Editing Wikipedia

Make that 1943 for the family ownership. The paper's first issue was, indeed, 1898.

It's easy to edit Wikipedia but not so easy to figure out who first posted the item on Nov. 14. Looks like somebody with the name neomandude60.

Hello, neomandude!

Wikipedia and us

I noticed this morning on Google Alerts that the Tracy Press has made the big time. Somebody recently listed us in Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. I really like the second line.

Can anyone explain how items are added to Wikipedia? Who wrote this, and would you have written it the same way?

Take a look!

The newspaper of Tracy, California that's been run by the Matthews since 1898. Bob Matthews is the publisher and Cheri Matthews is the editor. It's probably the only San Francisco East Bay newspaper not owned by MediaNews Group.

The Tracy Press endorsed Republican Richard Pombo when he was defeated by Jerry McNerney in the 2006 midterm election and the same year endorsed Celeste Garamendi, the sister of Democrat John Garamendi, when she was defeated by Republican Brent Ives for mayor. Its editorials are usually more conservative than its articles.

Photo by Enrique/Tracy Press

You are Time Magazine's Person of the Year

If you're reading this, pat yourself on the back. Time has named You, the blogging, googling, youtubing, myspacing, vlogging (my son just taught me that term this morning) masses as its Person of the Year.

Certainly, You have changed the way information has been gathered and disseminated for the Tracy Press. Your e-mails, blog comments and responses to our Web site have changed the way we do our jobs. You've provided ideas, information and news content.

I think Time Magazine is definitely on to something with this year's choice. What do you think?

Perfect rainbow moment

Sue Spencer took this photo last week of a perfect rainbow over the Tracy Press office.

I can't let a good photo go to waste, so here it is!

Access to information

Oh, if only all public agencies provided information like this. Les Garcia from the San Joaquin Sheriff's Department just e-mailed this notice:

"We've added a new feature to assist the public and media with access to information of inmates currently in the San Joaquin County Jail."

Check out "Who's In Custody" on the sheriff's department Web site.

Now if only reporters had easier access to inmates at California's state prisons for face-to-face interviews.

Not-so-honored tradition

For years — 30, at least — we've printed the names of honor roll students when Tracy schools send them to us. Since we started the Saturday Our Town section, we've made an effort to run whatever lists the schools send us. Lately, though, I've noticed that most schools aren't sending us honor rolls as often as they used to, for whatever reason.

Today I read that the principal of a high school in Needham, Mass., has decided not to send the town's newspaper the names of students who have made the honor roll. That decision has made national news. Apparently, in the last month in Needham, two students were killed in car accidents, and in the last two years, four students have committed suicide.

"In my opinion, this high-expectations-high-achievement culture has a dark side to it," Needham High Principal Paul Richards wrote in a press release. "As principal, I've heard a message loud and clear that stress is a primary concern for parents. ... The publishing of an honor roll has been identified as a potential contributor to the focus on grades."

What do you think? Do you think the principal has gone too far? Do you like to see honor rolls in the Tracy Press? Or do you agree that it contributes to student stress?

I'd love to hear from parents of schoolchildren and school administrators.

Word of the Year

This just in: Top 10 words of 2006, according to Merriam-Webster. Heard any of these words lately?

1. truthiness
2. google
3. decider
4. war
5. insurgent
6. terrorism
7. vendetta
8. sectarian
9. quagmire
10. corruption

Here's part of the Associated Press report:

After 12 months of naked partisanship on Capitol Hill, on cable TV and in the blogosphere, the word of the year for 2006 is — "truthiness."

The word — if one can call it that — best summed up 2006, according to an online survey by dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster.

"Truthiness" was credited to Comedy Central satirist Stephen Colbert, who defined it as "truth that comes from the gut, not books.