[tomwed]

Originally Posted by goodtimesintv

Fred, I agree with every word you wrote, especially the last two sentences highlighted above.

But in this case, I was reading local entertainment news that did not appear in the Daily Sun. It appeared in villages hyphen news dot com, for which I agreed in my first post that there is a need.

Again, I think it's trashy to surround a good article like the one on Johnny Mathis being here had been planned by Oscar Feliu. It is surrounded at the top right and left with ads that look like a ransom note (see screenshot below).

Then after the end of the same article, a good article about Michigan State University Alumni group here (helping middle schools with grants) is buried, surrounded above and below with mug shots and lurid article titles. (See second screenshot below.)





.

I must be missing it. Which article is lurid or salacious?
(of writing, pictures, or talk) treating sexual matters in an indecent way and typically conveying undue interest in or enjoyment of the subject.
You don't want the paper to show you what the arrested people look like?
The space on each side is sold to advertisers to make money. That's why you get it for free. How much would you pay for it without the ads?

[goodtimesintv]

Originally Posted by tomwed

I must be missing it. Which article is lurid or salacious?
(of writing, pictures, or talk) treating sexual matters in an indecent way and typically conveying undue interest in or enjoyment of the subject.
You don't want the paper to show you what the arrested people look like?

I should have said "sensationalized" instead of lurid in the case of this screenshot. A drunk young female getting loud and aggressive at a bar, or somebody's bamboo fence, hardly merit mug shot or photo with front-page and inside-page separate article, while the mention of the hospital's celebration of Cardiac Rehab patients or 'Veterans to be offered assistance'--good citizens--on the sides are largely overshadowed.

And regarding this,

You don't want the paper to show you what the arrested people look like?

.....no, I don't want to see what a 30-year-old female who got drunk and could be any Villager's daughter or granddaughter looks like.

[Regor]

If you want to send the article, just highlight it and then paste. Like I did below for the Michigan article:

Villages Area Michigan State University Alumni Club supports local education efforts

JANUARY 15, 2016 BY ANGELA LOVE LEAVE A COMMENT


Proving once again what a generous lot most Villagers are, The Villages Area Michigan State University Alumni Club awarded education grants to three middle schools in Marion County Thursday evening at their annual meeting. This is their sixth year of presenting the grants. The club rotates between Marion, Sumter, and Lake counties; providing grants for worthwhile projects that are not funded in the general budget.

This year $500 grants went to Osceola Middle School, Howard Middle School and North Middle School. The club raises money for these grants throughout the year by selling 50/50 raffle tickets at meetings and their annual Casino Night event.

Grant recipients, from left, Scott Spangler, Suzette Parker, Ernest Mitchell and Marion County School Superintendent George Tomyn.
Grant recipients, from left, Scott Spangler, Suzette Parker, Ernest Mitchell and Marion County School Superintendent George Tomyn.
George Tomyn, superintendent of schools for Marion County opened the presentation ceremony by thanking the club for all they do to support children. He also commended the recipients for their initiative to apply for this special grant which covers unique opportunities. Karen Sherman, chairman of the education committee for the club then presented the checks to the recipients.

Principal Suzette Parker accepted the check for Osceola Middle School. The grant money will be used to purchase Playaways for their media-center. Playaways are credit card sized self-contained audio books. She said in accepting the check that the purpose of the Playaways are two-fold, �They help struggling readers sit and enjoy a book and they help our are very active kids busy with so many extra-curricular activities, listen to audio books saving time while they earn AR points.�

The Villages Area Michigan State University Alumni Club outgoing president Don Hand and Education Committee Chair Karen Sherman.
The Villages Area Michigan State University Alumni Club outgoing president Don Hand and Education Committee Chair Karen Sherman.
The next check was presented to Howard Middle School Assistant Principal Ernest Mitchell. They will use the money to partially fund the rewards earned by the 14 teams participating in the Math Fantasy League. The League is for students not performing well in math, Mitchell said. Currently they have 223 students participating. In the past year 107 students have gained more than half a year with seven students gaining a year�s growth in Math. The competition of the teams spurs them to enjoy learning and along the way helps them to become proficient in Math.

Scott Spangler, teacher and Captain of the Civil Air Patrol accepted the award for North Marion Middle School. He started the Civil Air Patrol at his school less than a year ago and with 64 cadets it is already the largest student unit in the state of Florida. The patrol is an auxiliary of the United States Air Force. The students meet early in the morning before school starts. The money will be used to purchase guidons which for the uninitiated are flags used to identify their squadron.

