School days! It’s hard to believe summer break is about over. Be sure to check out D 49 news and read a few going-back-to-school comments from four elementary kids.Speaking of D 49, one of our two new school sports writers, Falcon High senior Nicki McNames, interviewed the coach and members of the high school football team for this issue. We’re counting on Nikki and Amanda Aldrich to “team it up” all year to bring you the latest from the school sports world.Based on comments from readers, the editorial team would again like to define the difference between a column and an article. Articles are investigative or information pieces, requiring balanced reporting. Usually, when the NFH writers are working on an information or investigative article, they interview at least two sources – and if it warrants, sources on different sides of the issues. The article we recently published on the Woodmen Hills covenants is a good example of an investigative piece. Articles are not always about controversy, though. Kathleen Wallace’s article in this issue on one man’s mission to establish biodiesel co-ops throughout Colorado is informative.A column is an opinion piece – or an information piece based on the writer’s expertise. The Monkey Chronicles, Wild Hare, Prairie Tales are all opinion pieces. The finance and medical columns are written by experts in a particular field. Columns by Douglas Bruce and Marsha Looper are meant to inform the public about government issues.It’s important to read a lot of opinion columns if seeking a completely balanced view of the issues and/or the news.Please check out our tribute to the volunteer firefighters. For the next few issues, we’ll be featuring Falcon and Peyton volunteer firefighters. They ask nothing for their time, but they deserve lots of credit.OK, as summer in Colorado winds down, enjoy those “dog days” of August. Or was that just in reference to the Midwest?See you again Aug. 18.– Michelle, Marylou and the team
