Top 10 things that make Saline great

Saline is a special community to live in and that opinion is coming straight from the people who should know –– local residents, business leaders and public officials.

While the editors at CNN/Money Magazine had the good sense to recognize Saline as among the top 100 places to live in the country, it’s the people who call Saline home who personally know why the city earned the distinction.

Based on nominations from local residents, the staff at The Saline Reporter compiled a top 10 list and created a video featuring representatives from each of the top 10. From the schools and library to the hospital, retirement homes and parks to the area’s rich agricultural roots, we hope you agree with our thoughts. If you have different ideas or your own top 10 list, we invite you to post your comments on this blog.

Also, pick up a copy of the April 24 Saline Reporter. It includes a 24-page special supplement highlighting the 59 things that make Saline great.

The list below is in no particular order.

* * *

Saline Recreation Center –– encouraging a healthy lifestyle. When it comes to physical activity, Saline-area residents enjoy the Saline Recreation Center. The recreation center, which recently completed a $1.5 million renovation, offers basketball, volleyball, racquetball and wallyball courts. An indoor 1/16-mile track, an outdoor fitness trail and 25-yard lap pool make it a busy place for local residents striving to stay fit and healthy, while also enjoying the fun and games recreational opportunities bring. The facility also has an aerobics studio, a free-weight room, cardiovascular equipment, and a Nautilus weight room, as well as four softball fields and a disc golf course.

Saline District Library –– the heart of the community. In 2006, Saline voters passed a 0.55-mill levy to help fund a $5.8 million expansion of the Saline District Library. The new-and-improved library opens May 27 after 10 months of operating offsite at Liberty School while the facility was expanded from 16,450 square feet to 33,000 square feet. Local residents are eagerly awaiting the opening of the new facility, which will provide a collection of more than 90,000 books, magazines, movies, CDs, audio books and more. The library is truly a gathering place in the community for people of all ages as it offers something for everyone, from computers with Internet access, special activities for teens and children, and resources for all to enjoy.

Saline School District –– educating Saline’s future citizens. The district is touted as among the tops in the state and receives remarkable support from the community as illustrated by the success of Community Project 2000, a $124.5 million bond passed by district voters eight years ago. The bond funded the construction of a new elementary school and a 500,000-square-foot high school. The district has a rich tradition of academic and athletic excellence.

Two Twelve Arts Center –– providing a creative outlet for all ages. The community has embraced the Two Twelve Arts Center, a nonprofit organization offering art classes, exhibits and encouraging creativity in local residents. It has everything, from knitting and pottery to drawing, basketry and painting, as well as numerous courses and camps for children. The center enriches lives as a gathering place for area artists and those interested in learning a new skill or hobby.

Evangelical Homes of Michigan –– providing a safe place to call home for Saline’s older residents. Residents appreciate the proximity of the Evangelical Homes of Michigan, which encompasses the Evangelical Home, Brecon Village, and Mill Pond Manor. The range of resident programs provide a safe, secure, and stimulating environment for Saline’s older community members.

Saline Area Chamber of Commerce –– tirelessly promoting businesses and organizing events to promote Saline. The busy chamber of commerce represents local merchants, and the many successful businesses and strong industries that make Saline a well-rounded municipality. Its administrators and board members work hard to celebrate local businesses and the community through its business enterprise awards and Saline Salutes programs, while educating its membership on issues affecting the business community through breakfast talks and luncheons.

Rich agricultural roots and active farm community make Saline a diverse community to live in. Farmers help sustain the community and feed the nation. The active 4-H clubs pay homage to Saline’s rich agricultural roots and inspire a second generation of farmers. And with the Washtenaw County Farm Council Grounds just minutes away from downtown, residents can enjoy livestock auctions, antique shows, carnivals and competitions year around.

St. Joseph Mercy Saline Hospital –– ranked tops in the nation. Saline hospital, which two years running has received recognition as being one of the top 100 hospitals in the nation, has served the community for more than 50 years. Built in 1959, the 74-bed facility boasts an award-winning 24-hour emergency department, a newly expanded and renovated nuclear medicine suite and a clinical laboratory. Plans are in the works to develop an imaging center.

Lots of festivals –– providing entertainment and activities, while promoting Saline’s downtown. From the Saline Celtic Festival to Summerfest, from Harvest of the Arts to the Saline Fair, the community holds dear the events that draw its residents together. That includes a parade, whether it’s the Memorial Day parade, the Homecoming parade, the fair parade or holiday parade. These annual events provide opportunities for local folks to congregate and to celebrate their hometown pride.

Saline parks system –– encouraging passive and active recreation. Salinians cherish their park system, which is extensive and varied. Within Saline there are 11 public parks that cover 190.54 acres. Fish or just stroll along the Saline River at Curtiss Park. Walk the dog at Millpond Park’s dog park. Catch a Little League ballgame or have a picnic at Brecon Park. Take a walk in the woods at Wilderness Park. There is a park, it seems, that fits the interests of everyone in Saline.

Be a responsible citizen

Voters in Saline and Milan will get an opportunity tonight in Saline and Wednesday in Milan to learn more about their future school leaders, and I hope they take advantage of it.

The Saline Reporter is hosting a Meet the Candidates' Night 7 p.m. at Saline Middle School. Reporter Sue G. Collins will moderate. The editorial staff at The Reporter has formulated some questions and has received a few from the community. Milan's event will be hosted by the school district and is set for 7 p.m. at the high school's performing arts center. We hope the turnout at both will be good, although often it's not because parents are so busy with their children's activities, work and other commitments.

I plan to video both events, so voters who are unable to make it can see the candidates and listen to their responses to issues affecting the school district. I believe the local cable TV video crew will be there, as well. Combined with our candidate profiles in today's Saline Reporter and Milan News-Leader, I hope the coverage will help voters make an informed decision.

