Low-tech edition
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Business Editor
Call Mark at 785-832-7188.
At what moment did you realize you wanted to become a journalist (videographer, meteorologist, sports reporter, etc.)? And if there wasn't a specific point in time, what was the motivating factor?
It seems I've always wanted to be a reporter, even before I knew it myself. The proof: A few years ago my dad dragged out an audio tape of me, as a child, running around with a portable tape recorder to interview all my friends and closing with, 'Reporting live, I'm Mark Fagan.' I started newspaper reporting in high school, and now that I'm also doing TV work it seems like things might have come full circle. Then again, my mom always thought I'd be a sportscaster, so maybe that's next.
When you really want to relax and let your hair down in Lawrence, where do you go and what do you do? I like to dine at Free State Brewery, golf at Eagle Bend or Alvamar and play softball at the Clinton Lake Adult Softball Complex.
What comes to your mind as the most memorable local story you've covered?
I remember tracking down a bunch of background on a guy, Allen Salah, who came to Lawrence pitching plans for a new brewery/restaurant to be built at the corner of Clinton Parkway and Kasold Drive, to be called Sports Page Brewery. Salah managed get the place built and to the brink of opening before the building -- literally -- almost blew up in his face. Turns out someone opened a natural gas line inside the unfinished brewery, leaving it one spark away from a massive explosion. As soon as the attempted arson was made public, I wrote the story outlining his checkered past, which included bank fraud and other swindles that dumped him, among other places, in federal prison. After the story appeared, Salah managed to skip town before the authorities could get a chance to talk to him. Salah left behind more than $1 million in debts.
If you couldn't be a reporter, what occupation would you want to try?
I'd give architecture a shot. I've always been fascinated with building design.
Which two people do you admire most? One should be someone you know. The other, someone you've never met.
How about two that I know: my parents. I still can't believe all they did to help me grow up.
If you were stranded on a deserted island with only one song to listen to and one book to read for the duration, what would they be?
Song: 'Once in a Lifetime,' by Talking Heads. As for reading material, I'd go with a book of matches. A big one. I figure it'd be nice to have fire.
If they were going to execute you tomorrow, rightly or wrongly, what would your last meal consist of?
As long as the meal included bacon, I'd survive.
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