Re-printing a story for our readers

In the Friday, July 6 edition of the Elk Grove Citizen, readers will find the article "Where the Streets have names" printed a second time.
Now, this is a bit different situation than our accidental re-printing of the same Elk Grove Planning Commission story a few months back. This time, as you can see in the corrections to the left, our reporter - Blake Ellington - had one of those days a reporter sometimes has.
Ellington accidentally misspelled the last name of the main person throughout the article, and then he mistakenly said an incident occurred in Alaska, not China as it should have been.
So, in a sense of community newspapering - which I believe is something only newspapers our size can do - we reprinted the article with appropriate corrections so the family would be able to cut out this article to save for future generations.
As editor, I wanted to offer readers an explanation for the re-printing and also an apology for sloppy reporting. We will do better. On the good side of the issue, the family did really enjoy Blake's article and were thankful their story was told.
Our goal as a community newspaper is to serve the public and our readers, we hope we're doing that.
Thanks,
Jeff Forward

Petaluma newspaper offers citizen's blog

The folks at the Petaluma Argus-Courier have started a blog for their readers to post on, and the move is drawing good reviews from Editor & Publisher.
Petaluma is an interesting town and there are more than enough issues and people to have a good, solid community-driven blog. The Argus-Courier blog features the voices of everyday citizens and has a snazzy design and some interesting posts.
I encourage you to check out this regional example of Citizen Journalism. I have a lot of thoughts on Citizen Journalism and hope to incorporate it more on this blog and in the hard-copy editions of the Elk Grove Citizen. If you have any comments, stories, or information you would like to share as a reader and Citizen Journalist, send them to Jeff Forward at the Citizen.

Figuring out HTML

I managed to figure out how to hyperlink phrases on the blog today. I scanned the pre-existing HTML code (I think that's the term for it?) and experimented with it a bit for about 15 minutes before finally getting it right. It's a minor accomplishment most programmers would laugh at, but for me it is a small but significant step forward in the development of this blog and my Web skills. Have a great Fourth!
Jeff Forward, Editor, the Citizen

Happy Fourth of July

The staff of the Elk Grove Citizen would like to wish a Happy Fourth of July to all our readers and citizens of Elk Grove. We hope you have a safe and fun holiday celebrating our nation's birthday.
In next Wednesday's edition of the Citizen, Police & Fire Reporter Cameron Macdonald will bring readers the story of local fireworks investigators who will be on patrol tonight across Elk Grove. Macdonald will be following officials as they look for illegal fireworks and any other illegal celebrations. Look for his story in the July 11 edition of the Citizen.

Tens of thousands expected at Fourth of July celebration

By Cameron Macdonald
Citizen Staff Writer

The Elk Grove Regional Park will have explosions in the sky and an explosion of people on the grass this Fourth of July.
The Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce is hosting the 11th annual Salute to the Red, White and Blue celebration.
“It’s a wonderful event for the family to come out and have a day in the park,” said Paula Schroeder, the chamber’s vice president. “To top it off we have a great fireworks display.”
The half-hour fireworks show by Pyro Spectacular will commence over the heads of onlookers at the park around 9:45 p.m.
As tradition holds, there will be a musical soundtrack and narration about the holiday’s significance that will play during the fireworks display. The fireworks are often lit in the rhythm to the music and previous shows had patriotic symbols like the Liberty Bell and the Declaration of Independence ignited in streaming colors.
Keep an eye out for a large sign that reads, “Elk Grove” that is written in dozens of sparklers.
The 2005 celebration had a moment were nearly 15 veterans, including a navy commander, were walked onto the music stage to a standing ovation
Schroeder said that the celebration in the park begins at 3 p.m., where there will be food and various merchants selling goods. The food court will include standard fair food like pizza, hot dogs, and popcorn.
Early birds who want to secure comfortable spots for their cars and picnic blankets should note that gates to the park open at 6 a.m.
Schroeder said that the event itself is free, but there is a $10 parking fee for drivers on the park grounds. She mentioned that the parking lot has been expanded.
A large crowd is expected, given that 20,000 to 30,000 people came to the park last year, Schroeder said.
“We don’t expect it to decrease,” she said about the crowd.
Music will begin at 5 p.m. where the bands include last year’s hit, Bucho and other acts that will play classic rock covers and salsa.
Schroeder mentioned that there will be a live radio broadcast at the park from 3 to 5 p.m. by oldies station K-Hits 92.1 FM.
There will also be Hawaiian dancers, she said.
The event’s major sponsors include the Cosumnes Community Services District, Wal-Mart, the Methodist Hospital, and the Elk Grove Auto Mall.
“It’s a celebration for the freedoms that we have, that were hard-earned and we continue to work for those freedoms,” Chamber Executive Director Janet Toppenberg previously told the Citizen. “This (event) should be a good reminder of how important they are to stop and think about.”
The Elk Grove Regional Park is located at 9950 Elk Grove-Florin Road and is next door to Elk Grove High School.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in the Citizen's Red, White, and Blue special section on June 27.