I urge area residents to be responsible citizens. Take advantage of these opportunities and cast an informed vote May 6. Remember, you have a say in this election and an important role in setting the direction for the school district's future.

Reporters win awards

The Milan News-Leader and Saline Reporter's staff have earned national recognition for their reporting, headline writing, photography and commentary in the 2007 Suburban Newspapers of America Editorial Contest.

I am so proud of my team. Brian Cox, Sue G. Collins and Jerry Hinnen do an amazing job with the limited resources we have at these small, weekly newspapers. To be recognized on a national scale should be very rewarding for them and I hope they realize how remarkable it is that they have received eight awards in such a prestigious and competitive contest. They have also won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists Detroit chapter and the Michigan Press Association in the last year.

In the SNA contest, in which the awards were announced Friday, Brian won third place for column writing, first place for best headline ("A 'pony' tale"), honorable mention for best photojournalism ("Hands-on Learning") and honorable mention for best coverage of local education/school district issues (Saline schools).

Sue won second place for breaking news story ("Autolign Closes"), third place for best feature series ("Open for Business) and honorable mention for best coverage of investigative reporting ("Parking Problem?")

We also won second place for best graphic artwork.

Our parent company, the Journal Register Co., garnered the most awards in the contest with 142, easily beating out Metroland newspapers with 73 and Lee Enterprises with 60. Even more remarkable, JRC's Heritage Newspapers group, which both the Saline and Milan papers are part of, captured the most within JRC, with newspapers across the East Coast and Midwest, with 35 awards.

Heritage Newspapers' western region publications, which include Saline, Milan, Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester, Ypsilanti and Belleville, won 19 of Heritage's 35 awards. There are four editors and eight reporters assigned to the seven publications.

The editorial contest, SNA's most popular contest of the year, included thousands of entries from members across North America. The contest recognizes editorial excellence in six different circulation classes that separates dailies from non-dailies. All first-place winners will be recognized in a full-color advertisement published in Editor & Publisher. Awards will be presented at SNA's Spring Publishers' Conference.

Please join me in congratulating the newspapers' staff on a job well done.

New Intern Joins Staff

I am pleased to announce The Saline Reporter and Milan News-Leader have a new face reporting the news. Kevin Korpal, a senior at Eastern Michigan University studying journalism, is completing an internship at our papers. I've asked Kevin to concentrate the bulk of his time in Milan, so Milan readers please feel free to e-mail him with your story leads at kkorpal@emich.edu. In addition, Kevin will be producing the Saline Police Blotter. He visited the Saline Police Department for the first time Jan. 17 with staff reporter Brian Cox.

Kevin is working on a couple of assignments for our next edition, including a feature story on Christian Thompson, owner of Christian's Catering in Milan, who will participate in the Food Network's South Beach Food and Wine Festival in Miami at the end of February. Kevin attended one of Christian's cooking classes and I am anxiously awaiting the column he was assigned to write about the experience.

Kevin's experience includes classes in advanced reporting, copy editing, feature writing, newspaper layout and design and sports writing, which is his passion. He wants to branch out, however, into other areas and develop those reporting skills. I'd also like to see him get experience producing local videos, so if you have any ideas for that, please e-mail me at mrogers@heritage.com.
We've also expanded our local video offerings, adding a local newscast. If you're available after 3 p.m. on Wednesdays, you could be our local newscaster. All you have to do is read a script based on the coming week's headlines and we'll video you. You can add your own personal commentary and personality or read it straight. Here's an example of our recent sports newscast. Other examples can be found on our Web sites www.salinereporter.com and www.milannews.com.

Do you want to be a newscaster?

Have you ever watched the evening news and thought, "Where's the local news?" or "I could do that"?

Well, here's your chance. The Saline Reporter and The Milan News-Leader plan to launch a new weekly video newscast in which readers will read the local news straight from the paper before it goes to press Wednesday evening. We welcome anyone, from youngsters just learning to master the language to polished politicians, longtime residents, teens, aspiring thespians and your average neighbor.

Read the headline and first few paragraphs straight from our upcoming edition before it hits the street or spice up what we've written with your own color and commentary. Share the local news while also sharing your unique personality in a short, two-minute video.

If we get enough people who are interested, we'll draw names from a hat every week and announce in the paper who will be featured each week. The video will go live Wednesday evening before the paper comes out, allowing a sneak peak for readers at the front-page stories and sports news.

E-mail editor@salinereporter.com or editor@milannews.com if you want to participate. We'll be in touch.

What Were the Top Stories of 2007?

The Saline Reporter and Milan News-Leader will publish on Jan. 3 the top five stories for each community in 2007. The editorial staff has come up with a list, but we want to hear from you. What were the biggest headlines or stories in your mind? They may be different from ours. Maybe you have something in mind that we didn't consider and, if you share it, we may change our minds.

Here's our list for Saline:

1. The controversy surrounding the eventual resignation of schools Superintendent Beverley Geltner.

2. Saline Township's settlement with developer Biltmore and what the future holds for that site.

3. The memorandum of understanding between Automotive Components Holdings and Johnson Controls for purchase of the ACH plant.

4. Saline's John Lockwood returns home from battle wounded and is embraced by the community.

5. City manager Larry Stoever resigns.

In addition, we're planning a list of "feel good" stories for Saline in 2007, including the opening of the Community Garden, launch of Bee Cool Saline, national honors for the city and hospital and creation of a new historic district.

Milan's top five stories also include a mix of challenging circumstances and positive highlights.

1. Underdog Kym Muckler, a first-time political candidate, wins the mayoral seat.

2. The local economy endures some tough times with the closing of AutoLign, Main Street IX and other businesses.

3. Milan Superintendent of Schools Dennis McComb announces his retirement.

4. The Greater Milan Area Community Foundation reaches $1 million mark to benefit Milan students.

5. City budget woes lead to closing of Milan Public Transit and a push toward privatization.

Fee-good stories for Milan include the success of local events, including the Milan fireworks display and annual fair, concerts in the park, Holiday Parade, Taste of Milan and Discover Milan Day.

