These just in

To make sure we haven’t missed a news development at NRN, I scan anywhere from 100 to 500 wire stories a day. Sometimes, I can’t believe the restaurant-related headlines I read, like these grabbers from today:

“Body Found in Calgary Restaurant Being Treated As Suspicious.” Um, yeah.

“Pizza Tossing Turns Pro in Pittsburgh.” The National Calzone League must be on strike. This is a town clearly in need of a curling team.

“Al & Al’s owner forced into spotlight.” Some free consulting: Reclusive restaurateurs seldom make it.

“Restaurant to be cleaned before it opens.” Okay, this is one that shouldn’t be the stuff of jokes. It refers to the Denny’s in Pismo Beach, Calif., where a homeless gunman went berserk last week, killing two and wounding two others before taking his own life. The story, by the Santa Maria Times, specified that a private cleaning company was retained to clean up the blood and “other biologically hazardous materials” before the restaurant was adjudged ready to re-open. We wish the restaurant and its staff well. We wish the newspaper might play this one a little straighter, and perhaps remember that not every bit of information has to be reported.