Nov. 6/99
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Comments from the Editor Readers should not assume that this, the first edition of Land O'Lakes - News and Views, is what the NewsWeb will be like in editions to come. It has rather too many views, most of them mine, and not enough news. Remedying this imbalance will be one of our first priorities. The intention is to have a new edition each week, editions that would have stories such as the Good New Days in Arden and On the Road (this week - The Kaladar Hubcap Place). In addition, there should be brief daily updates such as accidents, fires, police occurrences, local sports events, and good news that can't, or shouldn't, wait until the weekly issue -- for example if one of our residents were to receive the Order of Canada. The Arden story is magazine length -- longer than the usual article in a newspaper. I think that this is appropriate for a weekly on the Internet. It should be possible to investigate a topic in more depth. However, I'm not sure about this and would appreciate feedback. How to get these daily updates hasn't been worked out yet, although I know what is needed -- a network of contacts in the Land O'Lakes region who are in touch with their communities, the police, and fire departments. The reports they submit should be factually accurate, verified, and brief (in most instances not more than one short paragraph). If anyone out there is interested, please contact me either by phone or email (see below). In the immediate future it will be a volunteer activity, but we plan to pay for this work as soon as possible. Regarding the weekly stories, Marsden Kirk has done a much needed article on the status of 911 in North and Central Frontenac. Peter Wadham has a photo-journalistic piece: A Walk Through the Village of Arden. Audree Tomkins has done a brief story: Reflections on Moving to the Bush - 20 years after. Audree, Peter, and Marsden aren't writers (or photographers) by trade. The results are impressive. In addition there are free lance journalists and photographers in the area and they should be encouraged to make contributions. A decision has been made to pay free lance writers and photographers. Anyone interested should contact me with ideas for stories. I will continue to do a long story each week and the On the Road piece but would like to have additional reports from other authors. In the near future, I will do a story on the dispute in Central Frontenac over whether the municipal office in Sharbot Lake should be expanded or whether use should be made of old municipal offices. Jack Nicolson, a councillor from Kennebec, has written a letter to the North Frontenac News supporting the use of the old offices. Frances Smith, former Reeve of Oso Township, has joined the fray with another letter to the News advocating expansion of the Sharbot Lake office. Covering this story will be a definite test of two of our editorial criteria (see editorial policy): (1) covering issues in a way that doesn't unnecessarily polarize controversy in the community; and (2) providing a outlet for well formulated opinions from members of the community. This first issue is very Arden based. I'm not about to apologize for this slant. What's happening in Arden in the seniors' community is big news and is something we should all be proud of. Don't think however that it will continue. The intention is to cover the region and I'll move on -- next week to community involvement at Clarendon Central School in Plevna. Contact me with your ideas and feedback. David This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 613 279 2687
