Mind Reading at the North Coast Journal

If you read Hank Sims’ January 3rd Town Dandy column, you likely raised brows at the last sentence, which casts doubt on Eureka City Councilman Larry Glass’ version of events the night he was allegedly shoved by lollapazillionaire Rob Arkley.

Sims recounts a recent phone call from Glass after the North Coast Journal published its “Top Ten Stories of 2007,” in which Sims reported — falsely, according to Glass — that the Councilman “changed his mind” when he decided to press charges against Arkley. Glass maintains his mind was never made up.

The rest of the article takes us on a journey of Google searches and phone calls in which Sims tries to ascertain whether Glass, in fact, “changed his mind.” After all, the uber-powerful internet or perhaps the all-knowing Times-Standard editor Rich Somerville must have the power to delve into the Councilman’s thought processes and deliver us from evil.

In the end, Sims pontificates:

I’d guess that this small little bit of uncertainty will join all the other, larger, stranger bits of uncertainty attached to that night that Rob Arkley got aggro on Larry Glass, shoving him or not shoving him, threatening to destroy him (or not), all in front of a roomful of society people who carefully and fastidiously failed to witness any of it.

With these words, Sims seems to forget his first report of the notorious incident in which he quoted Marshall Spalding, manager of the Courthouse Market, saying of the shove, “it did happen, we all know it happened.” Sims boosts Marshall’s credibility in the matter by noting he’s “no ideological opponent of Arkley” who “wouldn’t give names of his eyewitnesses, but he wasn’t afraid to go on the record himself.”

Now, however, Sims declares that “a roomful of society people… carefully and fastidiously failed to witness any of it.” How does he know? Has he seen the EPD report now languishing in the office of the Attorney General? Or did he use the extra-sensory powers of Google?

Whatever the answer, one thing seems clear: Sims dislikes having his reporting — or mind reading — refuted and his dig on Glass appears to be the payback.

Luckily, Glass never learned to beware those who buy ink by the barrel. But at least Sims acknowledged the “very unlikely[hood]” that Glass is lying about the contents of his own mind.