PANDEMIC:  On TV, many events seem odd without an audience – e.g. SNL or WWE events.  Also, why do announcers working with panels say “I will go to you first” when all they have to do is say that individual’s name?

FOR HISTORY BUFFS: Last time, we posed a question – How can Pittsburgh’s radio station KDKA violate the rules?  After all, call letters of all radio stations east of the Mississippi River begin with W while those west of the Mississippi begin with “K”

The answer is that KDA is a pioneer station, “grandfathered” and permitted to hold onto its cachet.   KDKA was the world’s first commercial radio station, beginning broadcasting in Pittsburgh in 1920.   In January 1923, the K/W boundary was shifted to the Mississippi; existing stations were allowed to keep their old call letters rather than confuse longtime listeners with a new identity. Nearly a dozen W-stations still exist west of the Mississippi.

KDKA made the nation’s first commercial broadcast on Election Day 1920.  The power of radio was demonstrated when people heard results of the Harding-Cox presidential race well they could read about it in the newspaper.

EASY LISTENING.  For those who enjoy working to classical music, try Google – YouTube – Best of (name of the composer).  Great stuff.

LITTLE LIBRARIES.  Our neighborhood had been blessed with those little mailboxes in which people place used books.  A godsend to the Military Defender through the pandemic.  But thankfully, some nearby public libraries have opened – no longer requiring reading the only thing seemingly left in the little libraries – Harlequin romances!

AA COMES THROUGH.  Some 12-step friends have not been deterred from their meetings by the virus.  Plenty of virtual meetings – including one that is proving popular in Manchester, UK.   One “friend of Bill” recently announced that he had attended virtual meetings in all 50 states.

NEWS

The Crime Report 

Prosecutors Condemn ‘Myopic’ Approach to Punishment (“Interviews with 22 district and state’s attorneys from smaller jurisdictions indicates a willingness to step outside their traditional roles to look for alternatives to incarceration.”)

Courthouse News Service 

Quarter-Million-Dollar Misdemeanors: Private Cops Cash In on Unusual Contempt Case (“With trial still months away, taxpayers have paid more than a quarter-million dollars to a private law firm deputized by a Federal judge to convict an environmental attorney of misdemeanors.”)

California High Court Debates Making Lower Bar Exam Passing Threshold Retroactive (“The California Supreme Court is considering whether to apply a newly-lowered bar passing score to the February 2020 exam, following a flurry of letters and petitions from law school graduates, deans, and legislators.”)

New York Times 

Opinion: Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation (by John Lewis, “Though I am gone, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe.”)

About 20% of N.J. Prisoners Could Be Freed to Avoid Virus (“Believed to be the first Covid-19 bill of its kind, the legislation could free more than 3,000 New Jersey prisoners within a year of release.”)

Politico 

New Pentagon training refers to protesters, journalists as ‘adversaries’ (“The training comes amid worsening relations between the federal government and protesters.”)

Collateral Consequences Resource Center 

Who Must Pay to Regain the Vote? A 50-State Survey (“This report examines the extent to which state laws consider repayment of legal financial obligations in determining whether to restore voting rights to felons.”)

New York Daily News 

Michael Avenatti is broke, likely will need public defender: documents (“Michael Avenatti is unable to pay his attorneys and will likely hire a public defender to fight allegations he stole money from porn star Stormy Daniels, a new court filing revealed.”)

CNN 

Behind closed doors during one of John Roberts’ most surprising years on the Supreme Court (“New details obtained by CNN reveal how Roberts maneuvered on controversial cases in the justices’ private sessions, at times defying expectations as he sided with liberal justices. Roberts exerted unprecedented control over cases and the court’s internal operations, especially after the nine were forced to work in isolation because of Covid-19.”)