Fun & Games

Two items in today’s Gazette will probably generate some e-mail from readers, so let me try to address some of your concerns in anticipation of your reaction.

Our first story on the front page tells of a local woman who was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol after her car had rammed into two parked vehicles on Main Street. Miraculously, nobody was seriously injured, but family got the scare of a lifetime when its parked minivan was rear-ended at an unimaginable force and a woman feeding her four-month-old son is in great pain due to injuries to her neck and shoulder.

Shari Perkins insists her brakes failed. She deserves the benefit of the doubt, and until the investigation runs its course, let’s not jump into conclusions as to the cause of the crash. We try our best to avoid sensationalist articles, but the story had to be told as people were hurt and property was damaged. If and when the investigation clears Ms. Perkins of all blame, we will run a prominently-placed story to that effect.

As for the new comics, we realize some of you have come to expect certain items on that page (A8), including the horoscope and the corssword puzzle. But for several reasons, not least of which is cost, we have signed with a new provider, Creators.com, to provide us with a different package. We’re excited about the new page, re-christened Fun & Games, because it includes a feature long missing from local newspapers: Activities for children. It also features the ever-so-people Sudoku, which we’re sure is going to be as addictive as the crossword puzzle. Check out the new F&G page for Chris Kapsalis’ wonderful comics, brilliant examples of homegrown talent. Chris is now on FaceBook, where you can see all his cartoons, including those I couldn’t print for sundry reasons.