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Babbling
Brooks
By Kim Brooks Express Editor |
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111 E.
Grand St. P.O. Box 191, Monticello, Iowa 52310
319.465.3555 • mexpress@n-connect.net
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Editor's Column |
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Babbling
Brooks
By Kim Brooks Express Editor |
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| My first year the Monticello Express (and
I plan on sticking around) |
My younger sister turned 20 on Aug. 31. Hard to imagine… Okay. Now to the real reason for this glorious column…Aug. 31 was officially my one-year anniversary at the Monticello Express! I was going to write my one-year column last week, but I didn’t want to jump the gun. I graduated college hoping I would soon find a full-time job at a newspaper in Eastern Iowa, knowing the newspaper industry was not really booming at the time. As luck would have it, the Express advertised for an editor position. The weird thing was, all but one of us who applied for the job graduated from Maquoketa Valley. Three of us worked for the Commercial and Pioneer at various times. The competition was steep. Now, I am living on my own, buying my own (junk) food, doing my own laundry (sometimes), paying my own bills (which I did while at home anyways) and livin’ life! I tried to think of different ways to commemorate my first year at the Express. I thought of inviting everyone out for drinks to celebrate, but that sounded too expensive. I do have student loans to pay off… I thought of placing an ad or buying a Photogram in honor of myself, but I didn’t want to be too obvious. After all, my name and photo do appear in the paper every week anyway. Those ideas just did not appeal to me, so I decided to look over the years’ Express papers and highlight the news and events I covered, commemorating history, as we know it. Along with the job as editor, there are meetings and more meetings I have to cover: Monticello City Council, Jones County Supervisors, Economic Development, Planning Board, Marketing Monticello. I am on the library board, but that is part of my life outside of the newspaper. With each meeting, I’ve learned A LOT, too much to go over right now. As with any meeting one covers for a newspaper, there are some things that warrant a headline and others that are not even worth mentioning in the article. I have gotten flack for some news I felt took precedence over something else, but that is part of the job. People are not always going to agree with you or what you print. Which leads to my weekly editorials and columns. I write what I feel passionate about, to an extent. That is why I became a writer. There have been some who felt the need to respond in a letter to the editor. That is what the freedom of speech is all about, the ability to express yourself. Write on people; write on! While we are hovering around the issue of City Council, lest we forget the heated City Elections that took place last November? I have to say, I think we sold quite a few newspapers during that time. We also saw many opinion letters as well. People knew how they felt and wanted their voices to be heard, as did the candidates. I am proud to say I was a part of the new Kirkwood center and new county hospital! Allow me to clarify, I was part of it as in I was able to cover the building and grand openings of both the Jones Regional Education Center and Jones Regional Medical Center. It is amazing to say Jones County has two outstanding, state of the art facilities like these! We can provide comprehensive medical care and high-end education at the same time. Another great addition to Monticello is the Emergency Response Center, the new police and ambulance center. Now all three of Monticello’s emergency entities (police, ambulance and fire) are in one location. Makes sense if you think about. When I started at the Express, I came right in the middle of the heated childcare center debacle. Growing up, my parents had my sister and me in both childcare centers and in the caring hands of in-home providers. So I don’t really see where one option would be better than the other. But, it had been interesting hearing where people stand on the issue. In a year’s time, I have gone to quite a few Starlighters II Theatre productions, and even took a family member or two along. Community theatre is a lost art, in my opinion. It is amazing what the actors, directors and everyone else involved in a single production can do on that stage! If you have never been, check out Starlighters’ holiday production. When they did “White Christmas” last December, it blew me away. I even went out and purchased the anniversary DVD of the original movie! At the end of September, look for the Express’ annual “Today’s Woman” issue. I am happy to announce it will be my second women’s issue! Of all the special sections we do, “Today’s Woman” is probably in the top three as far as preparation and all of the work it takes to put together a great piece. We are already hard at work putting our list together for this year’s special women. (Sadly, I am not included…) When I worked at the Commercial, it was always fun to track down stories for the “Home and Building” issue. You get to visit newly built homes and businesses, sometimes getting a sneak peak. So when we started our “Home & Garden” issue at the Express, I felt I had some experience in that area already. It is a real treat when people invite you into their new homes and allow you to go hog-wild snapping photos left and right of every room. But I look at it this way: You aren’t showing off what you have; you’re showing off the work our local contractors can do. Many newspaper reporters have to respond to accidents and fires. The one major fatal accident I remember was on June 2. It involved an Amish family and a pickup truck driver, all from Missouri. It was sad to see the scene of the accident, much less know there were fatalities. Covering something like this, or a fire, you just have to put your emotions aside and do the job. Who doesn’t enjoy the Great Jones County Fair? My first time here was in 2006 for two nights of country music. It was amazing! So, now, actually being here to cover the fair, it is a whole new feeling. Although, being the city gal I am, I just have to grin and bear it when it comes to covering the 4-H/FFA animal judging shows. With the fair this year, came the new stage! It was quite the feeling standing on the stage during the kick-off event earlier this summer, looking out into the grandstand and bleachers, knowing Alan Jackson and Lady A would soon take the stage. Having been a newbie in town, after a year, there are still many people I am meeting and getting to know. When I did a special story on Albert McNeill that ran in February, I was at a loss. I had never met Albert, but knew of the hardware store. Where was I going to start? Who was I going to talk with? Would the story mean anything coming from someone who didn’t know Albert? After sitting down with Albert’s son David, grandson Ben and longtime friend Bob Hines, I felt like I had known Albert for years. They had many great stories to tell, all filled with laughter and tears. After that article came out, I heard many comments from people who appreciated the work that went into getting that story done. Well, it would not have been possible if people were not willing to take the time to talk about Albert McNeill. After a Supervisor meeting one Tuesday, shortly after I started here, a county Sheriff’s Deputy passed by me in the courthouse and asked if I would like a tour of the jail. Was I sure this was something I wanted to do? Believe me, it is such an eye-opening experience. There are no luxuries in jail. You do your business for all to see. Privacy? What privacy? Next on bucket list: a tour of the prison… Having lived here for a year, I am amazed time and time again by the generosity and willingness of the people in Monticello to give or lend a hand in a time of need. I saw that during the Relay for Life, School Foundation dinner and the Hope of Hannah First benefits. This town just comes together when there is a need and seeks a way to fill that need. Applause all around! Speaking of needs (I am great with segues.), after the breach of the dam at Lake Delhi, Monticello was hit hard by flooding. That Saturday, July 24, people just poured into the city building to help sandbag, provide food and drinks for volunteers and haul sandbags to anyone who needed them. While people were busy there, others were preoccupied at the fairgrounds trying to get animals out of barns and move equipment to higher ground. The land filled up quickly at the fairgrounds, calling for fast decisions. Unfortunately, the flooding meant cancelling three bands, stock care races three years in a row, harness racing (poor Pete) and my favorite, the demo. There are more and more stories and memories I could list, but for the sake of space, this list will have to do. But I want to thank everyone for their help during my first year here. You have made it one for the books! |