Taking over a job like the editorship here at the Weekly can be a peculiar adventure, as I’ve mentioned in this space before. Once I got the gig, people were asking what I was planning on changing, assuming that I would move quickly to re-cast the Weekly based on my own whims and preferences. There’s an aspect of that which is true – I didn’t get the job because I wanted to leave everything exactly the same, I imagine – but on the other hand, I have a great affection for what’s been produced here week after week for almost 30 years, so it’s not like I believe we need to start over from scratch either. So, yes, there will obviously be changes (I’d prefer to think of the process as evolution, but whatever), but you should continue to be able to recognize the Weekly as the Weekly.
That being said, starting this week, you’ll start seeing some changes. Nothing that will cause you to reexamine the very nature of your existence, just a few little things that hopefully work to make the paper a little better.
First, we’ve added a second crossword puzzle. This might fall more into the “whim” category, but whenever something has gone wrong with our printing of the Sunday New York Times crossword, there’s been a significant outcry, so there’s an audience for puzzles. Plus, the new one, edited by Ben Tausig, is a bit more modern and occasionally a bit bawdy. I had fun solving it, so I hope you do as well.
Also, we’ve added a comic by E.G. Pettinger called Mild Abandon. Pettinger sent us a book containing 65 of his comics and we couldn’t stop laughing at his absurd take on the world. Mostly, I just wanted an opportunity to see his comic on a weekly basis, so I put it in the paper.
To make room for those two items, we’re dropping movie times starting this week. Surprisingly, movie times are a colossal pain to get together and changes seem to happen weekly between our deadline and Friday when the schedules change at theaters. That info will still be on our website (with a new link to buy tickets via Fandango), so feel free to look there.
More to come, but let me know what you think so far.
This article appears in Jan 31 – Feb 6, 2013.
triple yaay! on add’l crossword. crosswords are one of my fave ways to unwind (right after reading the nat’l enqurier, of course).
Not a bad start, please consider getting rid of some of the disturbed cartoons.
Ditto on Ryn’s comment for the extra crossword puzzle. But please, ignore the comment posted above mine and attempt to find even more disturbing comic strips. That would be very cool.
What is missing is the level of coverage of city and county govt. that the late lamented Limberis provided. The citizenry deserves much more information as to the ways and actions their local government works or doesn’t work than it has received since Chris passed away. One person covering all govt. levels can’t do it right, and the Star certainly doesn’t try.
GCB1: The problem is finding another Limberis, with the level of doggedness and connection that he had. We’re working on some solutions to provide better civic coverage, but until those come through, I’d love to hear any suggestions of someone to cover those beats.
Chris Limberis was unique and irreplaceable. The worst of it is, we (or at least I) took him so much for granted. Thanks for reminding us of him.
Wouldn’t mind losing “Roland & Cid” and “Hoopleville” to get something better. Still miss “Boondocks” and Joe Forkan’s “Staggering Heights”, *sigh*.
One good thing thing about Jimmy Boegle is he usually got the online edition up by noon Wednesdays. The way things have been going lately is like living in Pyongyang or Yellowknife or someplace.
I did the web upload for two years when Jimmy was in charge, and I can promise the issue was never online by noon on Wednesday. Still, we do need to speed the process by a few hours. Thanks for the mostly inaccurate input!
@Dan Gibson
Sometimes the leash needs a quick snap or two! Looking forward to improved performance!
Thanks in advance,
Red Star