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Even though I no longer live in the town where I was raised, I have its local newspaper saved in my bookmarks. The Record-Eagle of Traverse City, MI helped me become literate and gave me something to strive for: everyone wanted to be in the Record-Eagle–not for anything unsavory, surely (all those boring legal notices were saved for the free weeklies)–but maybe some bolded action on the high school sports page.
These days, I rarely check in on my old Record-Eagle, but that’s mostly because I have some hometown friends who do that for me, forwarding me gossip that’s way more satisfying than anything scooped by TMZ or its venal affiliates. Reading my hometown news is my guilty pleasure. Sometimes, the news I find there isn’t explicitly regional; other times, the headlines seem begging to be scalped by Onion freelancers.
Just for fun, I thought I’d repost a few hometown headlines currently circulating:
- “Holes in Ground Downtown Cause Concern”
- “January Thaw is on its Way Out”
- “Traverse City’s Junior Highs May Be Renamed”
I’d love to hear about what’s pressing news in your hometown (and if you’re from a big city, maybe there are some almanac-y neighborhood journals that would suffice)…
Comments (23)
Comment
www.kentucky.com/181/story/282013.html
Four people arrested at local Best Western, living in a hotel room and cooking up meth. Unclear how much the motel staff knew.
I also particularly like small town newspapers’ forays into reader-participation, like opening some articles to comments and setting up discussion boards.
posted by eeyore on 1-10-2008 at 11:02 pm
I’m currently a Pittsburgh, PA resident, but I cannot help but check the East Liverpool Review daily to get my fix from my Ohio hometown. I love this topic. News from the Pottery Capital…
Oak Glen beats Beaver Local by one, 35-34
EL Board discusses audits
Chimney explosion rattles Kent State branch
posted by BurghGOP on 1-10-2008 at 11:29 pm
www.times-standard.com/ci_7919775?source=most_viewed
“What was going on in grocery line?”
- Eureka Times (sub) Standard
posted by p on 1-11-2008 at 12:27 am
The Green Bay Press Gazette never fails…
Sellers try to elevate toilet paper’s status
posted by Em on 1-11-2008 at 1:07 am
I’m originally from Riverside, Ca, where the Press Enterprise was my newspaper. Here’s a few headlines:
Carousel Mall property sold
Earlier Primary gives Californians voice
And my personal favorite…
Man runs across I-215, caught hiding in van
posted by Tricia on 1-11-2008 at 1:56 am
“Fertile woman dies in Climax on way to Moorhead” is a rumored headline from years ago in the Fargo, ND/Moorhead, MN area. Don’t know if it was an actual headline, or if it’s one of those jokes turned urban ledgend (i.e. ‘good luck mr. gorsky’).
Either way, I’ve been to all three towns and it is a plausible headline.
posted by EV on 1-11-2008 at 8:16 am
i checked my hometown paper, the lewisville leader.. all normal, sad, depressing news, no great headlines. so i checked the next town over.. pretty much the same stories.
posted by tami on 1-11-2008 at 8:21 am
wait, i take it back, if you read the stories, they get better. here’s some excerpts from “Fire Destroys Plush Castle Hills Home”
“A one-and-a-half story brick home.. was destroyed by fire…” (wtf? 1.5?)
“Someone knocked loudly on the front door of the home at 801 Sir Galahad and told the homeowner that his house was on fire… The owner sustained minor injuries due to the fire.” (how do you sustain injuries when you don’t even notice your house is burning up? and this was no average blaze, this was a 3 alarm fire that required firemen from 6 cities to take care of it)
posted by tami on 1-11-2008 at 8:27 am
The town I grew up in, Delavan, Illinois has the news:
Ameren UE to Buy Wind Power From Illinois Wind Farm
(Wind farms are all over the place around here–and in case anyone was wondering, it’s very creepy driving through a wind farm at night.)
posted by bre on 1-11-2008 at 8:29 am
the argus leader was reporting on South Dakota State university’s female basketball team. SDSU’s maskot is the jackrabbit. so they go as jackrabbits or the jacks.
the headline read, “Lady Jacks off to a great Start.”
posted by Ian on 1-11-2008 at 8:34 am
i forgot to mention that the headline made it onto the tonight show.
posted by Ian on 1-11-2008 at 8:36 am
I’ve never checked up on the news in the town where I grew up before.
