Reader's Choice

The issue after July 4 is comparable to the issue after Christmas for us and, I assume, most other weekly publications. Hopefully, you start making contacts for stories a week or so before the holiday and begin shelving some items to have material for the week after. About 3-4 days before these two holidays, everybody is out of town, so it's a good idea to lay groundwork early, if possible.

We should be relatively set for next week, even though we're off Friday (and I'm off tomorrow to drive 10 hours west). Election filing begins at noon Monday, July 6, so that's a story in waiting. As I mentioned earlier, I have not heard much in the way of announcements except for Mayor Tom Stevens' not-too-surprising announcement he'll seek re-election.

Also, expect some changes to come from the state's budget — perhaps new local tax options and changes in available school money. Once again, with the budget it's wait-and-see.

But, back to the reason I wrote this post: Please vote in our Reader's Choice poll. We've been running the ballots in the print edition for the last few weeks, and the deadline to submit your votes is Friday, July 10. You can clip out a ballot from any paper in the last three weeks (including this week's issue) or come fill one out at our office, 109 E. King St. There is a category for almost any type of business you can imagine (except field-grown tomatoes).

Have a safe holiday, and please return with all your appendages. I've heard/seen some amazing things that happen over the Fourth.