‘Monday Special’ For You, Needs You
The photographer was trying for bald eagle photos. It’s that time of year. The eagles are snacking big time on kokanee on Lake Coeur d’Alene’s shoreline. So Brian Plonka went looking. While walking along the shore, he stepped on something hard and frozen, looked down and saw the remains of a kokanee.
He thought, “This is the true cycle of nature.” He made the picture of the decaying fish and then some more pictures of eagles soaring above their winter banquet table. You can see Plonka’s pictures on the front page of today’s newspaper. And then read an accompanying essay by Rich Landers, the outdoors editor who has studied and written about nature for decades.
We launch today a new series titled “Monday Special.” Each Monday, we hope to present readers with something surprising and inspiring. You’ll see nature scenes, and the essays they inspire, the first Monday of the month. The following week, reporters will profile women and men who are 60 and older and trying new activities, taking on new causes or living the second half of their lives to the fullest.
On the third Monday, readers can travel back to news stories of the past and discover what happened to people, places and events they once read so much about. The last Monday of the month will provide glimpses into the people who live in smaller towns of the Inland Northwest.
And how about those extra Mondays in 1999? On the “fifth Mondays” in March, May, August and November, you’ll get a look into the lives of college students. We’ll publish the best articles from Inland Northwest college newspapers.
For many years, readers have told this newspaper and other media outlets that they are tired of the relentless negative news. They know bad things happen to families and communities. Readers want to hear the truth about their neighborhoods; they don’t want to be shielded from the harshness. But they also know that great people are living kind, courageous and wonderful lives in their neighborhoods, schools, churches and communities. Readers want to hear about those people, too. They crave the balance.
Creative ‘98 was our yearlong series designed to showcase those who make the Inland Northwest a more interesting place to live. Monday Special will continue that goal of finding and highlighting the people, places, events - and nature scenes - that contribute to this region’s famous quality of life.
But we need your help. Please let us know about people in their second half of life who inspire others. Let us know what famous, or not so famous, news events from the past you’d like to see updated. Let us know about something unusual or just plain interesting that’s happening in your small town. Send your suggestions to Monday Special, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Or e-mail shellyd@spokesman.com
As the millennium approaches, with its accompanying jitters and hopes, we need reminders of the beauty around us, the history that got us here, the grace that keeps older people from growing bitter and the aspirations of the younger generation. It’s our hope that the Monday Special will do that and more. Happy New Year.