Two things stuck with me while taking notes during a meeting Jan. 9 at Mint Hill Town Hall.
One, that foot-long meatball sub I ate an hour prior to the meeting is really starting to create some embarrassing noises that I’m sure other people can hear. Two, Mike Davis, director of land development at Epcon Communities, said something interesting about the people that live in the homebuilder’s 55-and-older communities.
“Our buyers support local businesses, restaurants and services nearby,” Davis said. “They typically will donate more time to charities and organizations.”
The same could be said of people that read our newspaper.
People generally consume Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly because they have a genuine interest in the community. They either have the time to read it or make the time to read it.
Residents with access but choose not to pick up the newspaper may be too engaged with work or play, do a lot of traveling, don’t like reading or just don’t care. No hard feelings.
As the staff continues to gain our bearings after launching two new weekly newspaper last week in Indian Trail and Waxhaw, we’re trying to pick up efficiencies to curate the news faster and better.
More senior news
Traditionally, we have put news in the A section and sports in the B section. We’ve also reinforced the B section with the crossword puzzle, classifieds, music listings and a calendar.
Every once in a while, we have to use the B section for special topics like back to school, summer camps and home improvement. We usually combine news and sports in the A section when this happens.
A couple of years ago, Stone Theaters began sponsoring a monthly Arts & Entertainment section that we have used to spotlight artists and happenings around the region. The A&E section returns for the Jan. 24 edition.
This year, we’re putting more emphasis on covering issues that appeal to readers ages 55 and older. Starting this week, we’ll have a monthly section, called Thrive Over 55.
This ties in with our biannual Thrive Over 55 Senior Expo, an event in which we bring companies and agencies that serve older adults across the region under one roof. We also publish a special edition on the day of the expo with senior-focused content.
The next expo will take place from 9 a.m. to noon March 20 at Christ Covenant Church, 800 Fullwood Lane, Matthews. We are taking registration by phone (704-849-2261) or email (rjensen@cmgweekly.com).
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