HOT PURSUIT

There is always one thing certain for most newspapers at the end of one year and the beginning of another. Journalists reflect on the previous year by offering a special “Year in Review.”

And our newspaper is no different. For those of us at the Times, it usually means compiling a story of the top 10 news stories from throughout the year. This, of course, is pretty subjective as our news staff comes up with a list of stories that we think were the most important over the past year. It’s hard to nail down just 10 stories out of the hundreds that we cover over the year.

We also offer excerpts of other big stories on several pages in the newspaper split up over two weeks. In last week’s edition, we provided the big stories from January to June, and this week we have July through December.

Another part of our Year in Review is a tribute to those who have passed away during the year. Our “Forever Loved” Memoriam section will be coming out in a couple weeks where we will showcase pictures of all those who had an obituary published in our newspaper. It’s a great way for people to channel their grieve through remembering.

We added a new twist this year. Last week we ran four pages exclusively showcasing color photos that our photographers took during the year. Included on those pages was a page highlighting each member of our news team with their favorite photo of the year and why it left a mark on them. We’re always on the hunt for the highs, and lows, of life that people experience.

For several years, we have prioritized photography as being an important part of what we do on a regular basis. Sometimes photos can be more impactful than the written word. We love to share photos as part of our weekly coverage. And it appears to be paying off in a big way.

In a few weeks, among many honors, one of our photographers is going to be given a special photography award at our state newspaper convention. I’m not going to share any other details, so you’ll have to wait and see what’s in store for us this year in the state contest. I’ll guarantee you that you won’t be disappointed.

The Year-in-Review sections act as sort of summary and index for the events of the year, big or small, and can be invaluable for researchers who are trying to find something in a year for which no separate subject index is available.

We feel we provide some amazing content throughout the year, and the Year-in-Review allows us to recap some of those big stories.

With 2024 in the rearview mirror, it’s time to focus on the new year and go in hot pursuit of capturing what community news lies ahead of us in the coming weeks and months.