And Now For Something Completely Different

It was a nice day to do a little research. I wondered what was going on in Laurel in January 1912? One hundred years ago. But I fell asleep after reading a few Laurel Leaders from 1912. That led to a dream, a time warp and then hearing a Laurel radio station from the past, long before there were commercial radio stations. How strange. Perhaps I should stop eating at Red Hot and Blue before napping ...

January 1912 News from Laurel MD

A New News Source for Laurel

Laurel Patch, an online local news source is now available on the web at laurel.patch.com.  AOL’s hyper-local news network called "Patch" now has over 500 community web sites.  Laurel's Patch is one of the latest to go live today. 

“Yes, you read that right: 500 different websites, all with the same look and general feel, but each one staffed by an editor devoted to writing about the people and businesses in that community,” writes Bizjournals.  AOL is planning on investing over $50 million on the Patch Network in an attempt to capitalize on the dearth of local news web sites.

We have two local newspapers in town.  Well, we really only have one, the Laurel Leader.  The Gazette quietly shuttered their Laurel operation earlier this year and clumps Laurel's news in with Beltsville, College Park and other communities in the northern part of the county.  And let me be honest, the Gazette really never committed the resources necessary to serve our community well.

Editor Melanie Dzwonchyk and her plucky band of journos at the venerable Laurel Leader cover our fair city quite well.  Unfortunately, they are saddled with a web site from their publisher that is so lame and old fashioned, it looks like something invented by the late Senator Ted Stevens.  In spite of her lame web site, Dzwonchyk has been posting breaking news online and on Twitter. 

So now we have another online local news source in Laurel.  A source with a modern web site, a commitment to getting the story online regardless of the day of the week, and with access to AOL's deep pockets.

Let the competition begin. 

You want to join what?

I'm sure every parent feels the same way when their child decides to grow up and make their own decisions.  A year ago, my youngest child decided he wanted to join the the few and the proud.

I didn't know what to say. He seemed too young, too immature, not ready for this challenge.  I wanted him to wait.  But I knew that it was his decision.

PFC Steven Wilson, USMC, graduated from boot camp at Parris Island, SC in early March.  He then completed combat training at Camp Lejune, NC and he is now attending technical school at Pensacola Naval Air Station, FL.

The corps took away my immature teenager and sent back a confident and capable young man.

I'm pretty sure he now knows at least a dozen ways to knock me out.  But I'll never let him forget that he can't beat his old man.