I’m back here in “river city” after enjoying the sun, sand, peace among the tall pines and good conversation with some like-minded people also visiting the coast of South Carolina. Already I miss the gently pounding waves of the Atlantic Ocean, whose waters were both stress-relieving and invigorating - and still so warm during the last week of September.

Trees covering the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains had not started turning their brilliant fall colors as of last week. It still was breath-taking to drive east on Interstate 40 as I entered North Carolina shortly after sunset.

The giant silver moon was a few days from being full. Its bright glow helped illuminate the highway from far above to my left as I drove, with the light falling on the jagged, treed surfaces of the mountains. The beautiful scene was reminiscent of the classic Ansel Adams photograph, “Moon and Half Dome,” that he took at Yosemite Park.

Unfortunately, it was too dangerous for me to stop, take a picture and create my own “masterpiece.”

I thought of that mountain beauty when I returned to work Monday (October 1) and saw a large, old-style tourist cruise boat docked in Alton on the mighty Mississippi River. Perhaps some Carolinians were spending their vacation marveling at the big old muddy river, the beautiful limestone bluffs in this area and the silvery Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

Apparently it was a slow news week in Alton while I was gone.

I do note the death of retired Fire Chief Donald Dugan, who dedicated much of his life to public service and whom I respected.

I wrote his retirement story in June 2000 after working with him for more than two years. He was “old school” as far as working with the pesky media, but he still allowed ample information to be released. He invited me to several department luncheons celebrating retirements and once for the ceremonial signing of a new union contract. He greeted me at a few post-retirement events where we ran into each other, as we had gotten past any “rough spots.”

Although no longer chief, he continued providing helpful input to his successors and his longtime friend Alton Mayor Don Sandidge in the years after his retirement, sometimes by telephone from his vacation home at Lake of the Ozarks. The fire department remained in his heart.

Telegraph inside scoop:

* One operational aspect of The Telegraph that many sources and readers don’t understand is our “beats,” which generally designate what reporters cover which stories. While not chisled in Southern Illinois limestone, generally I cover Alton city news - from government to fires, some businesses and traffic crashes - Argosy casino, Hayner Public Library District, Alton Housing Authority and when Madison County Housing Authority actions involve Alton properties. I consider this the most interesting of all the beats at the newspaper, as it provides a variety of types of stories. There is always something going on in Alton! No boredom here!

* All reporters do features, particularly about people from their “territories.” We have someone covering schools, another reporter covers Madison County courts, and the others have beats comprised of various counties or towns. Professional courtesy dictates that reporters respect others’ beats and pass on news tips or ask if the other person minds if he or she does a story on the other reporter’s “territory.” That explains why someone who calls with a news tip might get switched to another reporter.

* For anyone who is interested, I began writing for The Telegraph in February 1992 as a free-lancer, mainly covering Edwardsville city government and schools, but also going to live events throughout the area on weekends. I joined the staff full-time in September 1995 as the education reporter, and 2.5 years later the editor transferred me to the Alton city beat.

* In the past I worked for the Edwardsville Journal, did free-lance writing for various clients and also worked in public relations. I am a native of Omaha, Nebraska and earned a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.