Just as I was getting used to the lull of the holidays and a slower news pace during the early days of January, the local news cycle basically exploded and caught me a bit off guard.

For the first time I can remember, I have seven stories in development and stacked up for publication. I like it this way.

Keeping busy keeps me out of trouble; well, sort of.

Some cool stuff is happening on the sidelines.

Our sister city and an introduction to journalism

I more or less stumbled onto an opportunity to interview the mayor of Bideford, our sister city in England.

According to some of the town’s residents, Bideford and Biddeford seem to have many things in common. Bideford was once England’s third largest port and its history is steeped in manufacturing, including shipbuilding.

You can start to learn more about our sister city here: Bideford | Wikipedia

In other news (no pun intended), I am excited about an upcoming class I will be teaching through Biddeford Adult Education.

The tentative name of the class, scheduled to begin in April, is Introduction to Journalism: Inside the Craft.

The course is being described as follows: “Students will learn about the rapidly changing world of journalism from a veteran reporter and editor. This course will prepare students to pursue a career in journalism and will offer discussions regarding AP-Style writing (Associated Press); journalism ethics; and in-depth discussions about the impacts of advancing technology in the field of journalism. 

The class will also feature lecture-and-answer discussion about the history of journalism in the United States; the rising trend of “citizen journalism” and a review of how media has changed over the last 50 years.”

Pretty cool stuff, eh?

Speaking of cool stuff, I had the pleasure this week of meeting up with one of Maine’s most prolific and respected reporters.

Chris Williams spent time as a reporter working at the Portland Press Herald, the Nashua Telegraph, the Portland Evening Express, the Lewiston Sun Journal and several other publications.

Turns out that we both worked for Harry Foote, one of Maine’s most beloved newspaper editors at the American Journal in Westbrook.

Chris reached out to me and said he really likes what we’re doing with the Gazette. He offered me some very valuable insights and suggestions and said we should stay in touch. It was the highlight of my week.

Baby, it’s cold outside

Of course, the news that is dominating media outlets all across Maine is centered upon this week’s ramped up enforcement efforts by the U.S. Immigrational & Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) here in southern Maine.

This is an emotionally and politically-charged story that is extraordinarily fluid and rapidly changing. Journalists all across the state are struggling to keep up with this story, which includes activity happening here in Biddeford.

As a service to our readers, the Biddeford Gazette has created a special section on our website to give our readers updates and links to community resources and ongoing media coverage. You can find that resource page here: ICE | Biddeford.

Over the last few days, we have also published a wide range of stories, including our exclusive coverage of how a controversial downtown parking plan was funded; and a heart-felt story about a beloved McArthur Library security guard who has been sidelined by a serious spinal injury.

The best part of being a journalist is being able to help people in need. Within just a few hours of publishing our story, financial donations soared by more than $4,000.

This truly is a great community. Go here to read Don Creighton’s story and learn how you can help.

Looking ahead

We have some awesome stories in production, including an in-depth interview with State Rep. Marc Malon about his bill to prohibit the use of credit cards for mobile gambling sites; and another exclusive story about a book written by a local author that details how the notorious 1947 wildfires engulfed the Fortune’s Rocks neighborhood and even threatened downtown Biddeford.

We also sat down this week with Biddeford Fire Chief Larry Best to talk about the plans to build a new substation closer to the eastern portion of the city.

There’s a lot more, but I should probably focus on getting caught up with our news coverage.

It looks like we’ll be starting off the week with a big winter storm and some especially frigid temperatures.

Be safe, stay warm and have fun!

RECENT STORIES:

Questions raised about how a parking program was funded

Council unanimously approves UNE moratorium

Council rejects freeze on rising mobile home park fees

Community rallies around beloved security guard

Lessard blasts downtown parking program

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Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be reached by email: randy@randyseaver.com

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