My new beat blog

Today LJWorld rolled out our new education beat blog, Schoolhouse Talk. 6News education reporter Lindsey Slater and I edit the blog, which we think will allow us to beef up and extend our coverage of schools in Lawrence. It's one of more than 10 blogs our reporters keep.

I've already got a million ideas for the blog, and things that can grow from it. Excited? You betcha.

It's ironic, because I don't do a particularly good job blogging here. I don't think I have many particularly interesting or groundbreaking insights to add to the debates surrounding journalism. Yeah, I have opinions and misgivings and maybe innovative ideas, but who cares what I think?

I have a few blog entries I want to write here, but I'm reticent to post them just because, well, what do I, as a reporter with a year under his belt, have to add?

I don't know. Maybe I'll post them here. All I know is that Schoolhouse Talk is going to be cool and fun. The layout might need some work, but that's a bridge we'll cross when we get there.

Cleaning house: New MTV Stuff

I've been seriously slacking here:

Here's how Greensburg is turning green, following the tornado:


Young people were leaving Greensburg, Kan., in droves before the May 2007 tornado. Now they're deciding to stick around:


Lastly, some words on T. Boone Pickens and the new wind power debate.

Greensburg keeps growing

Greensburg, Kan., was devastated by an F-5 tornado on May 5, 2007. Ten people were killed and the town had to start over. Early on, residents of Greensburg decided to rebuild their own "green," using the latest in sustainable technology to turn the tiny town into an internationally-renowned center of innovation.

Here's how the town's teens are contributing: