Another Feather in the Cap

A little over a year ago, the following story appeared on the WTVO website:

Where's Alan?
Reported by: WTVO Newsroom

Wednesday, Aug 8, 2007 @07:00am CST

UPDATE 8/8/07: There have been requests for an update on the condition of Fox 39 News anchor Alan Jones.
"There's been some improvement", says Jones. "Since my last posting a few months ago, I've undergone eyelid surgery to take care of some of the blepharospasm effects of apraxia. That's allowing me to keep my eyelids open a lot easier. And a regimen of Botox will help as well."
"I'm more than ready to get back to work on the air, and believe that will happen soon. Thanks for thinking of me."


Fox39 News Anchor Alan Jones hasn't left the station as many have asked. No, he's just not in a position to be on the air right now.
"I've been dealing with a severe case of dry eye and what's called benign essential blepharospasms. Those are involuntary eye spasms that are closely aligned with dry eye", says Jones.
"That and the symptoms of dry eye; the irritation and light sensitivity; make it impossible to be on the air. But I've been getting extensive treatment, so hopefully I'll be back at 9 soon."
The station has been receiving numerous phone calls and e-mails wanting to know Alan's whereabouts.
"Thanks for everyone's concerns and questions. I'm still here, producing the Fox39 News at Nine, while my colleagues do a great job filling in for me."

Well, now we know where Alan Jones is. He was just announced as the new Editor of The Freeport Focus, the soon to be daily newspaper in Freeport and surrounding communities. Dan Stevens, current reporter, columnist, editor and publisher was able to keep this under wraps until today's big headline story in Village Voices. It will be the lead story in tomorrow's Focus, also.

How does this bode for our "News Wars" that has been brewing for the past month or so (obviously, much longer than that, but most was behind the scenes). There have been a few major changes at the long-standing newspaper in our area, but the upstart Focus is going ahead with great ambition and great promise. While I know there is a certain amount of ill-will since my inauspicious dismissal from the other paper, and a definite feeling of bias in favor of AdPix, Inc. since I am now a contributing columnist, the overarching feeling in the community is that they are ready for a "local" paper with "local" writers and "local" stories.

People are starting to send in their subscriptions for "Faith in the Focus", the new office is about to be functional, and it will be within a stone's throw of the building at State and Main. This, as it is often said, is about to get interesting.