[circletrack]

Not a big fan of the scrolling police blotter that they provide. I'd be more interested feature stories. Most of those police items run on the inside of the local section of the Sun, but without mugshots unless it's a major crime it seems. Usually next to the obituaries.

And that's Good enough for my daily reading.

[manaboutown]

Originally Posted by tomwed

When I told my kids I live off of Buena Vista they started calling it Del Buena Vista. They're pretty comfortable teasing me too. I'm chairman of a neighborhood group and that just gives them more to tease me about.

Well, I would rather live at at a town or neighborhood named "of the good view" (del buena vista) than at "of the view of the mouth" (del boca vista) or at "rat's mouth" (boca raton) although in reality the last is a very fancy place to live.

[tomwed]

Originally Posted by manaboutown

Well, I would rather live at at a town or neighborhood named "of the good view" (del buena vista) than at "of the view of the mouth" (del boca vista) or at "rat's mouth" (boca raton) although in reality the last is a very fancy place to live.

It never occurred to any of us to translate it. thank-you

[Sandtrap328]

The on-line news is interesting to read. Not an embarassment to The Villages, in fact, the opposite. Imagine a city of 100,000 anywhere else and the on-line paper has to report on a wallet being stolen from a car in a town 10 miles away. Or that a grandfather punched a younger man who talked to his grand daughter in the pool. Or a line dancing lady got into a scuffle.

I am glad to see such minor items instead of gun point robberies at the ATM, muggings after the evening entertainment, or home invasions.

These minor items (no matter how poor the quality of "reporting") might be an actual draw for people to consider moving here.

[tomwed]

Originally Posted by goodtimesintv

I should have said "sensationalized" instead of lurid in the case of this screenshot. A drunk young female getting loud and aggressive at a bar, or somebody's bamboo fence, hardly merit mug shot or photo with front-page and inside-page separate article, while the mention of the hospital's celebration of Cardiac Rehab patients or 'Veterans to be offered assistance'--good citizens--on the sides are largely overshadowed.

And regarding this,



.....no, I don't want to see what a 30-year-old female who got drunk and could be any Villager's daughter or granddaughter looks like.

What was today's front page story--the one at the top? Governor touts job growth in visit to The Villages
You know a website is quite a bit longer than the front page of a newspaper.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by goodtimesintv

I should have said "sensationalized" instead of lurid in the case of this screenshot. A drunk young female getting loud and aggressive at a bar, or somebody's bamboo fence, hardly merit mug shot or photo with front-page and inside-page separate article, while the mention of the hospital's celebration of Cardiac Rehab patients or 'Veterans to be offered assistance'--good citizens--on the sides are largely overshadowed.

And regarding this,



.....no, I don't want to see what a 30-year-old female who got drunk and could be any Villager's daughter or granddaughter looks like.

I do.


And I agree with Tomwed. I don't see anything that would cause anyone to be embarrassed about The Villages surrounding the article. AND I am a protective fan of The Villages.

[rubicon]

Originally Posted by HoosierPa

I am New and before I discovered " the Happy Paper Alternative " I wondered how I would know what is really going on in the area. Now I know !

I'm not new and I have no idea what the other alternative paper (digital/print) is and why it is getting such negative reviews. As to the description of content well if it is true then that's life. Florida like California Arizona etc draw people from all soci-economic and demographic sampling

As to Johnny Mathias the concert was superb, the comedian a very welcome addition offering very clean timely and relevant material to the demographic viewing the show. Well done Johnny well done!

Personal Best Regards:

[jane032657]

I was writing a column for the online news and will be getting back to it soon. One of the owners is the former Managing Editor of The Daily Sun. She is savvy, smart, in the know of what is going on, goes to a myriad of VCDD and other government like meetings, events, and activities. She covers issues much more in depth than you will find anywhere else and she will give the full story, not just "The Villages" side of the story.

You will find so much more information about what is going on in The Villages and the details behind the issues. And yes you will find a lot of mug shots and details of crime, but this is not The National Enquirer folks, this is what is going on in our community and surrounding us, not made up. Whether you like it or not, these are stories that are in progress, and get the most hits of almost anything or they would not be published. You are reading these articles, or your friends and neighbors are, in the droves.

The Daily Sun serves a purpose for reading with coffee and seeing mostly ads for dinner specials, entertainment, face lifts, body replacements and pain control, Villages homes for sale and financial planners who want to manage your money. There are great stories of wonderful activities going on in The Villages along with statistical data of the community. Nothing wrong with reading both papers and gleaning the good, the bad and the ugly, because like it or not, we have it all here.

