Will you make the news in 2012?

As we enter this New Year, we want to take this opportunity to remind our readers that the single most important feature of this community newspaper is you – your stories, your events, your achievements, your struggles, your ideas and opinions.
As your paper of record, we attempt to cover all general news stories, which include Boards of Selectmen and the School Committee meetings as well as spot departmental meetings, with coverage determined by the issue’s relevance to our readers. We also cover major community news and personality profiles, but we are more than open to suggestions of other features about Wilbraham and Hampden– the communities we cover – and their many interesting residents. Our loyal advertisers provide funding for this comprehensive coverage.
News About Town
Still, with a small staff, we rely on and welcome your submissions. Whether you’re an “old hand” at submitting news items and announcements to the Times or it’s a new idea that you are considering for the first time, we want to provide you with some tips that streamline the process.
If you want to announce and promote an event, consider “News About Town.” In addition to breaking news, this section is intended to promote the activities of your clubs, churches and volunteer-driven organizations, free events and fundraisers that benefit the communities in our coverage area. Include a brief explanation of the event, the date, time, location and contact information. Our News About Town pages includes activities at the libraries and major Minnechaug events.
As a free service for our readers, we print birth, engagement and wedding announcements and announcements about a milestone anniversary, major birthday, military achievement and educational honors and awards. Photos to accompany these announcements are always welcome.
We are committed to maintaining a strong presence in our schools, both in terms of classroom, student and faculty features and sports, but we need advance notice. Please contact Times Editor Charlie Bennett with coverage requests at least two weeks in advance of a scheduled event by either calling 413-682-0007 or via email at cbennett@turley.com. If we can’t be there, we welcome your submitted stories, briefs and photos.
We want to know your business. Local businesses and merchants are institutions in our towns, just like schools and libraries. Without them, there are no towns. We will feature coverage for businesses that are new, have a major expansion, are moving, closing, under new management or ownership, celebrating a milestone anniversary or have been thrust into the news realm. Merchants can request that coverage through the editor, or for our existing advertising clients, through the Times Advertising Rep Jocelyn Walker at 413-682-0007 or via email at jwalker@turley.com.
We love letters to the editor and guest columns and consider them the soul of this newspaper; however, we don’t print what we can’t prove – if you allege something we must be able to verify it. We always encourage readers to celebrate our communities in letters to the editor. We only print signed letters that include contact information for verification purposes.
Unlike our daily competitors, we don’t charge a penny to print obituaries and accompanying photos. We also print death notices that are confirmed through a funeral home.
Our Sports Editor Dave Forbes and his reporters and photographers cover select varsity school games weekly as well as youth and adult sports leagues. To help us expand our sports coverage, we rely on coaches and players to send in their photos and write-ups. You can email Dave Forbes at dforbes@turley.com for more information.
There are multiple ways to send us your stories, announcements, photos and letters: via email – send your submissions in Word format and raw digital photos in jpeg format as attachments to cbennett@turley.com; via regular mail – send hard copy submissions and photo prints to The Wilbraham-Hampden Times, 2341 Boston Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095. If you would like your photos returned, please include a self-addressed envelope; via fax – send your written submissions to 413-682-0013.
To request coverage or to obtain more information about how to submit stories, briefs and photos, contact Editor Charlie Bennett at 682-0007 or via email at cbennett@turley.com.

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