Better

The T-P has followed the Wall Street Journal's lead and placed a story about the city's insane demolition list on the front of today's paper. Rather than getting too distracted by the clown show, everyone should take a few minutes and read about what is going on.. and note the odd similarity to the opening scene from Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The pink notice that appeared in April on Robert Lucien's flooded house in Gentilly warning of an impending government demolition prompted the lifelong New Orleans resident to take two swift steps: First, Lucien tore down the sticker.

Then, he made a bee-line for City Hall.

In appealing the condemnation of his home as an "imminent health threat," he offered a letter showing that a nonprofit group planned to clean out the ungutted property, and a city-issued permit he had secured to rebuild. He walked away with a signed receipt assuring him the city would take the house off its list of tear-downs.

So it came as a shock when Lucien, who lives in a FEMA trailer park in St. Roch, dropped by his one-story Wilton Drive house on July 12 to find the electricity cut off, the door lock broken and colorful Xs painted on the outer walls.

Spotting the telltale signs of impending demolition, Lucien rushed back to City Hall, where a clerk said the house, which by then had been gutted, was scheduled to be knocked down the next day.

Though he secured another written confirmation that his home would be spared, he didn't trust it -- and spent the day and night hunkered down in front of his home, girding for a stand-off with bulldozers, which never came. While his house still stands, Lucien fumes over his bungled case.

"The right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing," he said.

Yet another glorious chapter in the absurdist history of post-flood New Orleans.

Update: Editor B points out the print edition headline which seriously downplays the urgency of the situation. It reads

"They've gutted their houses and may even live in them, but some frustrated local homeowners still get demolition notices and they're outraged"

In addition to the word "some" the words "frustrated" and "outraged" aren't as neutral as they may seem.. but instead subtly marginalize the homeowners in the story.. almost suggesting that they are kooks. Also, as Editor B notes, the property owners are actually not receiving demolition notices at all.. and that's a huge part of the problem.