Attn: Grammar dorks

"That word is misspelled," the General Manager said last night once we were proofing pages for this week's edition.

He was pointing to the plural of drive-thru in a headline on the front page which, admittedly, is an awkward word (it no longer appears in the headline). This led to a search for any rules governing the word, either in English or AP Style (which are not always the same thing).

The AP Stylebook was of little help. County documents refer to a "drive-thru," though the grammar dork in me really wants to write "drive-through."

Then there's the plural — "drive-thrus" is not a gem of a word, especially in a banner headline. A survey of regional media showed that most erred on "drive-thru," though the plural rarely surfaces.

In the end, it was "drive-thru," and I avoided using the plural like the Plague. My question is, what is the definitive spelling of this word? It will surface again, but the jury is out on which word we should use or whether the commonly-used word is actually a word.

If the above post was not clear, I have had a few late nights in a row, and these are the things I try to figure out. I welcome your thoughts.

The weekly look-ahead is forthcoming.

Communication issues

I have not been receiving e-mails since about noon yesterday, with the exception of 3-4 people with the word "Orange" in their e-mail address. Not even our friendly neighborhood spammers have sent anything; rather, I haven't been receiving 150 blank "letter to the editor" e-mails like I would on a typical Monday.

Needless to say, on a deadline day this is a problem.

If you have sent us an e-mail and haven't received a response, it might have been lost in cyberspace (we're working on recovery). If you are sending something for this week's issue, please call the editorial department at (919) 732-2171 and ask for Josh or Vanessa.

FYI: Stanford field day canceled

This just came across my e-mail:

ATTENTION:
C.W. Stanford Middle School - Field & Maintenance Workday – (which was originally scheduled for tomorrow, Sat., Oct. 10th) is CANCELLED for tomorrow, Due to the Treatment of the playing fields. We will reschedule at a later date!

coming up this week

Here's what I've got on my plate and what you can expect to see (more or less) in this week's paper from moi:
• The McKee CornField Maze is up and running. I'll have a feature on this perennial local favourite.
• An EcoEternity forest is opening up at Camp Chestnut Ridge. Don't know what that is? Find out next week.
• The middle schools have started organizing clubs this year, and A.L. Stanback's selection is literacy-based.
• I participated and photographer International Walk to School Day (as mentioned in a previous post).

There's a few other things I'm working on, but we'll see if they pan out for this week.

I'm also trying to resurrect the Educator of the Week feature, and I would love nominations from the public. Is there a teacher in your child's school that is especially talented? A media assistant or assistant principal that deserves recognition? What about a teacher assistant or custodian? Let me know! Drop me a line at v (dot) shortley (at) newsoforange (dot) com or give me a ring at 732-2171.

This week

Here's what I am working on. Items will likely be added, subtracted or replaced, but here's where we sit on Thursday:
• I'll have a story on the county commissioners' discussion of drive-thrus and what they want to do about them. There's no true consensus on their views as a group, so this discussion will continue.

• Only certain people can view a masked man with a knife and a camera at their home as a normal development. I'll have a follow-up on the Myers House NC, the now-completed tourist attraction in the Buckhorn community that is modeled after Michael Myers' home from the "Halloween" film franchise.

• Orange's 1978 football team had an undefeated regular season and 30 years later, they'll be honored at Orange's homecoming game. We'll have some details.

• I spent a little bit of time at Project Homeless Connect today and will have some more information about the role of that event and the turnout.

• The town board meets Monday, and I will be there.

• Also, look for more on the upcoming election, endorsements and oodles (yes, oodles) of stuff from Vanessa.

H1N1 nasal mist

From the county Health Department: (Remember, the nasal mist is not for pregnant women or those with underlying health issues)

HILLSBOROUGH--The Orange County Health Department will receive 700 doses of H1N1 nasal mist later today. The department will follow current Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and plans to distribute a portion of this first vaccine shipment to medical practices not receiving vaccine directly form the State and to Orange County Emergency Services for eligible first responders. The department will also vaccinate eligible health department clients and staff providing direct patient care.

The CDC's Vaccination Information Statement for live H1N1 explains that nasal mist is a live, attenuated intranasal vaccine (or LAIV). It is licensed for healthy, non-pregnant people from 2 through 49 years of age. The live vaccine virus is attenuated (weakened) so it will not cause illness. People should not get nasal mist if they have a severe (life-threatening) allergy to eggs. "To get the live H1N1 vaccine, a person must be healthy, 2 to 49 years of age and not pregnant. Persons in close contact to a severely immuno-compromised patient (hospitalized in a protected environment) should not receive the live vaccine formulation," says Judy Butler, RN Community Services Supervisor.

While certain groups should not get live virus vaccines – for example pregnant women, people with long-term health problems, and children from 6 months to 2 years of age – it is important that they be vaccinated. They should get the inactivated form of H1N1 (vaccine that has killed virus in it) when it becomes available. For more information on H1N1 vaccine restrictions and eligibility requirements visit the CDC's website to the review the latest H1N1 vaccination information statements at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/default.htm.

County public health officials anticipate that local medical providers will begin receiving H1N1 vaccine shipments within the next two weeks. The health department expects future vaccine shipments, but has no delivery date. For local flu updates visit www.co.orange.nc.us/health.

Interim manager now new manager

Last night, Frank Clifton, the interim Orange County manager, formally removed "interim" from his job title. He's been serving in the interim since June, when Laura Blackmon left the post.

From a release from the county:

"As County Manager, Clifton will lead the day-to-day operations of Orange County government, interacting with the Board of County Commissioners, county departments and the general public. He will report directly to the Board of Commissioners.
Clifton has a long and successful career in local government, including County Manager – Onslow County, N.C., City Manager – Casselberry, Fla., County Manager – Cabarrus County, N.C. and City Manager – City of Bristol, Tenn.
His educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in management and finance from the University of South Florida and a master’s degree in city management from East Tennessee State University. He has also continued his education through the City-County Government Administration Program at the School of Government at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. "

He was tapped by a unanimous vote. His starting salary will be $161,200.

There's more from last night's meeting - commissioners talked about a change in the county's regulations on new drive-thrus (not sure on the plural) built in the county. Options ranged from an education campaign asking those with idling cars to curb their emissions to a complete ban on them. Commissioners voted to delay any action until the economic development commission weighs in on the options.

There was a lively discussion of the issue, which saw the emergence of some ideological differences between board members. I'll have details next week, and I'll be back either this afternoon or early tomorrow with a rundown on what else is coming for the Oct. 14 issue.

iwalk to school day

This morning myself and about 60 other people braved the drizzle to participate in the International Walk to School Day with Cameron Park Elementary School. It was a great event with some great turnout. In the picture, people are finishing the walk and heading over to the school on the crosswalk on St. Mary's Road. Look for more information about this event in next week's paper.

Web-only content

Just dropping a quick line to let our readers know there is content online not native to the print edition. They include a collection of news from local government bodies and organizations or news and events from the fringe of our coverage.

The latter could be described as something taking place outside our normal coverage area but still having some relevance. If I am holding on to something and haven't been able to find print space for it in two weeks, it will more than likely go online and might appear again in print.

A quick follow-up to the post about the Oct. 13 candidate forum - questions from the public are welcome and encouraged, we've learned. Adjust accordingly, residents of in-town voter precincts.

Have a good weekend.