Greek gods find a home in trailer park in comedic work

By Shannon Savage
Citizen Staff Writer

What do Greek gods, Jerry Springer and trailer parks have in common? For one Sacramento author, everything.
Natalia Mercado, 29, has redesigned the classic Greek god tale into a modern day comedy called “Zeus & Hera, The Later Years.”
The screenplay throws Greek gods Zeus and Hera into the 21st century where they live in a trailer park in Bakersfield. The pair continually fight over Zeus’ infidelity and the trials they face with a comedic twist.
“It was just a funny idea,” said Mercado, who grew up in Bakersfield. “All the gods are in it. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, works at the local strip club. Zeus is a welder; you know the whole lightning bolt thing. Hera works at Wal-Mart.”
Mercado, an English and journalism teacher at Luther Burbank High School, thought of the idea years ago while watching a talk show.
“There was this country man with one tooth and these two women were fighting over him,” Mercado said. “And I thought why would women ever do that? Then it came to me, it’s history, it’s epic. Zeus was constantly cheating on Hera but she never did anything to him, she would (hurt) the women he was with.”
After taking a summer short film writing class in Fresno, she had the idea down on paper.
“I’ve always loved to write but I had been focusing on my first few years of teaching,” Mercado said. “Without that summer class I don’t think I could have gotten it out that fast.”
Growing up in Bakersfield helped a lot with writing the screenplay, Mercado said. But so did tapping into her unknown love of country music. Strong female singers like Gretchen Wilson helped her get into the Hera character.
“I just started listening to it and I got really inspired,” Mercado said.
With a degree in English literature and an extensive background in Greek mythology, the story seemed to flow out of Mercado.
“It just all came together in this screenplay,” Mercado said. “A lot of different influences helped me create the idea.”
Although the screenplay was meant to be a short 30-minute film, Mercado said she is planning to readapt it to become a stage play.
“You get to talk a lot more in a stage play,” Mercado said. “But in a movie a lot of the story is told in the action and the pictures. You can just switch from scene to scene. In a play it is harder to change sets and do flashbacks.”
Eventually when she can find the financial backing Mercado said she would still like to make the screenplay into a short film.
But before the screenplay is revamped, Mercado will be holding a reading July 6.
“This is kind of the first step, getting it out into the public and getting some buzz going,” Mercado said.
The staged reading will be performed in an informal setting by actors.
“They’re going to be in character and put on a show but there won’t be any props or settings,” Mercado said. “But other then that they are going to be doing a full blow performance.”
The reading will be at La Raza Galeria Posada, a gallery committed to Latino and Native American art although Mercado’s screenplay is not about Latinos.
“I’m breaking the stereotype that we have to write about ourselves,” Mercado said. “I get to write about anything I want.”
In the past Mercado did a reading in Fresno during her film class.
“I was so nervous,” Mercado said. “I wound up adding something to the script where Hera called Zeus sparky as a pet name. I kept thinking why did I add that, it ruins it. I was over here having a Woody Allen moment. But people laughed the most at that line.”
Although she has already had one successful reading, she is looking toward having another.
“I think it’s just going to be a lot of fun,” Mercado said. “If (people) are interested at all in theatre, film, mythology or even country music they’re going to enjoy the reading. But I wrote it so you can enjoy it no matter what. It’s not high brow or low brow.”

