One thing I've always enjoyed about a newspaper is "me."

I don't literally mean me. I mean "me," as in when a reader looks at a newspaper, he or she should see a representation of his or her life in some way, shape or form in that day's newspaper. It could be a sports story from the local school. It could be a wedding announcement featuring neighbors. It could be a business promotion of a colleague at work.

It's a connection that I think is vital for newspapers. This is not to diminish the reality of traditional coverage such as crime, controversy, taxes and government.  

But there is more to life than that, thus, there must be more in the daily newspaper.

Such a tact means finding news about the small business person in Austintown, the band club parents in Canfield, the youth sports coach in Boardman and the Town One volunteer in Poland.

Below is an example of just how personal that pursuit can be can be.

We ran this picture of 5-year old Steven Zordich of Boardman. It shows him holding a respectable fish caught at Lake Glacier in Mill Creek Park.

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Here' the result of that photo:

Dear Vindicator Outdoor Staff,

I would like to thank you for posting my son's picture on the Outdoor Page last Saturday. Our family, neighbors and friends were all so exicted (not to mention me & my son !!!).

Also, my wife bought 20 extra copies of the Saturday paper !!

Thank you for creating this special family memory of a wonderful day, and keep up the great community involvement. We really appreciate it.

Sincerely,
Steve Zordich

Now, I'd be lying if I didn't acknowledge that the purchase of 20 extra papers was nice to see. That certainly had an impact on our business that day.

But what will have an impact on our business for months and years to come, I hope, is the interaction between The Vindy, the family, young Steven, the Mill Creek staff, fishermen, etc. The list goes on.