New Item hits the streets

The days are truly starting to run together as the pace gets a little more hectic as the amount of time I've been on the job increases.

Today, the fifth paper since I started as Editor of the Item hits the stands, and I am really excited about this issue. This week you'll be introduced to three new writers for the Item.

On the front page, our main story this week focuses on the Schuylkill River Sojourn, now in its tenth year. I remember this event when it just started. There is a first-hand recollection by a good friend and old colleague of mine, Lisa Price, easily the best outdoors writer I've met in my 10-year career.

Lisa has taken the Sojourn in the past and reflects on her experience for you to enjoy.

She seemed to think otherwise, but Lisa's been published in numerous national publications, and it's a real pleasure to be working with her again.

Also, I must thank the people at Schuylkill Headwaters Association for sharing their spectacular photos of Sojourns past with me and our readers.

Competing up until the end with the Sojourn for top of the paper is the incredible story of Hamburg's Vietnam War hero, Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger. If I were to tell his story here, this blog would turn into a big spoiler for the paper.

In summary, though, Etchberger fought in that conflict as a covert operative for the Air Force, working in Laos to secure a radio post so America's Operation Rolling Thunder could pinpoint airstrikes against the North Vietnamese.

Etchberger's position was under constant attack and it eventually fell to the communist enemy, but not before one of the more gallant acts you'll hear about in your lifetime. Now, Etchberger is up for the most prestigious awards given to a serviceman, the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Now to the other two newbies at The Item ...

Sarah Morawczynski of Reading joined up here last week and has a story on a local man who's touring with a national choir and will be performing summer in Texas. Sarah's going to be heading to her first municipal meeting this week and is anxious about the opportunity to write.

Sarah also joined me at work on Sunday - yeah, work on a Sunday - to get her feet wet in the deep-end only pool that is our page design program, Quark XPress.

Also, Ethan Hall is going into his sophomore year at Gettysburg College, and in this week's edition he's got a preview of this weekend's Art Stroll in downtown Hamburg. Ethan lives in Kutztown when he's not in school.

Both these newbies did a great job on their first assignments and you can expect to see their names in The Item more in the future so long as I didn't scare them away.

As always, there are the regular features which made their way into the paper this week and as always I look forward to hearing the feedback the paper's readers have, so feel free to unload.

Thanks and happy reading!