" Ok, I'll start it off. I recognized a couple of names (a first for me). One was not a surprise based on past history the other was. A tough lesson for both. I hope it does not impact their jobs. "

" It does impact your job if convicted. I believe any application asked if you've ever been convicted of a "felony," so you're in trouble right there. It is so worth the cab fare or using common sense in this situation. "

" "frenchtoast" common sense goes out the door when impaired. A DUI is not a felony unless you cause major bodily injuries or a fatality. "

" I was hoping nobody would comment this month.

Recently, I found out that someone we know has their name on this list. I was disappointed. For a couple of reasons. Obviously, I was disappointed in the person we know who ended up on the list, but......

I was disappointed in the person who told us this. We harrassed him because he was a snoopy person who apparently liked to 'peek into people's closets'. This led to a discussion about the NVR. I was quite satisfied with the outcome of the conversation. People may have just been talking, instead of actually following through with their declared plans. I'm not going to check to see if they actually don't buy the paper anymore because I'm afraid that maybe they still do.

But we all agreed that this DUI list isn't getting any shorter. So this list must be about something else. "

" There is a town in the Midwest that publishes foreclosures, including the person’s name, address and amount owed. Just be glad that NVR doesn’t go that far. "

" The NVR posts this info under the Legal Notice section. It is a requiremant that each foreclosure's information is "posted and Published" at least three weeks before the the foreclosure sale. Take a look at NVR's Friday's additons. "

" So where can I find this out online at NVR? Cause I'm not seeing it. "

" These are very long technical descriptions concerning the foreclosure but all the pertinent info is there for all to see. I doubt the NVR posts them on line. I think you'll need to buy the paper. "

" If the list does nothing else it creats dialog among readers about a major social and legal problem that many people just dont want to talk about or hear aboutr. "

" frenchtoast.. you like most other people i've met are unaware that many, actually most DUI's are misdemeanors and NOT felonies. "

" It's not a felony until someone gets hurts. And that includes the DUIer. "

" Hey NVR how about a list of Felony drug arrests (not names, just numbers- so we can see that the police are doing their job by arresting Felons) then a seperate list of Felony Drug Convictions each month..(so we can see our DA and judges NOT DOING THEIR JOB)
how many Felony charges are dropped by our DA and court system allowing the Felons to continue using Meth and other drugs.. Oh but lets just give these felons just one more chance, that is getting very very old... but by all means keep printing the list of mostly misdemeanor dui convictions each month.. (how many a month does the DA drop??) not many because it is a cash cow baby........Felons using Meth = No cash baby "

" I wouldnt mind them posting drug felons as well each month. Great idea! Inquiring minds want to know...so why wouldnt someone pay for the NVR for that information too? Sad thing is, many of us don't even know our neighbors anymore and even if we say "hi" occasionally - do you know their full names? Get involved, get educated, fight for whats right, and protect the public!!!!! "

" You know, there is at least one person in this town that has the same name as I do.

We get calls from his mortgage company wanting to be paid. We've gotten calls from people that he has rear-ended in traffic accidents, and he has given these people our phone number instead of his. His name has been on the DUI shame list that the NVR chooses to publish every day.

I'm not anxious to see this person's name on more of these lists, because people may think it's me.

I know. I'm selfish. I don't want to be victimized by the NVR for something I haven't done. And I don't feel the need to know my neighbor's business. "

" NVR you have a problem, your news is based on people who have been pulled over then arrested, is the NVR jumping the gun, before you damage a local citizens personal life maybe you should review your choice for optima balance for your sake, the news paper business is weak and if you loose subscriptions from people who are p@#%*! off about your papers posting is only loosing of dollars and readers of family members who won't buy your paper ever again.
Give us news not gossip tabloids, their world wide, your local and so are your paid public viewers.
but thats just my opinion.. "

" firststreetmayor:
Let me direct you to paragraph 6 of this item. The paragraph states, in full ... "Names listed below are for convictions only."

