Lancaster TODAY: back by popular demand

by Staff of TODAY Newspapers

After a 10-month hiatus, the paper has joined with the city of Lancaster and Lancaster School District to bring back its weekly publication.

In the tradition of the city's award-winning track athletes, Lancaster Today is proud to announce it is back in the starting blocks, poised to serve readers once again with their hometown paper.

After a 10-month hiatus, Owner/Advertising Director Kim Petty has joined forces with the city of Lancaster and Lancaster School District to bring back the weekly publication.

Lancaster TODAY

Lancaster TODAY is the premier source of community news for the Lancaster area

“We never wanted to say goodbye to the Lancaster paper, but we really needed the support of the business community, the city and school district. After much discussion, we feel a successful partnership is in place with those entities and we're excited to bring back Lancaster Today,” Petty said. Petty has 16 years with Today Newspapers.

Beginning Oct. 18, Lancaster Today will no longer be inside the DeSoto Today paper but will return to being its own entity as it was prior to Jan. 1 this year. City and school news will be of primary importance, as well as religion, sports and lifestyle coverage.

Former Lancaster Staff Writer Brian Allen has been promoted to Lancaster news editor. Allen has been with Today for six years and has 10 years of journalism experience.

“I've gotten to know Lancaster and its leaders in the last 10 months and I know a lot about the issues in the community. I look forward to covering these topics in a fair and balanced manner,” Allen said.

Allen also encouraged the community to take advantage of their hometown paper, by submitting information on news and events of Lancaster. He can be reached via e-mail at Lancaster @todaynewspapers.net, or by phone at 972-298-4211, ext. 229.

Newly-named Managing Editor Angel Morris replaced Robin Gooch who retired Sept. 18. Morris was previously a reporter and news editor for Duncanville Today for 11 years.

“We have an enthusiastic group in place and we want that enthusiasm to show in the community. We want to support Lancaster by sharing its news and being a voice for local residents,” Petty said. Sherry Griffin will continue to serve as the Lancaster Today advertising representative. Griffin has worked with Today for five years and has more than 20 years experience. She can be reached at 972-298-4211, ext. 212.

“You don't have to have a big advertising budget to get your name out in the community. Call me and we will work up a marketing plan that suits your budget and gives you the most bang for your buck,” Griffin said.

Readers who cancelled their subscription are invited to renew and see what the new and improved Lancaster Today is all about. Non-subscribers are encouraged to order a subscription today and be part of the new Lancaster Today.

“We're back on track and we want you there with us,” Allen said. “We'll do all we can to be your link to Lancaster but that depends on you being part of our community journalism team.”

In a nutshell, Petty said, the paper's success depends on readers.

“Subscribe. Advertise. Be part of Lancaster Today,” Petty said, “so we can be part of Lancaster's tomorrow.”

Staff
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Anonymous

interestedcitizen, says:

This is a farce. This article was published in the print edition of Today before LISD Supt. Larry Lewis announced that he would purchase 4,000 to 5,000 subscriptions with school district money. We now know that without those subscriptions, there weren't enough paid subscriptions in Lancaster to support distribtuion of the print edition of Today Lancaster. The money for these subscriptions wasn't in the school district's budget and it hasn't been acted upon by the school board. This reflects Lewis' lack of fiscal discipline. There we were, looking for ways to cut and slim down the budget, and now, suddenly, we have the money to buy 4,000 to 5,000 newspaper subscriptions? it doesn't make sense. This guy is a loose cannon. He's a law unto himself, and he has a timid little school board to meekly and quietly, say, "yes, sir, you can do whatever you want to do. You are the captain of the ship. We're not here to lead. We're just here to follow and help persuade the rest of the community to follow you. Just bark orders and we will obey."

This isn't an emergency, so how can the school district shift money around to do this? Is the school district going to only purchase subscriptions for families with children in the schools? If the school district uses tax money to buy subscriptions why would other subscribers who also pay taxes keep paying for their subscriptions? This could backfire on Today, because, if people become accustomed to the school district paying for their subscriptions and Today loses its other paid subscribers, then Today could lose all of its subscribers in a year if the school district should decide not to renew the subscriptions. It isn't a done deal from the school district's standpoint. if the school district's subscriptions are necessary to give Today Newspapers the subscriptions it needs to be viable, that negates popular demand. if popular demand had been in place, the subscriptions would be there and the school district's purchases would not have been necessary. It makes me wonder, too. Larry Lewis had a critic in the form of former Today Editor Steve Snyder. I've heard he's coming back to Cedar Hill. Could this move by Lewis to essentially buy the loyalty of the Today Newspapers be a move to silence his critic Steve Snyder? This was a bad move on the part of Today. A government controlled press is dangerous. A press with such huge financial support from the government cannot be objective. its loyalty is to the government. It cannot be critical and it can't do investigative journalism against government corruption. All it can be is propaganda and a mouthpiece.

Anonymous

2 years, 1 month ago
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estherspeaks, says:

Even though as a taxpayer of Lancaster, I am pleased to see a local newspaper back in Lancaster, I truly am sceptical about this relationship between the newspaper and the schools. There is no way that the newspaper can report objectively on a government entity if the paper owes its very existence to that entity.

It is apparent that if Steve Snider had still been at the Lancaster Today paper as editor, that the deal would never have occurred. It makes one question as to the motives of Dr. Lewis for proceeding with this venture. Is it that Brian is of the same ethinicity or is it that the paper was bribed to print propaganda for Lewis?

It seems strange that the purchase of 4000 or 5000 subscriptions has been purchased for $120000.00 before the Board of Trustees has met in session to approve such a budgetary move. Also one wonders why the district does not have enough money to cover necessary supply budgets for its teachers, but it has enough money to purchase subscriptions for parents who do not even read a paper. The parents and taxpayers should be questionsing once again what are Lewis' motives and how does he continue to get away with this type of LISD budget squandering.