So, what do you think? Are we missing something? Do you have any comments that you want to make about any of these stories? Please post a comment to this blog. We want to hear from you.

The Readers Say...

The Saline Reporter and The Milan News Leader have held a series of focus groups in both communities over the last two weeks to find out what readers like about the papers, what they don’t like and their ideas for improving the papers.

Two focus groups were held in Saline and one in Milan, generating lots of great feedback. Video of the Milan focus group can be viewed at www.milannews.com.

Readers who didn’t have an opportunity to participate may be asked to in the future. We’re considering holding these focus groups quarterly or twice a year. E-mail me at
mrogers@heritage.com if you would like to participate in the future.

In addition, we distributed surveys asking focus group participants and key communicators in both communities to answer questions such as whether they watch local video on our Web site, whether they’re satisfied with news, feature and sports content, and we asked them to rank their favorite sections of the newspaper, among other things.

Readers interested in giving us feedback may visit the posting on this blog to download a survey or e-mail me and I’ll send a copy.

The unscientific survey will help us remain focused on what readers want to see in their community newspapers and help guide us as we decide what types of changes we may want to make to improve the newspapers.

So far, I’ve tallied the results of 39 surveys and found some interesting information.



Of the 39, 28 are “usually” satisfied with the news coverage, three are “totally” satisfied and three were “seldom” satisfied. No one selected “never,” which makes sense as those people aren’t likely reading the paper anymore if they did and weren’t happy.

Now it’s our job to work on turning those “usually” satisfied readers into totally satisfied and at least bringing up those seldom satisfied to usually, and keep working from there.

Our sports coverage got a greater mix of reviews, with 12 totally satisfied, 16 usually, 11 seldom and one never. I suspect those who are seldom and never satisfied either don’t like sports or are parents of players who are in club sports or non-varsity and want more coverage of those teams.

Since our sports department is a one-man show, covering both Saline and Milan, we encourage coaches and parents to turn in game results, articles and photographs to help us provide more comprehensive coverage. Those items may be submitted to Jerry Hinnen at jhinnen@heritage.com.

The message that the newspaper is a collaboration between the news department and community was the theme of our focus groups as we asked participants to help us get the word out that we welcome submissions from readers.

In fact, we have information on how to write a news release, how to submit news tips and how to submit photographs on this blog.

What’s encouraging is that of the 39 surveys I’ve reviewed so far, 35 welcome articles written by readers. Only two said they wouldn’t. Most added that those submissions should be edited. I want to assure readers that everything is edited before it’s published. We only have one editor for two newspapers –– no copyeditor’s desk or multiple copyeditors like at the dailies –– so we don’t always catch every mistake, but we certainly try.

More interesting tidbits I’ve learned from the surveys include:
Twenty-one out of 39 surveyed were subscribers and 12 weren’t.
Twenty-three were women and 16 men.
Nineteen were aware we produce local videos of community events, sports and news coverage and 19 weren’t.
Eleven watch our local videos, while 24 don’t.
Seventeen would watch videos now knowing they’re available, seven would not, three might and one probably wouldn’t.
Fifteen were aware we produce a blog called “Inside the Newsroom,” while 22 weren’t aware.
Sixteen were interested in joining an online conversation by posting to our blog, while two might and 15 weren’t.

I find these responses particularly interesting as we strive to enhance our Web sites with video, more news and commentary. I don’t understand why people don’t want to watch videos of local events. Just this week alone, I posted video of children from Saline and Milan sitting on Santa’s lap sharing their Christmas wish lists, including a message from Santa; video of Treasure Trail to Santa in Saline, where local children visited shops as they made their way to Santa; and video of our focus group in Milan, where local officials and readers share their thoughts on the newspaper and how we can do a better job.

Other videos, which are still posted online, include athletic event coverage, interviews with coaches and athletes; Saline’s Harvest of the Arts, Summerfest, Celtic Festival and Business Enterprise Awards; high school graduation; and video of outgoing-Superintendent Beverley Geltner as she spoke to the board before placed on administrative leave.

And from Milan, we’ve had video of the recent Milan Shopping Extravaganza at the American Legion Hall, holiday parade and Milan Area Chamber of Commerce membership social and awards, as well as fireworks display, community fair, high school graduation and athletic games.

After attending most of these events and uploading videos, I usually post to the staff blog, adding photos and my comments from each of these events. In addition, my reporters have posted comments about local issues, observations from around town and athletic feats.



So, I ask myself, how do we spread the word about this unique, local content online, and how do we get more people interested? Why did seven people say they’re not interested in viewing these local videos? Is it time constraints or maybe they don’t have the technology? I don’t understand.

I am also surprised that 15 out of 39 people aren’t interested in posting their comments on our blog. Well, I guess if people are reading it, that’s a step in the right direction. Maybe we need to write on different topics that might inspire someone to post a comment or is it that people are just shy and don’t want to say how they feel for the entire world to see?

I was pleased to see that 30 out of the 39 said they look at the Neighbors pages with all the photographs. Only five said they don’t. These pages are created around a theme and photos are usually provided by freelance photographer Gaines Collins. This week, she has photos on Saline’s Christkindlmarket and the Paddock Elementary School Gift Shop in Milan.

In fact, the Neighbors pages and hometown heroes spread are the most popular special sections of the newspaper, next to election profiles, The Ones to Watch on young professionals, recipes and travel.

When asked if they could receive more information in the newspaper about specific subjects or issues, what would it be, most responded hometown heroes returning from military service. This was followed by features on local children, school happenings, township board meetings and city council news. I was surprised that government corruption only garnered four votes and government worker salaries only grabbed one.

