First Posted: 2/18/2015
One of the things that impressed me when taking a job at The Lima News 22 years ago was how the community viewed this newspaper. It was “their” newspaper, and when people called, some would actually refer to the paper as “my Lima News.”
We were just the ones entrusted to bring them the news of the day.
That’s how it should be, but that’s not how it always has been the past few years.
We fell into a trap that has snared many businesses. As we ramped up the process of dealing with a transforming industry — in our case, publishing both an on-line and print product — we started telling our customers what they wanted instead of listening to them.
On Tuesday, we’ll be introducing some changes into The Lima News print product. These changes are the result of the phone calls many of you have made. Our intention is to publish your Lima News, your way.
That means there will be more for you in terms of national, state and international news. We’re bringing back the Region & Ohio section with obituaries anchored on Page 2 of the B section and the People & More page returning to Page 2 of the A section, where this and other local columns will now appear. We plan to do more local sports features and photo pages. You’ll also find the Word Jumble puzzle and Pluggers back “every” day. The popular comics Pickles, Luann and In the Bleachers return Monday through Saturday as does a second crossword puzzle, that being the Los Angeles Times puzzle that many of you have missed.
There will be some new additions, too.
A new Entertainment page on Saturday will tell you what’s hot on iTunes, the best books to read and offer video game reviews. On Mondays, the Driver’s Seat page gets a bigger engine with auto industry news joining our popular weekly showcase of classic cars. Joining the Reminisce feature on Wednesdays will be a new feature called “In the news” that displays a front page of The Lima News which was published that week 10 years ago, five years ago and one year ago.
There will be more local editorials, which means we’ll be agreeing or disagreeing on more topics. Rest assured, though: You’ll always get a chance to express your opinion in the Letters column.
You’ll still be getting your old favorites, ranging from the larger type size to a solid daily news report. And let’s not forget:
• Award winning photography and the best local business and religion coverage in the region.
• The best Web site for local news in limaohio.com.
We think you’ll like what you see. Our goal is not only to keep you informed and to be your watchdog, but to supply content that makes you think, laugh and sometimes cry.
ROSES AND THORNS: A spot is saved in the rose garden for a humble hero.
Rose: To Steve Wood, 61, of Cridersville. He smelled an odd odor while driving down Shawnee Road recently and pulled his car over. He called 911 when he found fire coming out of a trash can that was alongside a house. Police were able to awaken the four people inside, with the owner saying he had thrown ashes from his fireplace away. Although Wood wanted no credit — saying he stopped because it was the right thing to do — the Shawnee Fire Department recently gave him an award for potentially saving four lives.
Rose: Shawnee High School makes a big hire for its new football coach, landing Ohio State graduate assistant Jon Carpenter. He is the son of former NFL running back Rob Carpenter and brother to ex-Ohio State linebacker and NFL player Bobby Carpenter.
Rose: To Jack Miller, a detective for the Shawnee Police Department, who was named the Lima Exchange Club law officer of the year.
Rose: To Mike Swick, the chief executive officer of Lima Memorial Health System. The 2014 United Way of Greater Lima fundraising campaign raised more than $1.8 million in donations under his leadership.
Rose: To Nina Fetter, of Lima. She was the handler for seven dogs this year during the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City.
Thorn: To the Social Security Administration, which informed 54-year-old Jim Hight, of Pandora, that he was dead. The very much alive Hight was surprised to get the news.
Thorn: Six of the nine schools in the Lima City School District were listed as “under performing” and received an “F” overall on their report cards in regards to meeting Ohio Department of Education standards.
Thorn: To Communication Options Inc, an area phone company that recently went out of business, leaving 300 to 500 customers without service.
PARTING SHOT: Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it and then misapplying the wrong remedies.
