Have you ever put your quarters in the newspaper machines and when you grabbed your paper you found that the coupons were missing? I have! I no longer buy papers from those machines because of this reason. People will pay for one paper and then take several or else just stand there and take all the inserts out. Did you know that this was illegal and they are really starting to crack down on this.
Just hours after an article in the Cleveland Daily Banner hit the streets Sunday morning regarding thefts of newspapers from racks, Cleveland Police charged a woman with theft.
Andrea Dawn Fedele, 43, was accused of taking 27 papers from a rack located at a 25th Street business. She was charged through state citation with theft under $500. The alleged theft was reported just before 7 a.m., Sunday.
In the article by Rick Norton, associate editor of the Banner, he wrote, “Vandalism of newspaper racks and theft of the printed editions inside don’t top the community list of severest criminal activities, but nonetheless they do impact independent contractors who regularly stock the dispensers.”
The newspapers allegedly taken Sunday were valued at $27.
Officer Bill Parks responded to 1420 25th St. after several witnesses and Omar Teague reportedly saw Fedele “open the newspaper box and steal several newspapers,” according to Parks’ report. Teague is a longtime contractor who has handled Cleveland Daily Banner rack sales for several years.
Parks questioned the suspect and according to his report, she stated, “she bought one and took the rest because she did not have the correct change for the rest and was going to bring the money back for the rest of what she had taken.”
The newspapers were recovered, according to Parks’ report.
“Local newspaper carriers aren’t Cleveland Daily Banner employees; they are contractors who purchase the printed editions from the newspaper office at a wholesale rate and then sell them at the daily retail price of 50 cents and $1 for the bigger Sunday editions,” according to Norton’s Sunday article.
“For the most part it is not a significant problem,” according to Stephen Crass, Banner publisher. “However, on occasion we do see incidents where it is obvious more printed editions have been removed from some of the racks when compared to the coins deposited.”
“In other words, some readers will deposit the required 50 cents or a dollar’s worth of quarters for a single edition, but in fact will remove multiple copies without paying for all,” Norton noted.
Norton also indicated that Circulation Manager Herb Lacy said people have different reasons for wanting additional copies of the Banner.
“Sometimes people want an extra copy or two of that day’s edition, but don’t have the necessary coins with them,” Lacy explained. “Other times people want several extra copies because of a news story, a photograph or perhaps a special section. On other occasions, people want extra advertising inserts or coupons. This is especially true with the bulkier Wednesday and Sunday editions.”
Warning stickers have been attached to many Banner sales racks to remind readers “that removing multiple editions without paying for them is a form of theft that can be prosecuted.”
Readers who may require extra copies of the Banner are encouraged to utilize the safest route and take one edition at a time, even at the rack. Retail locations such as some convenience stores and even the Banner offices can provide additional copies as well.
To reach the Cleveland Daily Banner regarding extra editions, call 472-5041, or visit at 1505 25th St. N.W.
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