I was also surprised that when asked how they determine which story to read first in the newspaper, placement ranked third, behind local significance and whether the readers are already familiar with the topic. That goes to show, every story doesn’t have to be on the front page to get read first.

Another surprise for me was that most readers surveyed think it’s “important” (16) or “very important” (14) that a person being profiled in a feature story be from the community. I was under the mistaken impression that as long as it was an interesting story –– whether it’s on a cancer survivor, someone who accomplished an amazing feat or some unusual invention that can help people –– it didn’t matter where the person was from because the story and what can be learned from sharing the information was what’s important.

I also found it curious that 18 out of 39 readers said they like to read news from surrounding communities in their newspaper. Fourteen said they don’t. I find this interesting because I get a lot of feedback from readers that they don’t want Saline news in their Milan paper and Milan news in their Saline paper.

I think some may be thinking of Pittsfield, York, Lodi, London and Saline and Milan townships as “surrounding communities.” Others, however, I know welcome news from both communities in their newspapers because they said so in focus groups, but not many.



When asked to rank the areas they prefer to read about in order of importance, Saline garnered 29 votes, surrounding townships had 29, Milan had 19, Washtenaw County grabbed 13, Ann Arbor had 10 and outlying cities such as Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester and Ypsilanti had four votes.

I still have about a dozen or so surveys to tally and more come in every day. I will take a look at these and try to interpret the data before we move forward with any changes. In the meantime, please feel free to download the survey from our blog and e-mail me your feedback.

I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to attend our focus groups and fill out the surveys. We value your feedback as we strive to continue to produce the best newspaper we can in collaboration with the community.

Holiday Activities Abound

Saline and Milan attracted area residents and visitors Saturday as both communities hosted holiday activities. Saline's Christkindlmarket opened early Saturday, bringing in shoppers and the curious, while the Milan Shopping Extravaganza boasted a good turnout for its first year.

While I was at the Christkindlmarket, traffic was a little light around 3 p.m., but it was quite cold and I am sure attendance probably increased near the time of the parade and after. While reporter Sue G. Collins and photographers Hiroshi Onuma and Gaines Collins covered events in Saline, I headed over to Milan after shooting some video of the Christkindlmarket and St. Nicholas, which can be viewed on our Web site. Bob Gorse made a great St. Nicolas and did an excellent job of sharing the history on our video.

In Milan, I interviewed several
local business people involved in the Shopping Extravaganza and then returned for the parade to shoot more video.

The Brownies were adorable dressed in antlers and blinking red noses.

In addition, the Living Nativity scene was a big draw.

I wish we had two video cameras to capture activities at both events, but I chose to cover Milan on video because I knew Hiroshi would get some awesome photos of Saline's parade. It's kind of a trade off, as the camera I had in Milan wasn't capable of taking nighttime photos. Hopefully, both communities will feel they got equal coverage.

I enjoyed myself, but while the snow was a nice touch for the parade, it wasn't good for me as I returned home in my convertible that's not meant for winter driving. I fish-tailed all the way home at 25 mph along Carpenter Road just hoping I would make it unscathed. Luckily, I did, but I learned my lesson. That car is put away for the rest of the winter.

Did you attend these local events? What did you think? What were your experiences? Post your comments.

How to Submit Community News

The Saline Reporter held a focus group today and staff handed out materials to participants encouraging a community collaboration in producing the newspaper. Below is one of the handouts. Please join us in reporting community news.

The Saline Reporter
Submitting Your News

Share Your Community News
The Saline Reporter welcomes news releases about upcoming events, articles profiling people of interest in the community, guest columns, community group activities and accomplishments, professional achievements, sports news, and student- and school-related stories. We also appreciate news tips. If you have information to share that you don’t feel comfortable writing yourself, e-mail a synopsis and contact information to editor@salinereporter.com so we can determine whether a reporter should be assigned to follow up.

How to Write A Press Release
Provide the who, what, where, when, why and how.
Who: The Saline Area Historical Society
What: will hold an open house
Where: at Rentschler Farm Museum
When: from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 22
Why: as a benefit for the museum to help pay for utilities and other costs associated with maintaining the building.
How: Volunteers will give tours of the museum and refreshments will be served. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for students. For more information, call 429-7380.

How to Send Your Information
E-mail the press release in Word format or in the body of the e-mail to editor@salinereporter.com. Deadline is 1 p.m. Monday (or Friday if Monday is a holiday), but it’s recommended that you submit it two to three weeks in advance so it can be processed and has as many opportunities as possible for publication before the event.

Submitting Photographs
The Saline Reporter welcomes photographs. A digital format (jpg), high resolution is preferred sent as an attachment in e-mail. Everyone in the photograph must be identified by first and last name, from left. Provide information for a photo caption detailing the image captured, including the who, what, where, when, why and how. Keep in mind that space constraints could mean your photograph won’t be published for a few weeks. You also can share your photographs with readers by uploading them directly to our Web site in a photo gallery housed on Micentral.com, with a link to our site. Simply click on the “photo sharing” button in the right-hand corner of the Web site’s home page. Categories include community, events and festivals, nature scenes, kids, pets and animals, and sports and activities.

Space Limitations
Because of space constraints, there’s no guarantee a news item or photograph will be published, although the news staff will do its best to get in your submission. The only guarantee is an ad, as this space is reserved and paid for. The size of the newspaper is based on an advertising-news ratio. Keep in mind that the more advertising a newspaper has, the more space it creates for news as pages are added. Supporting the newspaper through advertising, whether it’s a 2x3 ad announcing your event or a business advertising its services through a larger ad, means there’s more space for local news.

