The most compelling news stories in Northwest Florida are of three motor vehicle incidents, an Air Force first lieutenant’s story of when he was captivated during the Vietnam War and rowdy spring breakers.

The most important story is about the rowdy spring breakers that are causing locals to reach their limit. Although the college students coming here for spring break have been good for the economy, it has not been good for the locals or for the law enforcers.

Although the tourism has crowded local restaurants and shops, it has crammed condos, creating a lot of property damage. The locals admit that while there are good spring breakers, they have experienced too many bad ones first hand. There have been cars firebombed and many wasted young people out on the streets. The local authorities have thought about adding tougher regulations, but have come to a conclusion that the regulations might just add more problems.

The only information missing from the coverage was the point of view from the college students on spring break.

The journalist could have asked the spring breakers what they did in the past, what they expect to do in the future, and their reaction to how the locals are responding.

By: Mike Garbuzinski

If you’re a local resident looking for new ways to connect to nature and to the town’s past, then this story is definitely for you. The North Attleboro historic commission has made a proposal to town selectman to turn the historic Codding Farm property into a new cultural center.

The commission gave a presentation in which they envision revamping the farm, widely known around town as the Lestage property, into a multi-purpose agricultural site. The proposal involves using the property as a year-round farm for beginners, teaching classes on nutritional awareness, homesteading and the history of the property and local farming. The farm section would include community garden beds, a mushroom growing project and collaborative workshops with local schools. Officials say that the food produced on the property would be harvested and donated to local pantries or purchased by citizens.

The Codding farm was built in the 1830’s, and has since been established as a local landmark by the town. As of now the property is under the stewardship of the North Attleboro board of selectmen, but the historic commission is looking to take over maintenance of the farm as part of the new proposal. The selectmen are now deliberating on the proposal, but there are several factors to consider. Selectman Chairman Michael Thompson stated, “I think it’s a really good idea, but I think it’s something I want to make sure if we go into it, there’s no opportunity for it to ever fail. We need to be cognizant of what the costs are going to be on it and whether we can sustain this thing going into the future.”

In addition to raising awareness about farming and the town’s history, the commission sees an opportunity to partner with local schools. They would hope to work with Tri-County Regional Technical Vocational School and the Bristol Agricultural School to give students hands-on experience in a farming community.

The final decision has yet to be made, so what are your thoughts on the proposal? Would you like to Codding Farm as a cultural center? Let us know!

By Charles Cuthrell

Gerald Hatten “Jerry” Buss, the beloved owner of the National Basketball Association professional team Los Angeles Lakers, died at the age of 80. He passed away this past Monday, February 18, 2013 at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center due to kidney  failure.

Gerald Buss, known to many as “Jerry” was born on January 27, 1933 in Salt Lake City, Utah but he was raised in Kemmerer, Wyoming. Buss attended the University of Wyoming where he earned a B.S. degree, before later moving to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California. There he earned his M.S. and Ph.D in physical chemistry. Buss started out as a chemist and briefly worked in aerospace industry.

Buss’ first professional team that he owned was the Los Angeles Strings who were a part of the World Team Tennis. In 1979, he purchased the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA and the Los Angeles Kings hockey team of the NHL. Buss later sold the Kings, but purchased the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, and moved the teams to the Staples Center, which opened in 1999.

Buss’ most proclaimed professional team was the Los Angeles Lakers. Under his ownership, the Lakers won ten NBA championships. Buss had a ways of getting the big stars to play for the Lakers such as Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and James Worthy. Much of the Lakers success is due to the ownership of Buss.

Some of Buss’ other hobbies included poker playing. He was a poker player for many years, but later in life he was more active in tournament games. He appeared in different poker shows such as High-Stakes Poker, Poker After Dark, and the World Series of Poker.

Many people have high remarks for Buss. NBA commissioner David Stern said of Buss, “The NBA has lost a visionary owner whose influence on our league is incalculable and will be felt for decades to come.” Buss’ legacy has left an impact on a lot of people. Buss is survived by his six children: Johnny, Jim, Jeanie, Janie, Joey, and Jessie.