By Don Kirkland
As hard as we try to avoid errors, the last-minute rush to meet deadlines sometimes throws us an unexpected curve. Joyce and I know, of course, that we can’t achieve perfection, and that we’ll hear from our readers if something really egregious goes wrong. But the people who are most upset when mistakes happen, it turns out, are us.
Having been in this business for the better part of our adult lives (my own newspapering roots go back to sixth grade, when I copied inked pages onto a gelatin slab in a pie tin and delivered purplish duplicates to my neighbors), we’re well aware that things can go wrong.
Most are minor, thankfully, and we may be the only ones to notice them. But sometimes, as in our recent report on flight noise over some Warner Ranch neighborhoods and the opportunity for residents to communicate their thoughts to the F.A.A., we managed to omit a key detail: when, how and where to offer up any such comments.
Now, to make it clear, this omission was not the fault of our writer, Lee Shappell. The process to communicate with the F.A.A. was clearly stated in Lee’s well-researched piece that discussed the issue and included a standalone box with the necessary contact details.
So here’s where the last-minute rush and the limitations it imposes on us come back into this narrative: Simply said, I forgot about that little box. It’s also why you’ll find— prominently displayed, I hope—the content that I managed to overlook in our last issue, fortunately still in time for you to share your thoughts before any regulatory conclusions are reached.
Yes, mea culpa!
Now on to some news that, for obvious reasons, we are much happier to report.
By the time you receive this edition, two of our most capable, eager, responsible—and, it should go without saying, favorite—staff members will have graduated from ASU with engineering degrees.
In addition to having worked hard to achieve this goal, they have also found time to bring added dimension to our publication: Billy Hardiman with his photography, Yusef Sabri via his sales and marketing know-how.
Best of all, they have landed jobs with two of the most prestigious research, development and engineering companies in the world, both with a strong Valley presence.
To Billy and Yusef, these opportunities provide an exciting starting point for what we know will be long and productive careers.
To us, the companies’ proximity to our local neighborhoods offer the likelihood that we will continue to have them close by, at least for now, to lend support and friendship. And, most of all, the knowledge that what they brought to us in terms of talent, enthusiasm and the pure enjoyment of camaraderie, will be ongoing—for what we hope will be many years to come.
Best wishes, guys. And thank you!
