Front Pages from All America 7/12

Every day, I comb through the front pages of all the daily papers in America (provided via?The Freedom Forum) and will highlight 5-10 front page items that have national significance, with my quick commentary

Today's News Herald (Arizona)

THE FRONT PAGE STORY: Havasu Teen to Compete in CrossFit Games

WHY IT MATTERS: The paper is really just doing an old-fashioned feature story on a local athlete, but the story about a 15-year-old girl who is a weightlifting phenom unintentionally triggers some interesting thoughts about women's sports today.

THE TAKEAWAY: I'm not sure why I didn't think of this before, but the massive disruption to women's sports caused by trans athletes in college and high school sports presents a very alluring business opportunity for private sports leagues and tournaments. What if CrossFit and others partnered with some very big sponsors who market women's products by creating leagues and tournaments with three proposed divisions: male, female, and trans. My money says that trans athletes won't be interested in signing up for an only trans division, but simply by creating such a division, the leagues and their sponsors could claim they tried to be inclusive. It still won't be enough for the most woke entities out there, but it's an idea.

The Post Herald (Alabama)

THE FRONT PAGE STORY: As State's Challenges Mount, Ivey not around

WHY IT MATTERS: The public's access to elected officials seems to be on the wane all across America.

THE TAKEAWAY: Even politicians deserve vacations, but we've gone from an era when presidents, governors, and even mayors interacted with the public daily to one where it seems like most elected officials think they can get away with just posting on social media. And even at their public appearances and news conferences, everything still seems very scripted and fake.

The Sentinel-Record (Arkansas)

THE FRONT PAGE STORY: Local Teens Charged in Connection with Drug Deal, Shooting

WHY IT MATTERS: Drug crimes and violence involving teens are on the rise nationally.

THE TAKEAWAY: There's plenty to work with on this story for advocates working for legalized marijuana and those opposed. One the one hand, Arkansas only allows pot use for those who have a state-issued medical marijuana card. So you could say this violent drug crime would never have happened in a state that allows legal recreational pot. But you can also say that the 17 and 18-year-old teens arrested in this case would not have been eligible to get pot legally even in most states that have legalized marijuana for everyone 21 and older. Is the incessant coverage of marijuana in the news media acting as a de facto advertising campaign, spurring demand from underage users just like we see from beer ads and we once saw from the old cigarette ads?

The Los Angeles Times (California)

THE FRONT PAGE STORY: Leslie Van Houten Freed after 5 Decades in Prison

WHY IT MATTERS: Van Houten was one of the women who carried out brutal murders on Charles Manson's orders in 1969.

THE TAKEAWAY: Now that she's out, will the "infotainment" industry seek to enrich itself and Van Houten with a number of documentaries and book deals? We can hope the answer is "no," but that seems naive.

The San Francisco Chronicle (California)

THE FRONT PAGE STORY: SF Deli Owner's Overdose Crusade Stirs Controversy

WHY IT MATTERS: The owner of one of San Francisco's most loved delis is angering some critics who say his tactics in fighting the drug trade are insensitive and infringe on victims' privacy.

THE TAKEAWAY: The deli owner, who sees so many drug victims near his home and business each day, has been taking pictures of dead users on the streets. Somehow, this is creating more of a stir in the city than the actual drug deaths. If only people cared as much for these victims before they were dead.

The Daily Sentinel (Colorado)

THE FRONT PAGE STORY: Grand Junction to Cap Short Term Rentals

WHY IT MATTERS: The "Airbnb effect" on hotels and traditional real estate continues to push state and city governments to pass new laws.

THE TAKEAWAY: While many of the arguments against Airbnb have merit, the bigger value in this story and all the others like across America is that it shows you which problems get addressed by politicians. Hotels and landlords have powerful lobbies and deep pockets, so state and city governments are going to act on their complaints with alacrity.

The Connecticut Post (Connecticut)

THE FRONT PAGE STORY: Insurers Face New Calls for Action

WHY IT MATTERS: On any given day in America, you'll see at least five newspapers with front page stories stoking fears chalked up to Climate Change.

THE TAKEAWAY: The argument presented in this article is that natural disasters and other problems like the recent Canadian wildfire smoke issue are the result of Climate Change and something needs to be done to help less wealthy people pay the resulting heftier homeowners and other insurance costs. The problem with all of this is that Climate Change is used way too often by elected officials and bureaucrats who have failed in their duty to protect the public and get away with it by blaming Climate Change. Climate Change isn't the reason for the long-burning Canadian wildfires; they are the result of the Canadian government's decision to try to save money by cutting back on forest management. The same is true in California, where politicians and most of the news media blame the increasing number of wildfires since the 1970s on Climate Change and the power companies, when the discontinuation of proper forest clearing practices in that state is the real culprit. Scapegoating is ugly and pathetic.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution (Georgia)

THE FRONT PAGE STORY: Smart: We Take Allegations Seriously

WHY IT MATTERS: The two-time defending national champion U. of Georgia football team is dealing with allegations that the program rallies around players accused of sexual misconduct instead of punishing offenders.

THE TAKEAWAY: The more successful Georgia's football program becomes, the more its players will become a public target for legitimate and illegitimate accusations of all kinds of misdeeds. But the idea that the football players aren't given better treatment than non-athletes facing similar accusations is ludicrous.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser (Hawaii)

THE FRONT PAGE STORY: State Anti-Nepotism Law Takes Effect

WHY IT MATTERS: Some recent ethical scandals involving Hawaii state politicians have spurred a bit of a corruption reform movement in the state.

THE TAKEAWAY: Nepotism isn't a bad place to start when it comes to efforts to tackle political corruption. As we continue to see the Hunter Biden saga play out, there can be no denying that one of the biggest pathways to corruption in politics is through elected leaders' families.

The Lewiston Tribune (Idaho)

THE FRONT PAGE STORY: Idaho Sued over Abortion Law

WHY IT MATTERS: Idaho's passage of a law that bars people from bringing minors into the state for abortions without parental consent is the latest legal battleground in the abortion debate.

THE TAKEAWAY: There are compelling arguments for and against this law. Supporters of the law can say that it discourages child sex traffickers. Opponents can say this law will harm girls raped or otherwise abused by their parents. Downplaying either argument seems insensitive and naive.