The No Smoking sign in the Kaldi window is a bit out of place for this photo, since the woman leaning against the wall is red-hot editor Sonia Narang. Sonia is the driving force behind South Pasadena Patch -- our town's brand new one-stop source of news, information and discussion. It launches today at 12:30PM Pacific Standard Time.And guess what? Your faithful blogger is part of the team. You'll still be able to check in with me daily right here at GOSP, but I also have a weekly column at South Pasadena Patch called Views from the Front Porch.
I'm thrilled to be a part of the Patch family for a number of reasons. First, I'm excited that South Pas will finally have a daily, interactive, online news source covering all of the issues that are important to our community. Sonia has brought together a dedicated group of local professionals to cover everything from big-time breaking news to Little League scores. These journalists, photographers, writers and videographers aren't outsiders looking in. They are insiders reaching out. South Pasadena Patch will keep the community informed about the latest in our local government, our thriving art scene, city events, school issues, the Farmers Market and all of the interesting human interest stories that make our diverse community so special. It also includes a comprehensive city business directory, up-to-date restaurant reviews, a local events calendar and plenty of opportunities to leave unmoderated comments and feedback about everything published on the site. Best of all? Information is updated daily and goes online in minutes, not days.
You can find out all about Sonia's impressive background and vision for the site right here. She's an acclaimed reporter and video journalist who grew up in the San Gabriel Valley. She went on to cover stories all over the world from Colorado to Asia. But I have the inside scoop: Sonia once won a Japanese speech contest by discussing in Japanese her worldwide search for the absolute best slice of cake. I'm not sure where she eventually found it, but six years ago she traveled around the southern hemisphere by ship, visiting 16 countries. (That's a lot of cake!) Oh, and her favorite Beatles song is "I am the Walrus." She might not be "sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come" but you're sure to find her hanging around town with her camera and her laptop.
Now, on your lunch hour, everyone run on over to South Pasadena Patch and check it out. Remember, it goes live at 12:30PM PST. (You'll find me listed in the columns section if you scroll down the front page.)
15 comments:
Congratulations! Look forward to the columns. Your editor sounds formidable, indeed. (Woot means yay?)
I'm a big fan of yours and of Sonia's too. It should be great.
Wonnerful, wonnerful, yay and woot! I'll be looking forward to your views from the front porch.
I remember your first column way back in Texas in the 80s! Those Top Ten lists were great.
Ann
We definitely need a real news outlet here. This is great. You know I will read your work and look at your photographs first, though. Congrats in the gig, Laurie.
How exciting! I always wondered why we didn't have something like this. I read about Patch recently and it sounds like a good company. Congratulations on another outlet for your superb talents and viewpoint. They are lucky to have you!!!
Sally
Very good website this Patch. Article about the City Council's Brown Act violations in the Police Chief mess. City Attorney Adams practically admits that they were improperly discussing the qualifications of Watson and others in closed session, and he splits hairs to say it's proper. That seems to be the way our City is being run now, by hair splitters with hidden agendas.
The site is amazing. I see you wrote a mews story about that protest, too. Your column is so beautiful with those wonderful trees included. How do you have te for all of this?
As soon as I figure out how to comment over there I will.
Sally
Congratulations Laurie!!! The Patch will be all the better for your involvement!!!
Looks like Ostrich Feeder is shutting down, seeing no need for his site in light of Patch.
A great big CONGRATULATIONS...! to you, Laurie! This is sooo great and I am very proud of you!!!
Great post, Laurie. Patch looks wonderful, I love your column, and all the contributions I've seen so far are tops. (I've contributed, and I'll bet Margaret has, too.)
I think Sonia's top notch. Take a look at the video she created, introducing herself to the readers. She is an ace journalist and South Pasadena's lucky to have her.
Journalism, the way it should be done, could have saved the City of Bell from its current plight. Having an outlet for real reporting in South Pasadena is no small thing.
Champagne all around. You're the tops.
WV: Eurtuff. And yer tuff, too.
Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you.
And now that I've seen the site live, I want to make sure everyone heads over to see the wonderful stories by Petrea Burchard and Margaret Finnegan. Petrea did a beautiful historical article on South Pasadena's wonderful Barranger Studios. Margaret gave a great fascinating overview of the South Pasadena Educational Foundation.
I'm delighted to be involved with Patch and believe it will bring a comprehensive, thoughtful source of news and information to our community. It's written for locals, by locals. It also offers an opportunity for citizens to express their views without waiting to see if they will be published in letters to the editor. Comment sections for all stories on Patch offer a great chance to get your point across.
This has been an exciting day, and I appreciate all the kind comments, emails and facebook recommendations. Thank you again, everyone! ANd if any of you have story ideas for Patch, don't hesitate to email Sonia. Her contact info is at the top of South Pas Patch's home page.
See you here tomorrow, everyone.
How could I have forgotten to include Susan Carrier's wonderful Patch home and garden column?! Make sure to take a look. Susan's blog Open Mouth Insert Fork is one of my favorites, and I'm delighted that she is going to write for South Pasadena Patch, too. You'll find her in the column section. Yay!
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