I have been involved in many things in The Villages, and I will tell you I no longer have rose colored glasses. I am grateful that the on line news shares many sides of what many see as Utopia, it is not. The Villages is a wonderful place and very special, but real people with real lives and behaviors live here, and when they steal, batter, abuse, drive drunk, and cause a raucous, well that is news too whether it is the neighbors, their kids or visitors. Like Mr Rogers said, It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood but know that scary things are there and talk about it.

[goodtimesintv]

Originally Posted by jane032657

I was writing a column for the online news and will be getting back to it soon. One of the owners is the former Managing Editor of The Daily Sun. She is savvy, smart, in the know of what is going on, goes to a myriad of VCDD and other government like meetings, events, and activities. She covers issues much more in depth than you will find anywhere else and she will give the full story, not just "The Villages" side of the story. You will find so much more information about what is going on in The Villages and the details behind the issues. And yes you will find a lot of mug shots and details of crime, but this is not The National Enquirer folks, this is what is going on in our community and surrounding us, not made up. Whether you like it or not, these are stories that are in progress, and get the most hits of almost anything or they would not be published. You are reading these articles, or your friends and neighbors are, in the droves. The Daily Sun serves a purpose for reading with coffee and seeing mostly ads for dinner specials, entertainment, face lifts, body replacements and pain control, Villages homes for sale and financial planners who want to manage your money. There are great stories of wonderful activities going on in The Villages along with statistical data of the community. Nothing wrong with reading both papers and gleaning the good, the bad and the ugly, because like it or not, we have it all here. I have been involved in many things in The Villages, and I will tell you I no longer have rose colored glasses. I am grateful that the on line news shares many sides of what many see as Utopia, it is not. The Villages is a wonderful place and very special, but real people with real lives and behaviors live here, and when they steal, batter, abuse, drive drunk, and cause a raucous, well that is news too whether it is the neighbors, their kids or visitors. Like Mr Rogers said, It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood but know that scary things are there and talk about it.

You don't get it. It's the LAYOUT.

It looks like a tabloid with all that crap smothering the good articles that truly are news well-written.

Overall, the online paper feeds right into the tabloid stereotyping of TV that Inside Edition fed, with its trashy 'Grannies Gone Wild' segment (as just one example).

And, paragraph breaks are a good thing!

[justjim]

OP, you are entitled to your opinion and you make some good points. I see some others posting on this Thread have a different opinion and that is what makes for a diversity of thoughts and opinions. The no name on-line news is different from the Daily Sun but it's a bit harsh to call it a "rag" or an embrassment IMHO. I have noticed that certain events happening in TV are more frequently reported in the Daily Sun. Its called competition!

[Cedwards38]

I like to have access to all the news, good and bad.
I like to know what's really going on in my community.
I always remember that, regardless of what we might wish, The Villages, wonderful as it is, also has some residents and/or visitors who are immoral, criminal, stupid, or just make big mistakes. (Show me a community that doesn't.)
I like it that the online newsletter gives names and photos, because even if you are someone's grand daughter or a Villages resident in good standing, and you get drunk and rowdy, steal something, or otherwise violate community standards, there will be direct accountability.
I have choices, thank goodness, and at the bottom of the online newsletter is an "unsubscribe" if I so choose.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by jane032657

I was writing a column for the online news and will be getting back to it soon. One of the owners is the former Managing Editor of The Daily Sun. She is savvy, smart, in the know of what is going on, goes to a myriad of VCDD and other government like meetings, events, and activities. She covers issues much more in depth than you will find anywhere else and she will give the full story, not just "The Villages" side of the story.

You will find so much more information about what is going on in The Villages and the details behind the issues. And yes you will find a lot of mug shots and details of crime, but this is not The National Enquirer folks, this is what is going on in our community and surrounding us, not made up. Whether you like it or not, these are stories that are in progress, and get the most hits of almost anything or they would not be published. You are reading these articles, or your friends and neighbors are, in the droves.

The Daily Sun serves a purpose for reading with coffee and seeing mostly ads for dinner specials, entertainment, face lifts, body replacements and pain control, Villages homes for sale and financial planners who want to manage your money. There are great stories of wonderful activities going on in The Villages along with statistical data of the community. Nothing wrong with reading both papers and gleaning the good, the bad and the ugly, because like it or not, we have it all here.

I have been involved in many things in The Villages, and I will tell you I no longer have rose colored glasses. I am grateful that the on line news shares many sides of what many see as Utopia, it is not. The Villages is a wonderful place and very special, but real people with real lives and behaviors live here, and when they steal, batter, abuse, drive drunk, and cause a raucous, well that is news too whether it is the neighbors, their kids or visitors. Like Mr Rogers said, It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood but know that scary things are there and talk about it.

Well said.