Web Site Extras
Don’t forget our Web site, which reaches more readers than the newspaper. News updates and breaking news stories are posted several times throughout the week. Also, post your comments on our staff blog, “Inside the Newsroom,” which includes our observations after attending community events, local issues that we want to bring to your attention, news stories we’re working on and other information that we want to highlight, at http://heritageweststaffblog.blogspot.com. There’s a link in the left-hand corner of our home page. In addition, view local videos of community events, sporting events and general news at www.salinereporter.com. In addition, readers may upload their own videos directly to the site by clicking on the video sharing button.

The Milan News-Leader held a focus group Dec. 6 and video of it is on the Web site at www.milannews.com. Below is information on submitting news and photos:

The Milan News-Leader
Submitting Your News
Share Your Community News
The Milan News-Leader welcomes news releases about upcoming events, articles profiling people of interest in the community, guest columns, community group activities and accomplishments, professional achievements, sports news, and student- and school-related stories. We also appreciate news tips. If you have information to share that you don’t feel comfortable writing yourself, e-mail a synopsis and contact information to editor@milannews.com so we can determine whether a reporter should be assigned to follow up.

How to Write A Press Release
Provide the who, what, where, when, why and how.
Who: The Milan Area Historical Society
What: will hold an open house
Where: at the Milan Senior and Community Activities Center, 45 Neckel Court,
When: from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 22
Why: as a benefit for the organization to help pay for its community education efforts.
How: Members will talk about the organization, its efforts and how people can get involved. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for students. For more information, call 429-7380.

How to Send Your Information
E-mail the press release in Word format or in the body of the e-mail to editor@milannews.com. Deadline is 1 p.m. Monday (or Friday if Monday is a holiday), but it’s recommended that you submit it two to three weeks in advance so it can be processed and has as many opportunities as possible for publication before the event.

Submitting Photographs
The Milan News-Leader welcomes photographs. A digital format (jpg), high resolution is preferred sent as an attachment in e-mail. Everyone in the photograph must be identified by first and last name, from left. Provide information for a photo caption detailing the image captured, including the who, what, where, when, why and how. Keep in mind that space constraints could mean your photograph won’t be published for a few weeks. You also can share your photographs with readers by uploading them directly to our Web site in a photo gallery housed on Micentral.com, with a link to our site. Simply click on the “photo sharing” button in the right-hand corner of the Web site’s home page. Categories include community, events and festivals, nature scenes, kids, pets and animals, and sports and activities.

Space Limitations
Because of space constraints, there’s no guarantee a news item or photograph will be published, although the news staff will do its best to get in your submission. The only guarantee is an ad, as this space is reserved and paid for. The size of the newspaper is based on an advertising-news ratio. Keep in mind that the more advertising a newspaper has, the more space it creates for news as pages are added. Supporting the newspaper through advertising, whether it’s a 2x3 ad announcing your event or a business advertising its services through a larger ad, means there’s more space for local news.

Web Site Extras
Don’t forget our Web site, which reaches more readers than the newspaper. News updates and breaking news stories are posted several times throughout the week. Also, post your comments on our staff blog, “Inside the Newsroom,” which includes our observations after attending community events, local issues that we want to bring to your attention, news stories we’re working on and other information that we want to highlight, at http://heritageweststaffblog.blogspot.com. There’s a link in the left-hand corner of our home page. In addition, view local videos of community events, sporting events and general news at www.milannews.com. In addition, readers may upload their own videos directly to the site by clicking on the video sharing button.

Gives Us Your Feedback

The Saline Reporter and The Milan News Leader will be holding a series of focus groups with people identified as key communicators in both communities. The news staff will sit down with them to talk about what they want to see in the newspapers, what they enjoy, what they think is missing, how they can participate more in sharing community news and our online efforts, including video and this blog.

While we've sent out invites to people who are top of mind to us, as they share information with us on a regular basis for publication purposes, we want to hear from everybody. Below is the survey we've compiled to gather feedback. Please take the time to fill this out and e-mail it to editor@salinereporter.com or editor@milannews.com. Simply cut the text below and paste it in the body of an e-mail with your reply. If the survey is too long, feel free to answer select questions and respond as a comment on this blog. We look forward to hearing from you.


Q: Were you born and raised in the Saline-Milan area? Y N Age: Gender: M F

Q: Do you currently live in the Saline-Milan area? Y N
If yes, which municipality (city or township) and how long? ______________________

Q: Do you subscribe to the newspaper? Y N

Q: If you get your local news from The Saline Reporter or Milan News-Leader Web site, do you feel it’s comprehensive? If not, what would you like to see online?

Q: Are you aware The Saline Reporter and The Milan News-Leader produce videos of local events and news for Web broadcast? Y N

Q: Do you watch videos on the newspaper’s Web site? Y N

Q: Would you now knowing they’re available? Y N

Q: Are you aware The Saline Reporter and The Milan News-Leader maintain a staff blog in which the reporters and editor write about local topics of interest and readers can post comments? Y N

Q: Are you interested in joining an online conversation with the community and newspaper through a blog? Y N

Q: What newspaper(s) do you read on a regular basis?

Q: What three Web sites do you visit on a regular basis?

Q: Your favorite part of The Saline Reporter or Milan News-Leader is... rank in order from “1” (most favorite) to least favorite: ___Letters to the editor ___Sports ___Features on local residents ___Business stories ___Photographs ___Press releases from the local community ___Press releases from Washtenaw County ___ Other Voices/Guest Columns ___School-related stories ___City-related news ___Police news ___Obituaries ___Weddings, anniversaries and engagement announcements ___Street Talk ___Classifieds

Q: Are you satisfied with the news coverage published in The Saline Reporter or Milan News-Leader?
Totally Usually Seldom Never
Why?

Q: What do you think is missing?

Q: Are you satisfied with the sports coverage? Totally Usually Seldom Never

Q: What do you think is missing?