The list is of those convicted, not a single arrest-only is listed.

If you have further questions, go ahead and e-mail us at online@napanews.com

--Dan "

" NVR-Dan Ross

Let me reiterate, Arrested or Convicted that is not the issue. Lets say you list in the NVR where the convicted had visited last;Bars, bowling alley, local famous restaurants, country clubs, even a friends house or party where they had their last beverage at, and you post it, how many advertising dollars, clients or local subscription house hold would you loose because you slandered their staff their business their name for serving an already inebriated customer or friend. At this time your loss is just minimal to one person at a time, just give it time and maybe a new law giving the reading public the location where the convicted was served. Seeing its now a law if a wait person or a bartender or a resident over serves they may be convicted and sued by the patron. I'd have further questions Dan if I had stock in the NVR..
again, it just my opinion "

" Other than the fact that firststreetmayor wasn't correct with regards to the issue of arrests vs. convictions, the rest of his post is valid.

Whenever a person has an accident, the NVR's headline always claims it was a DUI accident because the driver was arrested for DUI. The driver was symbollically convicted in the press by the headline. Often, these 'suspected' drunk drivers end up have not been intoxicated at all. Of course, the driver suffers fines, impoundments, suspension, and the added burden of NVR publicity before the charges are dropped or the driver is acquitted.

Does the NVR print a retraction when that happens ?

I've NEVER seen one. The only time I've ever seen corrections in cases where a driver turned out to test 0.00% was in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, and it certainly wasn't emblazoned in headlines like the erroneous label was when the accident happened.

Here in Napa, the NVR would apparently rather leave the impression that a innocent driver was guilty.

I don't mind that the NVR wants to tarnish its credibility, but it's wrong for them to tarnish someone else's. "

" reason-ator

My regards is to the point; that it is Bad Business for NVR to print a list each month of common folks who are listed, last month it was 81, take all since they started ? lets say 5,000 + multiply that by four members of their mediate family, you have 20,000
napa local readers that won't bother to have the Register delivered to their home again, this equals to bad publication skills, it is also just destroying the papers value one arrest at a time. "hey maybe the Register someday will be a free paper like the Sentinel"
"but thats just my opinion" "

" firststreetmayor, you don't have to defend yourself to me. My post wasn't directed at you at all. I was trying to stick up for you.

See, the NVR wants to jump on a fictitional high road of innocence by pointing out that they only print the name of a person that's been convicted, totally ignoring the fact that they are ALSO printing the name of dozens of innocent people and slandering them in the process. They have no idea how discrediting it is to them.

They really aren't interested in making the roads safer, or else they'd also print the names of people who are just as impaired by a cell-phone as drunk drivers are impaired by alcohol. The latest info is that the Federal Government has supressed the dangers of driving while impaired by a cell-phone, and studies now show that one out of every five drivers are talking on their cell-phones while driving.

So, you'd have to wonder if the same interests that caused the government to ignore the damage is what is also causing the NVR to ignore it.

Hmm, look at all the advertising for cell-phones in the NVR. Gee, I wonder why they aren't interested in trying to make the roads safer. Could it be that NVR employees talk on cell-phones while driving, and they also get lots of advertising revenue from cell-phone businesses ? Nah, that couldn't be it...... "

" Im not going to get into symantics over "symbolically convicted in the press or not" I am however going to comment on the obvious in this article - there are 81 people who were convicted last month of a FELONY. More importantly these people chose to put their lives, and the lives of everyone else around them up for grabs when they got behind the wheel of a 2,000lb, metal, motor vehicle. In my eyes there is NO excuse for drunk driving Im glad to see the NVR publish the names. The point here is not to further humliate those convicted - but to deter others and at least maybe they'll think twice before hopping in their car after a couple glasses of wine at dinner. Maybe they'll think of this article and not want their neighbors, boss, friends, family, pastors, etc. to see the article and Maybe, just maybe that will deter them and save a life. "

" Something I noticed and decided to comment on.....

