I'm your editor for North Canton Patch, and I am pumped to live and work in this city! I'm originally from the New Philadelphia area, so coming to Canton/North Canton to eat and shop was always like heading to the big city when I was little. I remember getting the best rooftop seats to watch the Hall of Fame fireworks, begging my mom to drive me and my sister the extra 40 minutes just to watch a movie at Tinseltown and shopping at The Strip till my back and feet ached.
I even stuck around Northeast Ohio for college, having gone to school at Kent State University (and taking a year's worth of classes at the branch campus right here in North Canton). I got my bachelor's degree in journalism from KSU's School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
But for the past two years I've been down in Lancaster, Ohio, covering crime and courts for a small daily newspaper. Before that I was an intern on the City Desk of the Columbus Dispatch, and before that an intern at my hometown newspaper, the Times-Reporter. So, as you can see, I'm a news junkie through and through.
I'm convinced Patch is where it's at in terms of where the news industry is headed. I joined up with Patch because the site focuses on the smaller aspects of a community without forgetting the big picture. Patch wants you to know your neighbor, to know what's going on in your local school system and know what's happening right around the corner.
It aims to connect people, and I'm all for it.
<b>Your Beliefs</b><br>At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for you to inject your beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know.<br><br><b>Politics </b><br>I'm a registered Democrat.<br><br><b>Religion</b><br>I am non-religious and respectful of others' beliefs.<br><b><br>Local Hot-Button Issues</b><br>The B word: Budget. Whether it's city or state, budget cuts are affecting everyone from the police and fire departments to the library. Budget shortfalls and how the city is dealing with them will be a big part of what we cover.
The May 4 event aims to teach everyone from the techy to the not-so-techy how to manage their own websites through WordPress.
The Felix family from Dallas, GA received thousands of votes to win Patch's Deck the House contest and $100,000 for their local school district
Let's count'em down: the top 20 stories affecting North Canton in 2012
North Canton Patch — and its readers — have been everywhere from Hoover High football games to the Main Street Festival and city parades this year. Take a look back and relive some of the fun!
The city of North Canton announced this week it will not be part of the 2013 Canton Marathon, now called the Hall of Fame City Challenge, if it is not paid for providing services in 2012 and if it is not paid upfront for the 2013 race
Brian Miner, Tim House and hundreds of volunteers assemble bicycles to give to needy children in the Akron area as part of "Elves and More"
Your local editor will take a couple weeks off from Patch, starting today
If you've traveled through some of the city's major intersections recently, you may have noticed something has changed
If North Canton receives the most votes in Patch's "Deck the House" contest, the North Canton City School District will receive $100,000!
Beadle has worked at Clearmount Elementary School for 38 years and serves his last day Wednesday
Shimek is the first in the North Canton City School District to be awarded "Educator of the Month" this year
The safety violations include five repeat violations
The singing group will gather at 7 p.m. today at 1210 S. Main St. in North Canton to pray for the victims of the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut
The folks at Walsh University's Hoover Historical Center have are having a merry time sharing "throwback" Hoover vacuum commercials on their Facebook page this week
Take a minute to get caught up on the most-read stories on North Canton Patch this week
North Canton City Schools have never had First LEGO Leagues, but the students involved are excited to show what they know at this weekend's competition
Meteorologist Jason Nicholas shared his love of weather forecasting with the students and took some video clips that aired on NewsChannel 5 Wednesday
Zepp's Pizza hosted a fundraiser Wednesday to raise money for the Stark County foster and adoption agency, Pathway Caring for Children
The house features a back deck and large landscaped wooded backyard with patio area
