YourArlington.com begins its teen years on Tuesday, Dec. 10. Thirteen is not so bad.
If the site were Jewish, it could have a bar mitzvah. But the site, like its owner, is nondenominational. To put it positively, YourArlington welcomes views from all sides.
Among humans, 13 signals desultory rebellion. Its publisher is beyond that and so tries to steer a surer course. In 2019, the site was redesigned, so that it displays better on mobile devices and offers improved flexibility.
Helping you find news
Here’s what that last goal means to anyone surfing for town news and opinion: The main daily news stories remain in the wider column in the middle. These move up or down depending on events.
It’s what surrounds this middle column that allows further fluidity. Opinion pieces can be highlighted quickly above the news, in a rotating series, if need be. An ad sits atop the left column, a prime ad spot (two during the holidays), and below that the latest news.
Primarily populating the left column is a series of news headings of varying subjects. These may expand or contract, or even move around, depending on events.
The chief aim of this flexible layout is to bring you more news and opinion upfront, without having to use the site’s search engine to find it. Still can’t find what you want? Click on Search in the top navigation bar — www.yourarlington.com/search — and use keywords.
For more about the redesign and who helped, click here >>
Highlights
In 2019, the site continued publishing regular reports, as it has for years, about the actions of the:
- Select Board, via freelancer Susan Gilbert; and
- School Committee, via freelancer Jo Anne Preston, who has done so since early 2016.
Three other freelancers periodically provide local feature stories, as do two Arlington High School interns, an Arlington parent who contributes girls’ soccer notes and Steve Poltorzycki, an Arlington resident who continues to write a column about local real estate.
All of the contributors live in town, as does the publisher. That is important because you get news about the town from those who see it close up and understand some of the local context.
The Advocate and Patch, both operated by national chains, cannot say that. The weekly newspaper, out of town since 1997, offers steadily thinning content. Patch began here in 2010. Neither has a regular resident writer. For both media outlets, editors come and go.
YourArlington continues.
Your impact: Donate
If you support independent journalism in an age when our president calls us the “enemy of the people,” you can help by donating donate dollars to the site.
They help paying for a redesign and the ongoing pay for writers.
Arlington has far too many stories to report without your help.
If you would like to see local news survive and thrive here, you can make a direct contribution to the site.
A number of residents did in 2019, and the publisher appreciates them all.
Your contribution is not tax-deductible (if that matters any more), and you can do it here (enter amount in window at left): {module 41089}
Problems? Please contact the publisher.
This self-promoting pitch was published Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019.
