A PPH prediction

I'm going to go out on a limb here and make a prediction. Of course, the very fact that I'm making such a prediction may have the effect of making it false, depending on who reads it and what they do. My prediction is that tomorrow's Portland Press Herald's front page - you know, the page we look at hoping to learn what was the most important thing that happened in Maine yesterday - will spend a ton of space on Michael Jackson's funeral. And I'm going to go out on a teeny-tiny branch off the end of the limb, and say that the lead image on the front page of the Press Herald will have something to do with it, too.

This would be, of course, a massive disappointment, not least because the MJ funeral happened in California - and therefore by definition can hardly be the most important thing that happened in Maine today - but because a number of other important things are happening right here in Maine. What are they? Let's go easy on the PPH and tell them about things they can find out about without leaving their desks.

There's today's memorial for Charlie Howard, a man who was murdered 25 years ago because he was gay. That would seem a good start, what with gay rights being so prominent in our state's public discourse these days.

And what about the fact that the new superintendent of the Westbrook schools has a direct line to Iran?

I understand also that the Portland PD wants to use tasers to avoid having to actually talk to members of the public.

And then there's the fact that the guy who says he wants to buy the Press Herald buildings just dropped $10 million on other local real estate.

I look forward to seeing tomorrow's PPH front page, and seeing whether my prediction is true or false.