Adventures in news writing

[Dr. Whiplash]

News story from WTAP, edited for clarity...

The Marietta police department bought two Thompson submachine guns in 1930. They were up for auction today, with minimum bids of $25,000 and $30,000. Sergeant Rodney Hupp said there was once a need for such guns but the department is selling them to buy more modern weapons.

"We conducted this auction to put the guns in a collector's hands where they'll get better care than we could give them. We're not in the museum business; we're a police department and we're in the position where we need the equipment," said Hupp.

One of the guns failed to reach its minimum bid. The other was sold to a Cincinnati couple for $38,000.


Here is the unabridged newsbunny version from wtap.com...

Marietta Police Department bought two Thompson machine guns in 1930 and today they auctioned them off.

Both guns had a minimum bid, one was $25,000 and the others minimum was $30,000. Sergeant Hupp of Marietta Police says there was once a need for the guns when gangsters were popular in the area, but now the department is selling the guns to buy more updated rifles.

"We conducted this auction to put the guns in a collector's hands where they'll get better care than we could give them. We're not in the museum business, we're a police department and we're in the position where we need the equipment," says Sergeant Hupp.

Marietta City Council also helped with the auction. One of the guns did not have a bidder that reached the minimum bid, but the other gun was sold to a lucky couple from Cincinnati for $38,000.

[Hoosier Daddy]

People who write the way they talk.

[Arp2]

I write the way I talk.

[Hoosier Daddy]

But you talk good.

[Dave Allen]

Arp talks more gooder than the rest of us.

[jag]

And, it should go without saying, his writing is some of the most goodest, if not the most bestest, here!

(I hope that was not as painful for you to read as it was for me to write!)

[fearpeddler]