Breaking news: Irrigator Web site up and running
The date Aug. 29, 2007, will be one to remember in Patterson history — at least as far as the Irrigator is concerned.
For perhaps the third time in the newspaper’s history, the Irrigator was able to get a breaking story to the public just a few hours after it happened, after coverage of a traffic accident on East Las Palmas Avenue.
Before that, the last time the Irrigator offered that kind of up-to-the-minute coverage was in 1979, when Ron Swift, publisher emeritus, wrote about the shooting of local police Officer Richard Bull. That award-winning story required an incredible effort — creating special inserts and hand-placing them into each copy of the paper.
The Irrigator also printed a special edition in 1961 after an attempted robbery at First Western Bank, in the building now used by Bank of the West.
This time around, we simply reported on the story, typed it into a computer, made a few adjustments and, with a few simple clicks of a mouse — voila! — it showed up on our newly revamped Web site.
We guarantee folks won’t have to wait close to 30 years to experience such fresh coverage again. The Irrigator’s new site will allow us to post a slew of fresh stories about important City Council decisions, fires and accidents, and hot topics, such as the Crows Landing Air Facility.
Swift said this week that a Web site would have helped in the past with major breaking stories in Patterson, such as the heart transplant of 14-year-old Donna Ashlock in 1986 or the rape and attempted murder of 15-year-old Mary Vincent in 1978.
With absolutely no notice, lots of folks already have discovered the Web site and have taken advantage of its forums to let us know their thoughts.
Most comments we have received so far have been about the site itself. Some have said they like the Web site revisions, while several others have said they liked the former PDF version, which featured an exact copy of the newspaper online.
One of the biggest complaints is that the new site has no classified ads. We are in the process of fixing this, and we ask for everyone’s patience. The online Irrigator is definitely a work in progress.
In the meantime, we’d love to receive feedback from readers — both praise and criticism. The new site allows local residents to post comments, a feature not available with the former PDF version. As long as comments are not libelous, obscene or attempts at free advertising, folks should feel free to post them as a way to make their voices heard.
We hope the site will allow more community interaction, as well as opportunities for more updated coverage.
So log on to www.pattersonirrigator.com and join the fun. Let us know what you think.
ROBERT S. MATTHEWS, Publisher
Cheri Matthews, Editor
Ron Swift, Publisher Emeritus
The Patterson Irrigator, established in 1911, is mailed Wednesday and Saturday.
Editorials reflect the opinion of the editorial board. Other items reflect the opinions of the individual writers.
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; mailed to the Irrigator at 26 N. Third St., Patterson 95363; or faxed to 892-3761.
Signed letters of fewer than 300 words that deal with public issues will be given preference. Letters will be edited for clarity, length and civility. Unsigned letters will not be published. Routine thank-you letters will not be published.
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