Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Words from Wendy

My first couple of months on staff at the Gurdon Times have not been without problems, but I'm starting to learn my way around. It's been exciting, claiming the office and meeting people. I'm less than excited about the paperwork, but it'll work out.

Let me start my first column by introducing myself for those of you who don't know me. My name is Wendy Ledbetter and yes, Ledbetter is my maiden name. My parents were Betty and Raymond Ledbetter and my mom would have been tickled to know that I'm working in this office. I'm told that my grandmother, Edna Reed Wells, used to submit community news to the newspaper. So did I  Billstown News around 1975 or 76.

I have two daughters. My oldest is Hollie Trollinger who lives near Fayetteville with her husband, Matt, and my beautiful grandchildren, Jay and Ruby. (Stop by. I have photos.) My younger daughter is Rose Baumgardner, though you might know her as Leslie. She's a graduate of GHS and a senior at Henderson.

The Gurdon Times has long held an important place in this community and I take my job here seriously. I want to be sure I do my job but I also want to become a bigger part of this community. I've been "turtled in" at home for several years, working mostly from home or out of town, and it's great to be home.

One of the folks I've met since I've been in the office is Elizabeth Wilson. I didn't know Elizabeth before I started here, but we're quickly becoming friends, mostly because of her energy. She exemplifies a trait I truly love  she does things. I consider myself a pretty tolerant person but one of my pet peeves are those who say, "That's not my job." Elizabeth brought in her club news from the EHC a couple of weeks ago, said she was headed to Arkadelphia and asked if she could pick up anything for me while she was there.

And she meant it.

So now, with the dust finally settling as I get entrenched into the Gurdon Times office, I want to challenge others to take that approach. I'm not going to ask anyone to perform phenomenal tasks, but I am asking you to all become involved in your local newspaper. Call me with news (believe it or not, I don't magically know everything that happens, even if it's an accident or an arrest). Let me know if your club, church or family are planning an event. If there's food, invite me. After your meeting, let me know what happened and how it went.

Tell me when your child wins a contest, grabs an award or gets involved with a club or organization. Let me know about the marriages, births and other happy events in your life.

Remember, this isn't the New York Times, it's the Gurdon Times. It's a small-town newspaper because Gurdon is a small town. It doesn't have to shake the world in order to be news. If something is interesting enough to catch your attention, it's interesting enough to catch mine.

I've got some great ideas for the paper, but some of them depend on community involvement. I hope to start having more "people news," stories about the folks who live and work in Gurdon everyday. I want the Gurdon Times to be a truly local newspaper that the folks of Gurdon can be proud of.

Manning the office is always going to be a challenge. When the newspaper is a one-person operation, it's difficult to get out in the community to gather news and still keep the office open for those who want to drop in. I'll be working on it, but I appreciate your patience in the meantime and you can always call me  at home if you can't catch me any other way.

So drop by and have a cup of coffee or a Mountain Dew. Have a look at my beautiful grandkids. Remind me to water my plants (or just come prepared to water them yourself).