The start of a new year brings new beginnings. Individuals make resolutions. Companies plan ahead. Changes are made.
New beginnings are exciting. A new year is like the start of a baseball season – both begin with optimism and possibility. This year already seems better than last, as the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine has brought hope that had been missing since the pandemic struck last March. See the Times’ page one article, “A shot of hope” for details on the initial distribution of the vaccine in Alexandria.
There are exciting new beginnings at the Times as well.
The most immediately visible change is the absence of an editorial cartoon on this page. Since the Times is both hyper-local and stridently non-partisan, the presence of a national-focused cartoon has always been an anomaly.
We have heard from many of you through the years questioning our decision to run cartoons that focus on national issues. Our perhaps old-fashioned belief that an editorial cartoon completes opinion pages is what led us to keep running a nationally syndicated cartoon.
The national nastiness of last year was part of the impetus to drop the cartoon now. We are, however, open to running occasional cartoons that focus on local issues. Interested readers with an art background are welcome to send a submission to letters@alextimes.com.
A more significant change at the Times is the promotion of Cody Mello-Klein to helm our news operation and run our production. Mello-Klein launched the Times’ podcast series last year and is planning some innovative new wrinkles for 2021.
Another important promotion at the Times is that of Lyvi Sieg to Art Director. Sieg’s skills were on display with her design of the front page of our Dec. 24 issue, and she produced award-winning work immediately upon joining the Times in late 2019. In a new year filled with possibility, we encourage you to keep reading. The best is yet to come.
