuck or groundhog.

This rat-like parody of creatures,

Short in limb and small in brain,

Got all the food he needed,

From leaves and grass and grain.

He’d dig a hole to sleep in,

All the winter long,

Until the spring awakes him hungry,

Like a breakfast gong.

No match against those snarling gangs,

Well armed with predatory fangs.

Full of fright, he could not fight,

Just sit up on his hind legs, and then run with all his might.

So derided was this animal,

That some folks used his name,

To insult their fellow humans,

And pour upon them shame.

You can tell these poor woodchucks,

Their down upon their luck.

With tatty jeans and shaggy beards,

Driving rusty beat-up trucks.

Now GOD regretted what he’d done,

To see groundhog the butt callous fun.

He determined that he’d make amends,

So, in old Woody’s eyes he gifted weather trends.

And now the groundhog’s famous,

For each February, he will bring.

The foretelling of more wintry snows,

Or the Harbinger of spring.

Perry Owen, Norwich

Jeff Genung

• So if March comes in like a lamb, it goes out like a lion … what happens when January goes out like a … flamingo?

• Chenango County Habitat for Humanity has picked its next project family – Lorraine Cornish and her two sons of Bainbridge. Here’s an organization which has helped several families over the years – with a hand up, not a hand out – in providing affordable housing built from the ground up. This is a non-profit with international fame, of course, but they operate with relatively little fanfare in Chenango County, save for a cadre of dedicated volunteers and a handful of very happy families. I still think it’s pretty amazing that we have an effort of that caliber right here in our own community.

• The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta tried faxing The Evening Sun this morning – only they had my desk phone number. One of those annoying robo-calls that keeps trying until it gives up. They never did get a fax through. Or an e-mail. Or a phone call. I hope we didn’t miss something important, or something to do with Gwyneth Paltrow. Wearing a mask to go grocery shopping tonight just in case.

• Heard of a few people scrambling for those now sold-out Fur Ball tickets. Would it be wrong to scalp tickets for an SPCA fundraiser?

• In case you’ve missed our in-house advertising, or the Facebook post, we’ve got a new columnist starting on our sports page on Thursday. George Franke has taken on the mantle of outdoors columnist from the late, great and sorely missed Bob McNitt. George and I have both acknowledged that no one can ever replace Bob, but there’s an avid group of outdoor sports enthusiasts among our readership here in the Land of the Bullthistle, and it’s an audience that deserves to be addressed. I’m looking forward to seeing what George will do with it. Look for his new column every Thursday in section 2.

Jeff Genung

• Winter seems to be teasing us a bit here in the Land of the Bullthistle, with an inch or two of snow here, a bitter cold snap there. Just yesterday I was playing with my dog up at Rotary Park in gorgeous afternoon sunshine, and this morning I had to shovel my sidewalk. Gotta love Central New York.

• Speaking of which, although it’s plenty cold today, it really hasn’t been for long – prompting the Oxford Lions Club to move the annual Chenango Lake Perch Derby from this Saturday to Feb. 18.

• Shawn had a story today about the SPCA’s annual Fur Ball fundraiser coming up on the 11th, but I heard after we’d gone to press that they are indeed sold out. It’s the social event of the season, it seems – a good time for a good cause at the perfect time of year when we need to get out of the house the most. While you can no longer get tickets to the event, you can, of course, make a donation to the SPCA and help Chenango’s four-footed friends get through another year.

• Julian’s story today was about the Oxford Library planning a tea featuring young ladies and their ‘American Girl’ dolls. All well and good for them, certainly, but frankly I find these diminutive girl dolls utterly creepy. Perhaps in the more Cabbage Patch than Chuckie way, but still.

Jeff Genung

• Not really a big shocker that the proposed ambulance district got shot down yesterday in both New Berlin and Columbus – judging by ‘30 Seconds,’ anyway. I’m not sure people really understood what they were voting on despite our best efforts to keep them informed, but the mob mentality was certainly against it. I can’t help but hear the late Kathy O’Hara’s voice in my head sometimes — when discussing editorial topics, she’d say, in her best Chenango twang, “Are we fer it, er agin’ it?” Stay tuned; I’m sure there’s more to this story.

• Accidents are never good news, of course, but they do often make for great pictures. We used a couple in the print edition today (that intersection in Oxford has been scary since I was a little kid), but I put even more of Brian’s photos up on our Facebook page because, darn it, helicopter rescues are pretty dramatic.

• Progress Chenango 2012 continues to roll out this week – sections 5 and 6 were in today’s edition. I’ve heard a lot of positive comments so far, which is exactly what we’re looking for. Not positive as in “praise us, we’re wonderful” (although that’s always nice, too), but as in “wow, Chenango’s really got something special going on.” That’s why we do it, you know — to highlight the “Progress” our community is making every day. And there’s a lot of it!

• Caught quite a bit of the State of the Union address last night, although I admit to nodding off near the end (I’m getting old, what can I say?) My favorite part isn’t necessarily the speech itself (that gets analyzed and ripped apart ad nauseam immediately after and for days), but rather the entrance shots. Watching the President arrive anywhere is always a tad awe-inspiring, but at the State of the Union in particular I’d pay to be a fly on the wall. All those politicians jockey for position to get close to the aisle as the president walks in, each hoping to get his attention – or curry his favor – for 15 seconds or so. If only the commentators weren’t chattering over every barely discernible syllable … I’d love to know how the president’s ear was bent last night.