Notes on Newspaper Blogging

Since I began working on this blog for the Elk Grove Citizen newspaper, it's been quite a learning experience. I still have a long way to go, trust me. The endless possibilities - and frailties - of Internet journalism have hit home with the creation and maintenance of this blog.
As the explosion of Internet news sites and steady growth and development of citizen journalism mature and interweave, we in the old-fashioned paper newspaper world must learn to adapt and modernize. If we don't? It's likely a slow, steady relegation in importance and readership for traditional newspapers and news outlets.
Newspaper publishers and editors - reporters, too - must work hard to learn the new skills needed for the Internet while maintaining the same ethics and professionalism that is a hallmark of good, daily journalism. News magazines and television news are both investing in Internet branches and the move online has altered the global journalism landscape.
Here in Elk Grove, more and more readers and residents are looking online for their news and information. Blogs such as Eyes of Argus and Elk Grove News provide readers with local news mixed in with a healthy dose of opinion and examination of what's going on in their communities. Thousands of locals get their information on Elk Grove Online, a popular forum. The Sacramento Bee also provides localized coverage on their Web site.
We at the Elk Grove Citizen currently have a Web site - egcitizen.com in addition to our two weekly hard-copy issues. The site is outdated by modern Internet standards, but a modern, thorough replacement site is currently being worked on by our computer and tech staff. The new site will link in with this blog, as well as the blog of Blake Ellington, who will cover the Kings from the standpoint of a lifelong fan. We hope it will be online within four to six weeks.
Our goal is to provide our readers with as much news coverage about Elk Grove as our staff can report on - in print or online. We will continue to add to this site and our new Web site with podcasts and we hope at a later date, video podcasts.
While the Internet seems to be the way of the future - one of the realities of maintaining a site is that it requires a lot more time and vigilance added on to your normal newspaper duties.
In essence, you join the 24-hour news world, reacting and posting as much as possible on the blog - seven days a week if necessary. At large newspapers, there are often many shifts and a large number of editorial staff so the maintenance of a blog can be nearly constant.
These large newspapers hire Web designers and information specialists to add alternate views of the news in addition to the hard-copy edition that's tossed on your doorstep in the morning.
At smaller, community newspapers such as the Citizen, we are somewhat limited by the having a newsroom of nine people. Maintaining the site means being constantly connected and able to access news.
If you go camping on the weekend, there's no Internet in the back woods and the site won't get updated.
With no Internet connection in my home, I utilize Mishka's Cafe in Davis, which has free wireless access. Thats means a few hours out of a Saturday or Sunday depending on what's happening. I am strongly considering a home connection in order to stay more connected when not in the office.
Another stumbling block has been Web site development skills, as I am learning on the job. It is easy to utilize the Blogger.com site this blog is hosted on, but when it comes to professionally developed sites, there is a lot of skill and hard work involved.
Today, I spent maybe 30 minutes trying to locate all the instances where titles needed to be italicized. It was frustrating as well as time consuming - all to italicize what needed to be. I'm sure I missed a few.
But, in the end, it does feel good to be online and providing more thorough news for our readers and anyone who stumbles upon our blog. If you have any tips, we're listening.
Jeff Forward
Editor, the Elk Grove Citizen

Teen killed in car crash

A memorial in memory of Dyeshaia Richardson who died in a car crash over the weekend. Photos by Rebecca Maston, Elk Grove Citizen.
Story By Cameron Macdonald: Citizen Staff Writer

A 15-year-old girl died after her vehicle crashed into a tree in East Franklin on June 30. Sacramento County coroners identified the victim as Dyeshaia Richardson of Sacramento.
Richardson, a rear passenger, was among five teenage girls in the vehicle during the crash on the 9900 block of Bruceville Road near Terrazzo Drive, Elk Grove police spokesperson Christopher Trim said.
The rest of the occupants suffered serious, but non-life threatening injuries and were hospitalized, he reported.

A full report on the accident from Macdonald with more photographs from Maston will be published in the July 6 edition of the Elk Grove Citizen.