When someone comments on something the NVR can correct, for instance the post above where the perception that arrests are posted on the list instead of convictions, the NVR immediately responds because they can prove they are correct.

Yet, in the dozens of instances where I've said this list doesn't curtail DUIs, is nothing but an attempt to shame people at what may be the lowest point in their life, that the NVR really isn't trying to make the roads safer with this list, etc., they have no correction.

Lately, I've been wondering why they only respond when they're right. Their only response when I point out how shameful this list makes them appear is to not post my words or delete them. They can't justify it. Although I will give them credit for allowing me to show how useless this list is most of the time, they don't always.

I wish they'd do the right thing and be consistent. EIther do a little homework and print a complete list of impaired drivers, or quit taking the easy route and only list the ready-made DUI list. That way I would know that their motive was really to make the roads safer. That's not what they're trying to do now, from the way it looks. "

" Mykdgirl54, You might want to check on the 81 people you have decided to label as felons. I don't know if the NVR separates the misdemeanors from the FELONIES !

Yes, it is sad that there are so many on this list. The list hasn't gotten any shorter, proving that the list hasn't deterred anyone form getting a DUI ( as if someone who, as you said "chose to put their lives, and the lives of everyone else around them up for grabs when they got behind the wheel of a 2,000lb, metal, motor vehicle" would consider an NVR shame list but NOT consider the serious stuff you mentioned ).

Obviously, it IS about shaming the DUI convictees, and it's NOT working. Seeing how some people gloat about seeing the names of people they know and deriving satisfaction is shameful on its own.

It wouldn't be so bad, but how many innocent John Smiths or Juan Garcias need to be shamed because the guilty ones got their names in a list that serves NO POSITIVE purpose ?

Innocent people suffer. The list does nothing to curtail DUIs. It's as simple as that. But I'm sure the gossips love it.

One out of five people are talking on cell phones, which is as impairing as being drunk. There's no shame in that, evidently, so the NVR isn't interested in printing THAT list to make the roads safer. They just want to shame people when they're down, even though they know the list doesn't curtail DUIs.

Shaming. A noble cause.

But actually, they're shaming themselves. "

" Reason-ator, I thought you would like this story.. I am with you and hope the laws change to bust these type of losers that risk our lifes about the same as DUI drivers...


You should all be well aware by now that driving and texting is dangerous. In fact, so is talking on the phone while behind the wheel. So what exactly possessed Nicholas Sparks, a 25-year-old tow truck driver from Burt, NY, to do both at the same time?

The mind-bogglingly reckless (and inept) multitasker was allegedly texting and talking while towing two cars -- he also had two motorcycles in the bed of his truck. The distracted driver then rear-ended the car of 68-year-old Lily White, careened through a yard, side-swiped a house, before finally dunking his flatbed and vehicular cargo into the in-ground pool of Brad Kanel.

Sparks has been charged with reckless driving, talking on a cell phone, and following too closely, but can't be charged with texting while driving since New York Governor David Paterson has yet to sign the law criminalizing it.

Thankfully, police confiscated Sparks' cell phones. Here's hoping that part of his punishment is being banned from ever using one ever again. [From: Buffalo News] "

" I just saw a comedian on TV say that the tow-truck driver's text message was simply "CANNONBALL"

But c'mon, NVR ! It's AUGUST. for cryin' out loud ! Do you REALLY think that we can wait until Monday for this "feature" ?

I have to snoop on my neighbors and friends. Hurry. I have no pride, and I need the NVR to do my sneaky-duty for me. I want to derive great pleasure and satisfaction from the misfortunes of other people, because I am the kind of person who loves it when other people are suffering. I especially love it when I can count on the Power of the Press to kick people when they're down at the lowest point in their life, especially when it won't do any good at all.

The roads won't be safer, so PLEASE HURRY ! "

" Hurry. You're driving me to drink.

And then I'll need to rush down to the newstand to get a fresh copy of the newspaper. (I said get, not buy )

The supsence is kliling me, (hic!) "