Times change
Regular readers of this page (in our print edition) may have noticed something different here this week.
We have changed the look of our Opinion Page. Our staff has been talking about doing some revisions for some time, and this is the first step in changing the look of our paper.
Change doesn’t come easily in any business, and the newspaper business is no exception.
These changes are not the work of one person. The look of this page, as well as other pages in the newspaper, has been discussed over and over at meetings. Ideas—not always compatible—have been exchanged. Some were adopted, modified and others tossed altogether.
The result, we hope, is a page that is more pleasing to the eye and one that readers will want to turn to.
One thing that makes a good opinion page in a community newspaper is community input. The Times offers its readers a forum to offer their comments, in the Letters section. We have three of them this week, and we hope that anyone who has a viewpoint on these or any other local topic will share their views with the community.
We will continue to offer locally-written editorials and columns by staff members. We’ve gotten some good feedback since making these columns a weekly feature.
Another prominent part on this page is the Times Capsules. Jake Keohen, former staff writer at The Times and now a staff writer for our sister publication in Montgomery, is responsible for putting the Times Capsules together each week.
As I’m getting older, I’m beginning to remember some of these events, and it’s fun to see familiar names from the past. This week’s 25 years ago section talks about Marine Cpl. Jeff Krohn, who helped guard president Jimmy Carter during a trip to Italy in 1980. Jeff was a classmate of mine and I remember how proud he was when he entered the service after graduation.
The really scary part, though, is that I’m beginning to recognize more and more names in the 50 and 75 years ago portions of the column.
One of the recent additions to this page is the “Talkin’ to the Times” feature, where we ask people in the community their opinions on a topic of the week. Most people are glad to answer, though there are a few camera-shy people who turn the other way when they see Patrick or me coming at them with notebook and camera.
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The Times is keeping busy as we head into fall. This week’s edition includes our annual Fall Sports Section, a story on the beginning of the school year and a story on increasing traffic levels in and around New Prague. Our high school sports coverage will go into full swing next week, as the high school sports teams get going. Next week, look for the return of our Football Contest, where you can show off your expertise by picking the winner of various high school, college and professional football games.
Finally, with Dozinky only two weeks away, look for our annual Dozinky Section in the September 15 edition of the paper. Our staff is already hard at work gathering information for this popular section.
