From the Editor

These past few weeks have been a time of mostly fantastic and sometimes frustrating change here in the News office. Thanks to the incredible generosity of an anonymous supporter of the paper, we were finally able to give our old PCs the retirement they had rightfully earned and replace them with big, shiny Macs. We also switched from Quark to InDesign as the program we use for newspaper layout. As exciting as all of this has been, these past few weeks have been fraught with all the quirks, questions and mysteries one would expect during such huge change. But we’re plugging along, and, as I write this on Sunday evening, we are hopeful that you will be holding our first post-Mac-switcheroo issue in your hands on Thursday.
You may notice a few changes in the layout of this issue. We’re moved from three to four columns on some of the pages, and, in the interest of saving time as we all come to grips with the new software, this issue is down to 20 pages from the usual 24. Please bear with us as we work to improve, upgrade and streamline things.
As you know, our 2008 fundraising campaign is off and running. I'd like to thank the many members of this community who have sent donations. It means so much to those of us behind the scenes to have our readers support this wonderful hometown newspaper. At 51 years and going strong, The Charlottte News has become woven into the fabric of this unique community, and when you choose to participate by means of financial contribution, you become part of the story here.
I hope you are all enjoying summer in the manner in which it’s meant to be enjoyed. Thank you for your patience and for your continued support. We welcome your input and, if you are a closeted writer or a weekend photographer, perhaps the time has come for your day in the sun...send us your work! The more the merrier here at the News.

Melissa Eyre