NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Robert Burns, glad hander for the Observer newspaper that hasn't published in weeks, was out and about Saturday afternoon on the North Causeway handing out flyers touting a new TV website while badmouthing NSBNews.net. Not a very bright move while claiming to present a positive product.
Burns made the mistake of running his mouth to one of our bloggers, Shira Beth Wild. When she told him who she was and her affiliation with NSB News, he took off like a weasel. It's just another example of the cutthroat BS of New Smyrna politics. The way to deal with cowards like this is to call them out. Burns was telling a woman out there how NSBNews.net only reports bad news. If the Observer actually reported real news
-- good and bad -- the publication might have had a fighting chance at continuing on. But it couldn't even report good news that was real -- just advertorial drivel.
The public will find out this week why it is so vitally important to have a free and impartial press that exposes the ugly predators of our community. For example, an 82-year-old widow sued Burns' employer, claiming in her lawsuit she was defrauded of $60,000. Who would do business with someone who has a million dollars in liens from the IRS? Ask the New Smyrna Beach CRA that question. We did and got no response.
The truth always wins out in the long run. Dirt is dirt, period. Thank you, Shira Beth Wild, for having the courage to stand up to Burns and his boorish behavior.
What is disgraceful is how the Observer continues to keep up on its website that it is taking subscriptions for $29 a year while not producing a paper. The website is devoid of news. The city is littered with yellow Observer coin boxes. Much more will come out about this in our investigative series: "Show Me the Money."
And while Burns was doing whatever to try and stay relevant, Sera and I were busy covering the New Smyrna Beach Christmas Parade on Canal Street and before that, the 16th annual Norwood's Holiday Food & Wine Festival. We were at Friday's opening of the Norwood's extravaganza and on Friday night, we were covering "Light Up Flagler" on Flagler Avenue.
Here is a related blog written earlier Saturday:
http://www.nsbnews.net/content/407771-festive-saturday-here-new-smyrna-…