Jeff Genung

• As of early this afternoon, I am officially done with Progress Chenango 2012. For you, of course, it’s just beginning – with Sections 1 and 2 (of 10!) included in today’s paper. If you haven’t seen our Progress editions before, a.) Why are you reading this blog? and b.) I think you’ll really be amazed at the tremendous amount of business success, innovation and ingenuity that we have going on here. I know I am, and I’ve seen every one of ‘em.

• Someone called today and asked, in all seriousness, if a certain town supervisor requires that he read our notes after a reporter attends a town meeting and “approves” them. Umm, no. Supervisors and town boards may well approve the official minutes taken by the town clerk, but not those of a reporter. Ever. Sorry, caller, if I choked a little bit on that one. Whoever told you that was pulling your leg, or amazingly ignorant.

• Congratulations to Brad Ward, the latest in a long line of Eagle Scout Wards. Julian’s done a couple nice stories on Brad’s recognition and his Eagle Scout project at Rotary Park. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Brad act his heart out on the Sherburne-Earlville stage a few times, too. Good kid. Always nice when we’re able to highlight the achievements of high school students, particularly (for me, anyway) off the playing field. If you know of more who deserve the spotlight, give us a call!

• Wow, you really can’t shake a stick … err … spoon … without hitting a story on Chobani in the media these days. While we’ve done about a hundred of our own, of course, I decided to give the Associated Press version front page play today too, especially since it addressed the whole Greek yogurt craze in general. If you’re reading this, Agro Farma, I have not had a chance to taste test the pomegranate flavor yet. Please and thank you.

Jeff Genung

• TGIF! Well, for me it’s still about Wednesday afternoon. I’ve got a long weekend ahead of me, office-bound, finishing off the last few sections of Progress Chenango 2012. The 10-section, 70-page extravaganza rolls out starting in Monday’s Evening Sun with sections 1 and 2. Check your local newsstands for the most comprehensive picture of Chenango County’s economic climate you’ll find! I’m always amazed at the tremendous amount of ingenuity, innovation and perseverance displayed by our local business community – and I hope that after you’ve read through what is our greatest effort of the year, that you will be too.

• The District Attorney’s office was busy this week – the grand jury handed up 17 indictments. The things people do … always an interesting read.

• Today was the last day of a two-week stint for our BOCES intern Darien Grippaldi (he’s the one who took all of our snowfall photos for Facebook last week). Though his formal internship has ended, he’s asked to stick around the newsroom and learn even more. I think it’s pretty neat that we’re a small enough operation to provide these types of opportunities for interested students. I guess we’re a charming bunch, to boot.

• Someone on ‘30 Seconds’ suggested that technological advancements might make it possible – and prudent – for us to administer breathalyzer tests before allowing people to post on our popular reader reaction line. What? And spoil all the fun? Friends certainly don’t let friends drive drunk, but I’m pretty sure that they encourage them to post to online forums anonymously drunk.

• Anonymously drunk? That sentence was pretty clunky, but it’s Friday afternoon and my grammar-vision is fading fast. Have a nice weekend, everyone!

Jeff Genung

• Finally some good news about Kurt Beyer Pool! The Greater Norwich Foundation has stepped up to the plate … err, diving board … and pledged a hefty chunk of change towards the pool’s repair – with the smart caveat that the city pony up and follow through on their end, too. Similar pledges will show that Norwich’s charitable trusts really are there when you need them – thanks to their generosity, Norwich’s hot and bothered might just have a place to cool off this summer. Kudos too to the Facebook efforts of the “Save Kurt Beyer Pool” page which will see average citizens (those without the multi-million dollar checkbooks) pitching in to do their part, as well. People from all walks of life uniting for the greater good … kinda makes you proud to live in Norwich, no?

• I have to give a tip of the hat … err, rifle scope? My metaphors are strained today … to the organizers of the Bob McNitt Foundation, recently formed to honor the memory of The Evening Sun’s longtime colleague (and my old friend) Bob McNitt, whose outdoor sports column graced these pages for decades. The foundation is seeking support to start up an archery program at the Norwich Middle School, which sounds like it would have been right up Bob’s alley. I couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with an arrow when I was in Middle School (the late Mr. Tryon would certainly attest), but still it sounds like a wonderful program of which Bob would have been proud to have been a part.

• I tweeted earlier that I’ve been eating a lot of Cheez-Its lately. I’m on my second box since Progress began. This might be the death of me. Headed home now for a (hopefully) sensible dinner and then it’s back to the grind – tonight, Progress Section 4! Woo-hoo.

Jeff Genung

• Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Err … happy? Never sure if we’re supposed to be happy or solemn. No matter … seems like I’m the only one working today anyway.

• Cold enough for ya? Stop asking me that, seriously. I’ve ordered my Hot Booties Microwaveable Slippers, if that tells you anything.

• While the reporters’ deadline for Progress stories came and went Friday without any casualties (at least one newsroom sleepover nothwithstanding), my work started in earnest Saturday morning. So far, so good – I’ll be assembling the rest of the 10-section behemoth every night this week and well into next weekend. Start looking for the fruits of our labors in next Monday’s Evening Sun.

• On a related note, Progress kept me in the office Saturday night well past the time when anyone should be awake on Lackawanna Avenue – and yet it seems everyone was. I’m normally not scared of my own shadow, but I certainly made sure all the blinds were closed and doors locked. This, my friends, is a rough neighborhood at night.

• Kudos to Jessica Lange, whose unforgettable turn as twisted ghost whisperer Constance Langdon on FX’s “American Horror Story” won her a much-deserved Golden Globe last night. The only award I really cared about, and of course I missed it. Because I switched the channel to “Downton Abbey,” of course.