Jerry Summers
With Chattanooga now down to one soon-to-be website only plus Sunday Edition newspaper (Chattanooga Times Free Press) readers may have to search elsewhere to stay up on the daily news if you aren’t a cable news addict fan of Fox News or CNN. (Did I stay in the middle to be politically neutral?)
Although it is certainly not a middle of the road publication, I have to admit there are three legitimate reasons that cause me to reveal that I do pursue the daily dissemination of progressive news by the editors, publishers and writers of the Gannett Company at USA Today:
Reason Number 1:Their daily short blurbs from each of the 50 states in their Money Section provides a selective and interesting short summary of what crazy stuff is going on in our temples of Democracy throughout the Country:
(a)Where else can you find the important data from California that “the number of Western Monarch Butterflies overwintering in the state rebounded to more than 247,000 a year after fewer than 2,000 appeared but the tally remained far below the millions seen in the 1980s, according to leaders of an annual account;”
(b)While the State of Louisiana in New Orleans is “unveiling two new Civil Rights Trail markers – one at the room where three black first graders integrated a school in 1960 and the other honoring an African American tank battalion founded during World War II, the selection of one of the location markers may be a little controversial.
Camp Beaugard (Confederate General Pierre) in Pineville might not be the most favorable site for recognition of the Afro-Americans that fought, and many gave their lives in the pre-1948 segregated Armed Forces (Truman Presidential Order No. 9981).
Reason Number 2:They have a good Crossword Puzzle in the Life Section on Monday-Friday where I can attempt to stimulate my 80-year-old brain in the continuing battle to fight forgetfulness and dementia.
Reason Number 3.You can review the publication for free at the Mountain City Club in Chattanooga along with the Chattanooga Times Free Press, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal as one of the benefits of membership that have remained in existence since the formerly all WASP Club was created in 1898 but where the membership is now open to the general public to apply to join via a Member Sponsor.
It sure beats the $29.00 per month subscriber fee (plus taxes) of the USA Today. However, that which also includes “24/7 access to USAtoday.com, breaking news on their table and their smart phone apps, subscriber benefits at USAtoday.com/memberguide and the e-Newspaper, a digital replica of the print edition.”
(Seems a far cry from the nickel price of the old Chattanooga papers that included the creative talents of Adolph Ochs, Roy McDonald and my favorites, Colonel John Popham and Bill Casteel of the Times and Julius Parker of the Free Press).
We also could throw in a few Pulitzer Prize winners from the local papers!
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Jerry Summers
(If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com)