I gotta say that altho' this is an amusing thread, it does smack somewhat of condescension.
After all, provincial newspapers suffer the eagle eye of their bigger brethren who at a moments notice can swoop in and pinch the best stories leaving them sole coverage of minutiae and trivia.
We should celebrate the fact that we can read about mattesses disrupting people's lives as some relief from the tsunamis and earthquakes that irrevocably devastate entire populations.
The reader who asks:
Has it been removed yet? Has anyone had the decency to help this poor lady get out and about? News update required!!!
Was quite right, the story is incomplete, we need to know!