Sample-ing tax dollars: A lively ethical debate is raging in neighboring New Hampshire over the decision by the Eagle Times of Claremont to accept a loan guarantee from state government.

The issue is relevant to Maine because the Eagle Times is owned by the Pennsylvania-based Sample News Group, which also owns the Journal Tribune in Biddeford, the Times Record in Brunswick and several weekly papers here.

The Eagle Times stopped publishing in July, a victim of declining circulation and weak advertising revenue. Sample purchased and revived the daily paper this fall, but part of its financing package involved having the taxpayers guarantee most of a $250,000 line of credit.

That unusual arrangement has lead to concerns that the Eagle Times, in particular, and Sample, in general, have such a serious conflict of interest that they might be less than vigorous in investigating and reporting on issues involving other state economic development efforts, such as the makeover of the MERC incinerator in Biddeford and the redevelopment of the Brunswick Naval Air Station site.

There’s little doubt Sample will have to tread carefully to avoid the appearance its financial entanglement with state government have turned it into its benefactor’s lapdog.

Geographically challenged: The Maine Department of Corrections e-mailed a brief news release to the Maine media on Nov. 14 announcing the recapture of two inmates who’d escaped from the Bolduc Correctional Facility the week before. The release came from Denise Lord, who’s either the associate (the Nov. 15 Maine Sunday Telegram) or assistant (the Nov. 16 Bangor Daily News) commissioner of corrections. It said the fugitives had been nabbed in Vermont.

Actually, they were caught in Rhode Island.

The BDN doesn’t publish on Sundays, so it had time to catch the error before it made it to the printing press.

The Telegram was not so lucky. Its sister paper, the Portland Press Herald, ran a correction in its Nov. 16 print edition, but didn’t bother to post it online. No reason to, I suppose, since the original, erroneous, story isn’t on its Web site, either.

It’s sort of like the whole mess never happened.

Overcoming a challenge: As most media types know by now, the Lincoln News managed to publish last week. The weekly paper hit the streets a day late, but featured full coverage of the fire that destroyed its office and printing press on Nov. 4.

According to WABI-TV, the Ellsworth American offered free use of its press for two weeks to put out the Lincoln paper. News publisher Kevin Tenggren is quoted in his paper as saying the office will be rebuilt. State fire investigators say the blaze was so intense, it’s unlikely the cause will ever be determined.

Financially challenged: It seems as if nobody is unaffected by the lousy economy, not even author Stephen King. King-owned WZON in Bangor (620 AM) cut full-time staffer Pat Spekhardt on Nov. 13.

Spekhardt – who’d worked at the sports station for nine years as a host, reporter, and producer – was a victim of the recession, according to statements program director Dale Duff made to the Bangor Daily News.

Reporting on the financially challenged: Nice work by Coastal Journal staff writer Gina Hamilton in using court documents and knowledgeable inside sources to explain the complex bankruptcy proceedings involving M.S. Sewall & Co.

It appears Hamilton did some serious digging to get at the causes of the family disputes that have plagued the 122-year-old company, which operates a heating oil and propane business based in Bath, as well as Clipper Mart convenience stores in several locations.

What makes this solid piece of reporting so surprising is that it showed up in the CJ, which is more noted for its fluff content than serious investigative journalism. I hope this is the start of a trend.

Editorially – or genetically – challenged: Headline in the Nov. 14 Lewiston Sun Journal over an Associated Press story from New York on two businesses that offer DNA testing as a way to find a perfect mate:

“Companies swap cheeks for genetic matching.”

Sounds like a painful trade.

(For the record, there’s no information in the obviously truncated story below the headline that explains this unlikely transaction. For that information, curious readers would have had to rely on the Web.)

Al Diamon can be e-mailed at aldiamon@herniahill.net.

The views expressed on this Web site are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily represent the views of Down East Enterprise or its employees.