Metro editor to talk news with you

Add comment July 28th, 2008

Our new metro editor is blogging. Christie Bobbitt started her What’s News blog last week. Drop by and get to know Christie and discuss local news with her. Christie started June 30, coming to us from the Fort Myers (Fla.) News-Press.

Christie Bobbitt

find ‘the baldest truth,’ dear sports fans

Add comment July 3rd, 2008

if you’re a longtime reader of our sports section in print and online, you know the name mike nadel.

did you notice you now can find his blog, “the baldest truth,” at rrstar.com under the blogs index?

so dig his takes on the cubs, the white sox, the bulls, the bears and whatever else he might tackle.

note: he just posted something from a loyal reader in rockford!

editor’s note: we have a new blog

2 comments June 12th, 2008

linda grist cunningham, the executive editor of the register star since 1991, has been blogging on bricks and clicks since we launched the blog in february 2006 (sorry, we lost all posts pre-august 2007 when we changed rrstar!).

now “the boss” is writing her own blog, editor’s note, so find out why in her second post.

Don’t say we’re the ‘Screw Capital’

2 comments May 12th, 2008

The Rock River Valley used to be called the “Screw Capital.” Manufacturing used to make up more than a quarter of our local economy. Then we started losing those jobs.

When I was a reporter on the business desk, I wrote about CLARCOR moving its headquarters from Rockford to Nashville. I interviewed laid-off factory worker Doug Edwards, who lived near CLARCOR. He said, “We went from being the `Screw Capital of the World’ to the ‘Now We’re Getting Screwed Capital of the World,’” said Edwards, referring to Rockford’s former renown as a leading maker of fasteners. “Once the corporate headquarters moves, then the rest of the jobs will move. This town is dying.”

That was 2004. Today, local manufacturers are encouraged about their future. We’re talking less about lost jobs and more about diversifying the business. We asked several of them to blog for us. Manufacturing 2.0 focuses on global manufacturing and other local trend — and the continued importance of this industry on our community. None of them would say this town is dying. And a few of them didn’t want this blog to have any reference to the “Screw Capital” or the “Rust Belt” in its name. So, instead, we picked a name that looks at the future.

Bob Trojan, president of Rockford Linear Actuation, writes in his latest post: “So my message is … get into the export game, either directly or sell to customers who export and keep on making productivity improvements. It’s a good formula for keeping our local manufacturing economy growing.”

Didn’t we break away from Britain some 200 years ago?

5 comments May 5th, 2008

Our word specialist, Bary Wood, started blogging today. Check out Wood on Words, where you now have an excuse to catch up on your jargon, gibberish, slang and gobbledygook.

Barry Wood 

You have a voice, too

Add comment March 25th, 2008

We introduced a new community blog this weekend on rrstar.com. Viewpoints Board is written by members of the community who agreed to advise the Register Star on the Editorial Agenda and on topics of the day. (We also have our Editorial Board’s blog, A Seat at the Table.)

The group has conservatives, liberals and independents. Some are retired. Others are doctors, teachers, pastors, social workers and marketing specialists.

Several of them agreed to blog on rrstar.com. They’ll share their views here on local issues.

Their thoughts – as well as the opinions of other board members – also will appear with other opinion content online and in the newspaper in the Opinions section.

Take the opportunity to read what people just like you are saying about the Rock River Valley. To join in the conversation, click on the link to the right of the “comment bubble.”

You can beat him

Add comment January 28th, 2008

The annual Beat the Movie contest is live on rrstar.com. Movie Man Will Pfeifer became Sweeney Todd this year. Last year, he was Borat. (He’s a little scary as both, by the way.) Enter the contest. Read Will’s blog. Boy, do people sure like to talk about movies.

Packers fall short

1 comment January 21st, 2008

My beloved Packers lost last night, so I won’t be blogging all the time on Pack Smack. If you have hadn’t a chance to check out our special report, you should. We had a lot of fun. And besides, there’s always next year.

New blog, special report

Add comment January 15th, 2008

Whoo, hoo. The Packers are playing Sunday for the opportunity to go to the Super Bowl. Here’s one fan who isn’t shy about telling you who she’s rooting for Sunday. I also wanted to share that we launched Pack Smack, a blog about, well, the Packers. I’ll be adding my obsessive fan thoughts there. Others will give a more neutral viewpoint. (Don’t say I didn’t warn you.) We also have a new special report that we will continue to populate with content. Enjoy.

pat feels the love

Add comment January 8th, 2008

let’s be honest. we don’t get too many comments on this blog (except here, which is great). we use this blog to explain what we do and what’s going on in our business, which is important but not always “hot.”

on the other hand, pat cunningham’s new applesauce blog on politics is driving conversation. at the very least, it’s bringing out his fans, who say “give ‘em hell, pat!” if his new hampshire primary predictions are off, you sure can give him hell. and he’ll dish it right back.

personally, when i think of applesauce, i think of peter brady’s “porkchops and applesauce” line from “the brady bunch”(photo by www.ytmnd.com)…