October 20, 2007
New Jersey news
I worked at the New Jersey Herald many years ago, first on the night copy desk, then on deadline, editing stories for the front page, writing headlines and trying to rejigger the layout as breaking news forced us to rip out old stories and find room for new ones.
Writing good headlines was always a challenge, trying to catch the reader's eye and entice him to go beyond the boldface type above, diving into the small, grey copy below.
Yeah, "Pricy Potbelly Pygmy Pigs Proving Popular Pets" was mine. What can I say? It was the late '80s -- and they were.
Anyhow, this headline from the Hudson County section of New Jersy Now caught my eye:
Flaming squirrel ignites car in Bayonne
How can you not want to continue reading that one? By definition it's a good -- not great, but gets-the-job-done -- headline (I'd deduct points for sticking Bayonne in at the end), because I'm guessing darn near everyone goes on to read the story.
The writer has a decent lede, but I like the second line better.
It's Rocky the Frying Squirrel!
A kamikaze squirrel fell from the sky and detonated a Bayonne woman's car yesterday, police said today.
Lindsey Millar, 23, and her brother, Tony, 22, were both home Wednesday at about 12:45 p.m. when Lindsey's car suddenly started burning outside their 42nd Street home.
Tony Millar said firefighters told them it was the work of a buck-toothed saboteur that had been gnawing on overhead power lines connected to a transformer directly above the 2006 Toyota Camry.
"The squirrel chewed through the wire, was set on fire, fell down directly to where the car was," Tony Millar said. "The squirrel, on fire, slid into the engine compartment and blew up the car. "They're always coming around here, chewing through the garbage," he added.
Police said there were no injuries -- except for the squirrel, that is, which is dead.
The Millars' home is decorated for Halloween, complete with a tiny plastic tombstone on their front lawn. Tony Millar said the family will consider dedicating the tombstone to the squirrel, who was not named.
I think it was a Mob hit gone bad.
Posted by Mike Lief at October 20, 2007 08:12 PM
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