Hazy Days of Summer
Whether it’s the hazy, crazy lazy days of summer or summertime and the livin’ is easy or any other description of these days, there’s something about summer in the news business. It’s slow. It gives me the summertime blues.
These pages are often filled with schools news, including academics and sports, and there is not a lot of that going on right now.
Last week we had an article about a couple that celebrated their 70th—yes, 70th—wedding anniversary. And, the spring often holds engagement and wedding announcements, but even those seem to be slow this time of year.
It’s no doubt Facebook has taken away some of our news. People share it there, and forget that not everyone is on Facebook, and that the paper is a permanent copy of that special event.
Anyway, we are blessed that much of our news walks through the door, so to speak. People e-mail us their happenings or bring items in, or let us know so we can stay on top of it. But, this time of year, everyone seems to be out of their routines, and the paper is almost forgotten.
This time of year we run more stuff we call “filler.” It’s not necessarily local, but obviously I feel it has some local interest. The Monticello News covers the news of Monticello and Jasper County. We don’t do much about what goes on anywhere else. We are not a substitute for a daily news feed. But, we are about Monticello and Jasper County.
Often the filler stuff is more interesting than some of the local news. For example, if you don’t have children in school, you may not be interested in the school news. If you’re not involved in a church, or are actively involved in a church, the church news on page 3 may hold little interest for you.
Sometimes I find the filler stuff quite interesting. But, typically we don’t have much room for it. But during these summer days, it seems the news has gone on vacation.
However, it all changes next week. The News will feature back to school stories and ads. The bus routes will be published, along with a list of school supplies, and much more.
Actually, though, school doesn’t begin for another two weeks, so there may still be some slow days. Help us out. If you’re involved in something newsworthy, share it with us. If you’re not sure, call us; we’d love to talk to you (the phones aren’t even ringing much these days).
We value our readers. Become our writers too. Share your vacation experience with us. Tell us what’s happening in your church. If you like to read about something, others do too. Let us hear from you!