INSIDE THE TELEGRAPH
By Don Chaddock, editor
Working in the news business, you never know what you’re going to be covering from week to week. Oh sure, we have a monthly story plan, but that is really a blueprint that can be easily changed depending on what happens in the communities we serve. Here is a look at the inside of some of the stories we’ve produced over the last couple of months.

Murder most foul
A murder in El Dorado Hills? While Mondays are spent at the centralized production facility in Auburn, we were still able to get something about the murder of Joanne Witt in the newspaper. The news of her death broke that day, but it wasn’t until Tuesday that cops were on the lookout for the two teens suspected of murdering her.

Philip Wood, our photographer, and I visited the neighborhood where the murder took place and located two young men who knew the suspects. While speaking with them, 14-year-old Tylar Witt and her boyfriend Boston Colver, 19, were arrested in the Bay Area.

We were able to get reaction from the young men right there, on the spot.

The story was constantly updated on our Web site and was picked up by our sister publications.

The stories and photo galleries became the second highest viewed on our Web sites. Witt and Colver are facing murder charges at the moment and the Telegraph will continue to stay on top of this disturbing story.

For the most recent story, go here: http://folsomtelegraph.com/detail/117422.html

Play one for me

Another story, with a different twist, was the Play for All park. Thanks to Jim Pelley, I was alerted to the meeting and encouraged to attend.

I had a dilemma. That same evening, in Placerville, was the media night reception for the El Dorado County Fair. I was even in Placerville at 4 p.m. that day to attend a press conference regarding the arrest of the suspects in the Witt murder.

I opted to attend the park meeting back in Folsom instead and I’m certainly happy that I did.

The playground, which will be located at Folsom City Lions Park, is meant for able-bodied children to be able to play alongside those with physical challenges.

I spoke to parents of children with disabilities and learned their stories. This is a worthy project and one that I fully support.

To make a donation or to learn more, visit folsomplayforall.com.

To read the latest, go here: http://folsomtelegraph.com/detail/118031.html

Heated school meeting

The proposed cuts at the Folsom Cordova Unified School District were the topic of debate at the recent Thursday night meeting at Folsom High School.

This meeting was heated … literally. It was cooler to stand outside. As Steve Hanson told me, he wishes someone had the foresight to turn on the air conditioner before the meeting started. The temperature outside reached 98 degrees while inside, there’s no way to know how hot it was. And, 150 people packed into the meeting certainly didn't help.

As a newspaper editor, I try to anticipate the clothing I wear based on what sorts of meetings or events I’m covering. I was in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, but I was still sweltering.

Hanson said, “Maybe (forgetting to turn on the air conditioner) was by design.” If you don't know Hanson, he's the president of the union representing the "non-educators" whose jobs happen to currently be on the chopping block.

For the full story, go here: http://folsomtelegraph.com/detail/118500.html

Social networking

As we update or Web sites with fresh stories, videos and photo galleries, we are also posting links to them using social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

To follow me on Twitter, I’m “anewsguy” while the Telegraph is “FolsomTelegraph.”

We post links to breaking stories immediately. Also, every Wednesday, we post links to some of the stories we’ve recently published.

It’s a great way for the Telegraph to stay connected.