Following your dream

The young entrepreneur certainly has been a theme this edition.
I spoke to two young men this past week--both of them teenagers just out of high school who realized college wasn't the right fit for them.
But they had plans. Devon Landon capitalized on his love of cars to open his own towing company, shouldering the responsibility of running a business and working around the clock--something many adults can't handle. Tucker Beneville followed his childhood passion, applying to umpire school, graduating at the top of his class and taking a post in the Gulf Coast Rookie League in Florida.
In today's day in age, with the heightened emphasis on secondary education, college seems to have become a necessity. In my family, there was never any question; that's where I was going. I have to hand it to these young men for not only recognizing their strengths and weaknesses--and the opportunities around them--but for taking the initiative to talk to their parents, to find their calling and to chase it wholeheartedly.
But some kudos also has to go to the parents of these young men, the parents who probably panicked a bit when their children told them they didn't want to go to college. It takes guts and a good deal of faith in an 18-year-old to let go, to let them follow their own path.
It was an absolute joy talking to both Devon and Tucker about their plans. Best of luck to them both as they take on the future!

For more about the boys' stories, see the Wednesday, Aug. 1, edition of the News of Orange.

Blog revival

Hello readers!
So we've had a bit of a hiatus from blogging in the past few months from mostly being swamped with increased sports coverage and our new website (newsoforange.com--check it out!).
But we're now trying to get back in full swing, though a few things are going to change. We used to use this as a forum to post the press releases and news tidbits that wouldn't make it into the printed paper. That information will now shift to the website (there may be a delay in getting everything up, as it will take a bit of time to get into the flow of things).
This blog, now, will now be an outlet for us to reflect on stories we are working on, events we have covered and people we have met. It will become more of a reflection of our thoughts on what is going on in the community.
We hope you like what's to come! And, as always, if you have any comments, questions, ideas, complaints, suggestions--anything--please let us know!