Just googled Phippsburg Maine News and got these:
Vose Library Launches Armchair Adventure
14 Year old Steals Car
Looks like not much is happening there because all the articles are old.
posted by Diane on 1-11-2008 at 9:02 am
I grew up in a sleepy town in southern wisconsin, jefferson was its name. The police reports were always golden…
Monday June 14, 2006 3:54pm
Officers were called to the 600th block of Racine St. after residents reported suspicious squirrels.
haha look out for shifty eyed rodents in your hometown!
posted by T on 1-11-2008 at 9:44 am
Marshfield, WI’s biggest headline at the moment:
1. Potential cuts would affect more than schools
this includes cutting elementary school extracurricular music, middle school extracurricular sports, as well as shutting down the high school’s pool and swim teams, plays and musicals, German classes, student council, driver’s ed, and on and on. It’s pretty sad, because it was one of the better small town school districts in the state.
posted by frumpiefox on 1-11-2008 at 9:50 am
Actually, the top story for my hometown paper is pretty good–seems some high school students staged a walkout in protest of the school disciplining some other students who had pictures on their Facebooks of alcoholic beverages. Go EPHS!
But here’s another headline, more in the same vein of the original post:
Maytor Coleman proclaims Jan. 18 “Pheasants Forever Day”
But as far as local newspapers go, I think the best headlines come from the Arcata (Calif.) Eye’s Crime Log, a selection of which can be viewed here:
www.arcataeye.com/index.php?module=pagesetter&tid=2&topic=7
posted by Rachel on 1-11-2008 at 10:24 am
Embezzlement of funds from the Oregon State Fair: www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080111/NEWS/801110331
Embezzlement is a common thread these days, since there’s a pretty major scandal going on about embezzlement ocurring at the state prison system.
Also, local boy earns a world record for text messaging. www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008801100323
posted by Jenny on 1-11-2008 at 10:50 am
coming from what I think is the most boring place ever here’s today’s headlines in Staten Island, NY
Staten Island teen sentenced for selling drugs days into probation.
HIV survey finds New Yorkers may not be as safe as they think.
Feds thwart major drug ring that passed through Staten Island.
they make it sound like we live in a high drug and STD zone which is not how SI is at all.
posted by Nicole on 1-11-2008 at 10:59 am
Hi Becky,
I too, check in on the old “Retched Eagle” despite having left “Traggic City” in 1989. When I left there was only one public Junior High and one public Senior High (I went to St. Francis on 11th St.)
I still miss Lake Michigan, snow for Christmas and the Cherryland Mall. Full Moon Records - is that still in business on Front street?
posted by Lee on 1-11-2008 at 11:28 am
“Vero man makes bad call after allegedly buying stolen cell phone, offering to sell it back to owner.”
This was in the Press Journal in Vero Beach, FL yesterday. Somebody thinks they’re clever…
posted by Suzanne on 1-11-2008 at 2:25 pm
latest headlines from the Mason City, Iowa Globe Gazette.
One Sheffield city worker will return to job; another considers it
NBA calls for do-over in Hawks-Heat game
Fire damages soybean dryer at AGP
Legislative leader: Smoking ban discussion likely in upcoming session
Iowa Legislature
Proposed bridge replacement near Spencer on DOT agenda
Bank of America agrees to buy Countrywide for $4 billion in stock
Convicted killer has new hope for freedom
More Iowans hit poverty level
Calendar for Friday, Jan. 11
posted by KLWS on 1-11-2008 at 4:15 pm
Latest news from the Peninsula Daily News in Port Angeles:
Sequim resident misses monitoring electricity (Oh noes!)
Old pilings yanked from harbor
and something creepy:
Sex trade focuse of PA talk
posted by heather on 1-11-2008 at 6:34 pm
Duluth GA, home of the Runaway Bride.
posted by rachel on 1-11-2008 at 9:14 pm
One of 5 headlines for rural Nebraska newspaper:
Girl Scout Cookie sale starts today
posted by Joanna on 1-11-2008 at 9:35 pm