Q: Are you satisfied with the Community, Living or Noteworthy section (features, calendar, weddings, engagements, anniversaries, births, obituaries)? Totally Usually Seldom Never
Why?

Q: Would you rather see photographs from readers published or quality photographs from a professional photographer?

Q: Do you look at the Neighbors photo page? Y N

Q: The newspaper runs special information sections/pages on a periodic basis. Rank the ones that interest you, from “1” (most interesting) on down:
___Hometown Heroes ___Election Profiles ___Neighbors (photo pages)
___The Ones to Watch (young professionals) ___Food/recipes ___Travel

Q: If you could receive more information in the newspaper about a specific subject or issue, what would that topic be? ___Features about neighbors ___City Council news ___Township board votes ___Local businesses ___Government corruption ___Government worker salaries ___Home decor ___Gardening ___Cooking/recipes ___Interesting hobbies ___Good deeds ___Amazing feats ___Hometown heroes ___Candidates for office ___School happenings ___Kid features ___Other ___All

Q: How important is quality of writing to you?

Q: Would you welcome stories written by readers?

Q: Are you aware you can easily submit information and photographs to the newspaper for publication via e-mail? Y N

Q: How important are maps, graphics, or information pulled from the story and presented in bulleted form?
Very Important Important Somewhat important Not important

Q: How do you determine which story to read first?
Rank the reasons, from “1” (most interesting) on down:
___Size of the headline ___Local significance ___Whether you are familiar with the topic or person profiled
___Police related ___Money/tax related ___Placement in the paper

Q: The newspapers publish special supplements, such as Home and Garden, Women in Business, Bridal Planner, Health and Fitness, Fall Sports, Saline Summerfest and Celtic Festival, inserted in the newspaper. Do you read them? Y N Why?

Q: The newspapers publish a community directory in the spring and a school directory in late summer. Do you read them? Y N
If so, how long do you keep them in your household? One week A few weeks 3 to 6 months 6 months to a year

Q: Do you like to read news from surrounding communities in your newspaper?
Y N

Q: Rank the areas you prefer to read news about in order of importance, with “1” (most important) on down:
___City of Saline ___City of Milan ___Surrounding townships (such as York, Pittsfield, Lyndon, Lodi) ___Washtenaw County ___Ann Arbor ___Outlying cities (such as Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester, Ypsilanti) ___Wayne County ___Monroe County ___Lansing ___State ___National

Q: When reading a feature story, how important is it to you that the person being profiled is from your community?
Very Important Important Somewhat important Not important

Q: If you could add one thing to The Saline Reporter and Milan News-Leader newspapers, what would it be?

Additional feedback:

Cancer Touches So Many Lives

It was a jolt of reality and really helped put life into perspective when earlier this year I received an e-mail from a co-worker in our Chelsea office. She said my friend Alison Marable, who I hadn't talked to in months after a falling out, was having surgery the next day to remove cancer. Reading the e-mail took my breath away. My heart just sank. I had no idea Alison had cancer. The last thing I knew, she was on track to receive her master's degree in social work from Eastern Michigan University in the spring.

It only had been a couple months since I had last spoken to Alison and in that short period of time, she was facing the fight of her life. What hurt the most was knowing that the disagreement we had prevented her from sharing this information with me and feeling comfortable leaning on me for support.

I immediately called Alison and asked her what I could do to help. Although I never hesitated to call, our disagreement from months earlier was in the back of my mind and I hoped she would not be stubborn and continue to let it come between us. Fortunately, we both realized life is too short and picked up right where we left off.

That first phone call was scary for me because the only person I knew with cancer died from it. My husband was diagnosed with colon cancer in the summer of 2003 and died a year later. To me, cancer killed. That's all I knew. I feared reconnecting with Alison would put me right back where I was three years earlier, facing the death of a loved one. But I never once thought I'd sit back and pretend I didn't know or care. I had to be there for her and for me.

Fortunately for Alison, me and everyone who knows and loves her, she's doing fine. She is an example to me that a cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence.

After her surgery, her professors at EMU held a special pinning ceremony for her (see photo above). Now she is moving beyond cancer, degree in hand, with a desire to help others struggling with the disease, and their family and friends. She has launched a series of columns, called "Cancer Declassified," in our newspapers. I am so proud of her and look forward to learning from her insight as she writes on a variety of topics that she hopes will provide support for cancer survivors, while sharing a survivor's perspective with friends, neighbors, co-workers and family of survivors.

Read about Alison's personal struggle and her first column in the Nov. 15 edition of our newspapers, check out her video on our Web site and feel free to share your story or comments on this blog. By people sharing their stories, we will all learn and grow, and become better educated on this disease and better equipped to deal with it.

Election Day Exciting

For those in the newspaper business, Election Day is full of excitement. We scramble weeks in advance to provide election previews and profiles, so citizens have the knowledge they need to make an informed decision, and on the big day we wait. Sure, sometimes we take photos at the polls and if it's a hotly contested election, we may call poll workers midday to see what the turnout is like so far. But then we wait -- wait for the polls to close and the ballots to be counted. And that's when our job heats up and gets exciting.

On Tuesday, reporters Brian Cox and Jerry Hinnen had the distinct pleasure of covering the polls. I stood by my computer and cell phone waiting for their calls to assist them and get the information online as soon as it broke. Shortly after 8 p.m., Jerry called to announce that Kym Muckler, a former reporter at The Milan News-Leader, had won the mayoral post in Milan. I quickly wrote up something and posted it under "News Update" on our Web site.

