http://www.agentpierce.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/kolchak.jpg…… April 6, 12: His real name is Don Carrington. I nicknamed him “Kolchak” after a 70s TV series where an intrepid reporter was always uncovering bad guys and ghouls up to no good. Like his namesake, Don, and his employer The Carolina Journal, continue to break the biggest political scandals in North Carolina.
Today’s Perdue Administration Scandal de jour involves a State Commerce official’s blatant misappropriation of over $2,000,000 of federal funding to a “dubious” non-profit flim flam organization. The Commerce crook is saying “The facts are not true….” Yep, you read that right. Where does Dumplin’ keep finding these nitwits? Don Carrington broke this story in Carolina Journal. The N&O has now picked it up.
The Carolina Journal story
Remember that aerial photo of John Edwards’ expansive Compound hidden outside Chapel Hill? That one picture totally shattered the sham of Edwards as the “poor little mill town boy fighting for his America”. That picture went global within 24 hours. Don Carrington took that picture.
Remember a brouhaha about Mikey Easley and a land development scam – Canongate? Don Carrington broke that story.
Remember Mikey Easley’s wife – Queen Mary – and her sweetheart “job” at NC State. One call to the NCSU Human Resources Dept revealed Queen Mary’s fat cat salary. Don Carrington’s reporter’s instincts prompted that call…. and the ensuing KABOOM that got a chancellor fired and a BOT Chairman – McQueen Campbell – publicly humiliated.
Remember Frank Ballance?. The crooked Congressman – (D) – was running a money laundering campaign scam. Ballance did time for his shenanigans. Don Carrington broke that story.
Remember The Randy Parton Theater on I-95 at Roanoke Rapids? Easley Administration Commerce officials were in cahoots on that one with a sleazy flim flamer. Don Carrington broke that one too.
Does the name Ruffin Poole ring a bell? Poole just got out of prison for his part in Easley campaign illegalities. Sleazy Mike threw “his boy Ruffin” under the bus on that one. Yep, “Kolchak” Carrington first smelled that rat too.
There are numerous others but you get the picture.
But but but AgentPierce, I read about all the above in McClatchy’s N&O and the Charlotte Observer.
Yes you did indeed…. AFTER Don Carrington had done the original spade work and the stories had first appeared in The Carolina Journal.
God might strike me dead for writing this BUT ….. McClatchy actually does still employ “a few” fine reporters. Specifically Andy Curliss, Dan Kane and John Frank. “For Real Reporters” in the mold of the legendary Pat Stith. Yes, there WAS a time The N&O could be trusted; every now and then.
In a perfect world “good guys with integrity” like Andy, Dan and John might have uncovered some/all of the above scandals and MIGHT HAVE BEEN ALLOWED to publish their exposes. “A perfect world” lost the battle with “overtly bias media lapdogs” quite some time ago. Reporters have Editors and Editors have Executive Editors and Exec Editors have Publishers…. and, by golly, before you know it:
“All the news that’s fit to print” has become…
“All the news we prefer our readers to know about”.
In a perfect world, N&O Golden Boy Rob Christensen, imbedded with John Edwards, would have broken the Reille Hunter Scandal. Instead Rob “ReilleWho” lagged two weeks behind every other media outlet in America in exposing Edwards. “A Perfect World” – RIP.
So, tell me again why do you continue to subscribe to a McClatchy paper ?? Any excuse other than “for the comics” or “for the obituaries” is unacceptable. Sports scores are easily available elsewhere.
The simple truth: Don Carrington sniffed the first smell of a rat and turned over the first rocks and made the first calls and fact-checked dates and bank deposits and the other evidence trails that these political crooks invariably leave in their wake.
Without investigative reporter extraordinaire Don Carrington and The Carolina Journal FIRST exposing these scandals to their readership, McClatchy newspapers would never have been FORCED by public demand to go with them.
Oh, for the record, Jim Goodmon’s WRAL still is very very reluctant to report news of this sort that exposes Goodmon’s Lib/Dem cronies and their nefarious conduct. Remember Jim Goodmon’s admission to a MLK’s luncheon assembly several years ago – paraphrased – …. I’m not in favor of my reporters covering news that is contrary to our agenda. Sure, Mr Goodmon, whatever you say, boss.
When a story reaches a certain critical mass – not unlike with a nuclear meltdown – it simply EXPLODES and “the mainstream media” is forced to report it.
So many many times over the past decade it has been Don “Kolchak” Carrington and The Carolina Journal that has lit the fuse.