Meet the Staff: Blake Ellington

Blake Ellington is the newest member of the staff here at the Elk Grove Citizen. Ellington is a graduate of Lodi High School and CSU-Sacramento. He currently covers all aspects of the Elk Grove political beat - including the Elk Grove City Council, the Elk Grove Planning Commission and anything related to those two entities.
Blake is also an avid Kings fan and will be covering the Kings on his blog, www.egcitizenking.blogspot.com.
Feel free to contact Blake via telephone or e-mail. (916) 685-3945; e-mail is elkgroveinfo@gmail.com

Letter to the Editor of the Week

Dear Editor:

As I visit my daughter who lives in the older section of Elk Grove I am bewildered by some the things I see in your city.
First, Elk Grove has a lot of history and Old Town should be preserved. The city fathers saw fit to take Elk Grove Boulevard, which is a very busy road and narrow it to one lane in each direction. It appears that this makes Old Town more congested. Parking is somewhat awkward. As Elk Grove Boulevard going out toward Bradshaw Road is in terrible condition, it seems the money to narrow a main street could have been used more wisely to improve conditions of the road all the way through town.
Second, Elk Grove city fathers apparently approved the plans to construct a building on the southeast corner of Elk Grove-Florin Road and Elk Grove Boulevard. I have been told it was to be a library but the second floor is not sturdy enough to hold the weight of the books. Is this correct? If this is correct, shame on your planning commission that approved the plans.
My last comment, is why was it allowed to be placed so close to the intersection and not set back a distance?
As a frequent visitor in your growing city, I have been curious for some time and thought I would write and ask.

Mel Mehlhaff
Winston, Ore.

This is one of several letters to the editor that will be published in the Wednesday, July 4 edition of the Citizen.

Saluting the Red, White, and Blue

By Keith Gebers
Citizen Staff Writer

Officially it’s called Independence Day. But most people refer to it as July Fourth or the Fourth of July. It is the biggest national holiday of the year, although there are several times during the year when a patriotic theme highlights a special occasion, such as Veterans Day and even Memorial Day.
The day marks the signing of the Declaration of Independence from Britain on July 4, 1776. However the United States didn’t officially became independent until Sept. 3, 1783 when King George III and leaders of the United States signed The Treaty of Paris.
The first official anniversary celebration occurred July 4, 1777 in Philadelphia with speeches by members of the Continental Congress along with military parades, toasts and a 13-gun salute. On July 4, 1778 George Washington celebrated Independence Day by giving his troops a double ration of rum.
North Carolina, in 1781, was the first state to officially recognize Independence Day. However, it wasn’t until 99-years later that the United States Congress made July 4 a national holiday. And strangely enough, federal employees didn’t get that day off in 1880 with pay.
An overall feeling of celebration marks the Fourth of July. Many cities have large parades and in Elk Grove we have the Red, White and Blue Celebration, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. It is a tradition held yearly in Elk Grove Regional Park and features a gigantic fireworks display, preceded by day long activities, such as popular live music, family picnics and displays put on by community organizations and vendors.
Songs play a big part in Independence Day tradition. “The Star Spangled Banner is the national anthem, which commemorates a critical battle with the British during the War of 1812. With a melody based on a British drinking song and words written by Francis Scott Key, “The Star Spangled Banner” wasn’t adopted by Congress as the National Anthem until 1931. Even then, it was controversial with many leaders saying “My Country, Tis of Thee” was more traditional.
Some years later a short-lived effort got underway when some popular musicians suggested making “America the Beautiful” the national anthem. Others say “God Bless America,” written by Irving Berlin and made popular in 1938 by singer Kate Smith, was - and is - the best choice. However it ran into problems when some secular critics said mention of the deity favored union between church and state. Still, “God Bless America” is often regarded as the unofficial national anthem.
Other songs receive a lot of play on July 4 including “This Land Is Your Land, “Stars and Stripes Forever,” along with “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” which was written by George M. Cohen, who was born on July 4, 1878.
This year July 4 takes on special meaning because thousands of Americans are in harm’s way in the mid east. Many of the celebrations will commemorate the efforts and sacrifices of these young people who are serving their nation in times of need.