A short time later, Jerry called with the vote tallies for the three candidates on the ballot for Milan City Council, but was still waiting for poll workers to count the write-in ballots. Brian updated me a few minutes later with the final tallies and gave me the totals for Saline, as well as news straight from the school board meeting, also held that night, that Saline Superintendent Beverley Geltner, who is on paid administrative leave, reached a settlement with the Board of Education that she would resign effective June 30, 2008, forgoing two years of a three-year contract, in exchange for the board dropping its investigation (See related stories on our Web site and posts on our blog from October). Both stories were posted that evening on the Web site, with the final posts around 10 p.m.

Just as I shut down my computer and headed off to bed, Brian's job revved into high gear as he wrote more extensive stories -- three election wrap-ups (Milan mayor, Milan City Council winners and Saline City Council winners) and the superintendent's settlement -- for our print edition. He wouldn't tell me exactly how late into the night, or how early into the next morning, he worked, but I am sure it was grueling. At the same time, though, I know he loved it because of his passion for community journalism.

Our ability to bring readers breaking news via the Web is exciting and something we will continue to do as technology evolves in our industry. Readers should check our Web site several times a week, if not every day, for news updates, videos, photographs and posts on our blog, as we strive to make The Saline Reporter and The Milan News-Leader your source for local information every single day, not just in print once a week.

In fact, expanding our delivery of local news with a limited staff was the topic I had the pleasure of speaking about last month at a newspaper conference organized by our parent company, the Journal Register Co. I told editors at newspapers in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Ohio and Michigan about our efforts in Saline to blog, break news online and, in particular, post local videos. We have been uploading videos of local festivals, football games, athletes, political candidates, business leaders and various local events since April.

Many editors asked me how we did it with such a small staff, already stretched thin, not only reporting the news, but taking photographs, designing pages and proofreading. All I could say is that I've been lucky. All three -- Jerry, Brian and Sue G. Collins -- have been enthusiastic about shooting video, blogging and posting breaking news stories.

At the conference, we were also encouraged to solicit more content from the community and share it with online readers. To that end, I encourage you to post your own videos and photographs at http://micentral.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Category.aspx?CategoryID=22623, which can be accessed through our Web site, as well, by clicking on the button in the top, right-hand corner of our home page. Also, please post your comments on our blog, write letters to the editor, contribute guest columns, submit news from your community groups and organizations, and help us continue to be the best source for community information.

Remember, the newspapers and their Web sites serve as a forum for local residents to express their views and concerns, share their successes and discover news about their community they might not know of or are not getting the full story about. Help us make the excitement of Election Day every day for us and readers.

Newspaper Holds Candidates Forum

About two dozen Saline residents turned out Tuesday for a City Council candidates forum organized and sponsored by the newspaper. While I was disappointed in the low turnout, I hold out hope that more people will become informed about the local candidates running for office Nov. 6 because the forum was taped and will be broadcast on local cable station 18. In addition, video of each candidate and what they had to say at the forum is featured on The Saline Reporter Web site.

Staff Writer Sue G. Collins deserves special recognition for organizing the event. She arranged for us to rent the space, have the forum televised, drafted the questions and notified all of the candidates. She also, bless her heart, made sure the candidates had everything they needed, including bottled water. She made it so easy on Staff Writer Brian Cox and myself that all we had to do was show up and do our jobs -- Brian to write the story and me to capture video. Brian should be lauded for covering the event while technically on vacation. Now that's dedication. He plans to post the story on our Web site under breaking news as we didn't have enough room in this week's print edition to squeeze it in, in addition to being past deadline. We're so lucky at The Saline Reporter to have both of them on staff.

While our video coverage of the event features introductions by each candidate -- incumbents Alicia Ping, Glenn Law and Terri Sibo-Koenig, and newcomers Patrick Ivey and Sal Randazzo -- as well as their answers to specific questions, we can't post everything from the two-hour forum. That's why it's best for voters to attend these informative events. I learned a lot about each candidate, and I don't even live in the city, so I won't be voting. But the knowledge I gained will give me a better understanding of how local government works and the personalities involved as the council moves forward.







One question from the audience was about Saline's so-called "parking crisis." I had to chuckle about that as I have never had a problem finding parking in Saline or, funny enough, in Dexter, when I covered that town, where people there also complained that there wasn't enough parking. I give props to the three incumbents who all asked, "What parking crisis?" Both Terri and Alicia said they were not convinced there is a parking crisis, pointing out that they would know because they live downtown. Terri said she is out and about in the downtown area four to five times a week, on weekends and weekdays, all times of the day and night. She said she would be thrilled, as would the merchants and local leaders, if all the spots were filled, but it's just not the case. She also took the opportunity, on video and local cable, to urge residents to shop locally and support downtown businesses. Good for her to take advantage of the venue to promote local businesses. They need all the help they can get during these tough economic times in our state.

Sue also took advantage of the cable broadcast to promote the newspaper's Web site, blog, local videos and efforts to regularly post breaking news on the site. She also encouraged viewers to write letters to the editor and utilize the community newspaper as a forum for open debate and discussion. Her efforts to help promote the newspaper come from within and appear, to me, to demonstrate a real passion and strong belief in the importance of a free press in society. Kudos to her and all of our readers who support our efforts and are actively engaged in their community by not only keeping up on local events, decisions and discussions through the newspaper, but also by participating in the community.

Newspapers Win Awards

The Saline Reporter and The Milan News Leader have won a total of six awards in the Michigan Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. Please join me in congratulating reporters Brian Cox and Jerry Hinnen for their reporting, as well as freelancer Daniel Fenech for his cartoons, which helped The Saline Reporter capture first place in the editorial pages category.

The local newspapers competed in a circulation class ranging from 4,001 to 10,000, and were among 144 Michigan newspapers that entered. There were more than 3,660 entries, which were judged by the Wisconsin Press Association, so this was a tough competition. The Gaylord Herald Times won Newspaper of the Year in our circulation class.

The Saline Reporter grabbed first place for its editorial pages. Judges commented that the entry, which included three samples, contained a “great mix of content –– editorials, columns, cartoon, letters to the editor, etc. Timely topics and nice layout.”

