I appreciate newspaper reporters who, despite the constraints of the medium, nevertheless find ways to work cadence, and creativity into news stories. Here?s a small example of that, which also speaks to an important point about conflict of interest that JLF has often remarked on.

The new budget for Guilford County raises property taxes in part to fund a gift to a civil rights museum downtown. Skip Alston is a member of the county commission and statewide head of the NAACP:

Alston said the civil rights museum will bring tourists to downtown and increase traffic for nearby businesses.

The cost to complete the center jumped from $10 million to $16 million after workers found structural problems with the old South Elm Street building in which it will be located.

“Everybody’s coming together … to come up with some ideas on how to complete that museum,” said Alston, co-founder of the nonprofit raising money for the museum. “This is a small token towards that effort as it relates to the county giving their part.”

Alston sits on the nonprofit’s board.

Good use of a short declarative sentence to convey key information.