Bottom Line Communications

    There has been a void in newspaper coverage since Rick Alm left the Wyandotte Bureau.  Since the days of Art Brisbane's tenure as publisher, the Wyandotte Bureau has been little more than an extension of the UG's (Unified Govt) PR department. 
    Jim Fitzpatrick (who had the gall to refer to this blog as bottom rung) ran one of the most gutless bureaus to ever disgrace a community.  So pathetic was The Star's coverage under Fitzpatrick's "leadership" that The Kansan under Roy Teicher kicked its journalistic behind from one end of the county to the other.  Not really much of a chore when one side isn't even trying.
    Steve Nicely, Wiebe's predecessor retired and immediately went to work on Carol Marinovich's campaign.  His writing was indistinguishable from what he wrote for The Star.  Wiebe followed in Nicely's castrated footsteps, continuing to ignore any story critical of the UG.  For instance, it is no secret that Wyandotte County is dramatically over-appraised.  The over-appraisals have caused a budget crisis in Edwardsville, caused businesses at The Legends to withhold payment pending appeal and looted untold millions from the citizens of Wyandotte County.  The Bonner Springs Chieftain wrote two page-one stories on the topic, yet Wiebe literally fled from the story continuing instead with articles that attempted to maintain the illusion that Wyandotte County's taxes were going down.
   We will lose nothing with Wiebe's passing just as we lost nothing when Nicely retired and Fitzpatrick went on to degrade journalism at some other editorial dead-end.  The Star no longer has a physical presence in the county and Wiebe's office was in Olathe.  Who cares?  My only frustration is that given a job with an honest newspaper Wiebe, like many others at The Star, probably could have been a pretty good reporter.    --John Altevogt