Duke lacrosse: Johnsville is asking questions

At Johnsville News, a blog that's done so much to help the public understand the Duke lacrosse hoax and the injustices it's spawned, staffers are reporting tonight that North Carolina Superior Court Judge W. Osmond Smith III:

has been tossed the Duke Lacrosse hot potato.

But Johnsville reporters, in their typical "get to the bottom of Sgt. Gottlieb's beer glass" fashion, aren’t letting the story rest there.

They’ve begun asking the kind of tough questions Raleigh News & Observer reporters only whisper to themselves when they're having a nightcap at Blinco's.

Questions like:

So Judge Smith doesn't like his first name and prefers Osmond? What is he trying to hide?

Good lord, there goes the local North Carolina media again, dropping the damn ball. What the heck does the "W" stand for please? Can someone in Durham please start investigating these mysteries.

Now, I don't have the answer to any of Johnsville's questions. But I did hear something down at the courthouse that hasn't been reported.

It seems the other day a fellow went into Durham Superior Court and petitioned for a name change. The court later ruled :

Petitioner Bob Ashley comes before this court and begs relief, seeking approval for a name change.

Petitioner Ashley’s claim is that having the same name as the current editor of the Durham Herald Sun is a "burden and extreme embarrassment."

This court is sympathetic to Petitioner Ashley's claim and in most circumstances would grant the petitioner relief.

However, the court fails to see how the "burden and extreme embarrassment" of the name, Bob Ashley, will be relieved by a name change to that of the current editorial page editor of the Raleigh News & Observer, Steve Ford.

Petition denied.

Visit Johnsville for updates.