Sports reporter Jerry Hinnen won first place for sports columns in The Milan News-Leader. Judges commented, “Columns were very well written, interesting and entertaining.”

Hinnen also won third place for sports coverage in The Milan News-Leader. Judges commented on use of graphics and photography, calling the sports section a “good piece of work.”

Reporter Brian Cox won honorable mention in the spot news category for his piece, “Tourney Nixed,” on the cancellation of a “Halo 2” tournament at Saline High School. The judges commented, “Thorough reporting on a tight deadline. You helped readers understand the situation and even gave the uninitiated a brief view of video games.”

Freelance reporter Chris Wright won third place for the article “Built Ford Tough,” which appeared in both newspapers. The story featured Saline resident Jim Roles, who retired from Ford Motor Co. after 50 years.

The Saline Reporter also won honorable mention for Chelsea reporter Ed Freundl’s regional piece, “Serious social studies,” which judges called “thorough and enlightening” and “a nice change of pace from the usual school coverage and enterprise topics.” The article ran in all of Heritage Newspapers’ western region publications and was required to be entered in the highest circulation class it was published.

In addition, Heritage Newspapers’ News-Herald, based in Southgate, and Dexter Leader, won Newspaper of the Year for their individual circulation classes.

In all, Heritage Newspapers’ western region publications, which include newspapers in Saline, Milan, Dexter, Chelsea, Manchester, Ypsilanti and Belleville, won 32 awards in the contest. Dexter grabbed nine, Manchester had nine, Chelsea won eight, Saline won three and Milan took home three.

To read individual results or more comments from the judges, visit the Michigan Press Association’s Web site at www.michiganpress.org.

Vrooooooom

Hi, everyone. This is Jerry Hinnen, your friendly neighborhood award-winning sports writer. This is my first post on our new Internet digs, so I wanted to give you an example of what you can expect from my end on our little project.

In our paper (papers, rather) you're going to get the sports news. It's going to be good sports news, too, plus --have I mentioned this? -- award-winning design and column-writing.

But there's not going to be, for a lack of a better word, a lot of flair in the sports news. The paper (as it should be) is facts first and flair second. (Aside from, of course, any award-winning columns it might include.) For example, in my June 21 article about the NMRA Nationals at Milan Dragway, I wrote this: "Visitors to the dragway Sunday were able to see more than 100 customized Mustangs and other vehicles battle for titles in 12 different classes, but there was plenty of other attractions as well, including a Ford car show, activities on the midway, and an appearance by 'Thriller,' a 300 mile-per-hour jet-powered dragster."

What that doesn't tell you is that "Thriller" was the closest thing I've ever seen in person to an actual Batmobile. Remember those huge flames pouring out of its rear end in the movies? "Jet-powered" in this case means what it says -- "Thriller" used an honest-to-God blue-fire-spewing jet engine. Oh, it was loud, and let's just say if they had asked for volunteers from the audience to take a ride in the thing, I wasn't raising my hand. But watching that dragster blaze down the dragway at 260+ miles-per-hour with flames trailing behind it ... well, I'm not the world's biggest car guy or racing enthusiast, but it was more than enough to get the blood pumping. You can see for yourself here, though you'll have to be patient and I promise you it's even more impressive in person.

So that's what you'll get here at the blog -- the same sports, just with a little more flair, a little more of the feel of the event and some of that (stop me if I've told you this already) award-winning "Fun and Games" personality. Hope you'll check back. It might not be jet-powered, but it's going to be a fun ride.

A New Frontier

The Saline Reporter and Milan News-Leader are entering a new frontier, facilitating an online dialogue with their readers via blogging on the World Wide Web. The newspapers were the first in the Heritage group to post video online of local events, sports coverage, man-on-the-street and athlete interviews, as well as movie reviews. Blogging is another way for us to reach a wider audience and share community news, insight and perspective, while encouraging our readers to join in the conversation. We welcome your thoughts and hope you will initiate discussion on topics of interest to you. Staff reporters Brian Cox, Jerry Hinnen and Sue G. Collins will be contributing, as well. We plan to have something fresh for readers on a regular basis.

For my first official blog, I'd like to congratulate Brian and Jerry on their recent awards. Brian won first place in news column writing and honorable mention in feature writing, while Jerry captured first in sports column writing and swept the sports page design category with first, second and third place in the Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Media Awards contest. They picked up their awards June 19 at the San Marino Club in Troy during the SPJ Detroit chapter's annual banquet.

I was on hand to support them and capture the moment on video. You can view the video on our Web site. In particular, it was nice to see the emcee marvel at Jerry sweeping the sports page design category and noting that this young reporter covering small-town Milan is someone to watch in the industry. We're lucky to have Jerry, who came here last year from Alabama.

And Brian, of course, is our shining star, having been named Heritage Newspapers' Star of the Month in February. A multi-talented reporter, he has won journalism awards from the Michigan Press Association and has impressed me with his ability to write news, features, sports, entertainment reviews and news columns, a talent not all journalists possess.

Sue rounds out our reporting staff. She joined us five months ago and has helped raise the bar at the newspapers. A graduate of the Saline Leadership Institute, she knows many people in our area and has a strong desire to report on all facets of the community. Just a few months ago, she emceed a school board candidates' forum in Saline that the newspaper sponsored and did an outstanding job. Video coverage is still on our Web site, so check it out. She's very impressive. She carries herself well in front of an audience and has a commanding presence. I've encouraged her to launch a new video venture called "Two with Sue" in which she interviews local officials, characters around town and community leaders in two-minute videos posted on our Web site.

Well, that's it for now. I will return and I am eager to hear what you have to say. Please join the discussion. I want to know what your thoughts are on a variety of topics that affect Saline and Milan, and we're always looking for story leads.