Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/231222
Nothing like a holiday looming to get the adrenaline pumping in the members of a news staff! With early deadlines this week to enable everyone to take some time off, we have been very busy elves ourselves, pulling together copy and getting layouts completed. This issue has plenty of hard news, I assure you, but we have some fun with the features as well, including an article about a special visit contributor Harriet Cuthbert paid to the Marietta Museum of Art & Whimsy. Speaking of the Sarasota Leisure section: While we have been pretty steadfast about confining our coverage within Sarasota County's borders, Staff Photographer Norman Schimmel convinced me that an event in Fort Myers called the "Teddy Bear Toss" was worth a story. After all, Sarasota people were present for it, including Copy Editor Vicki Chatley. Norm was right. It is a heartwarming article for the season. And in the spirit of working to meet our early deadlines, I will stop here except to wish all of you, from all of us, the merriest of holiday seasons! Editor and Publisher The Sarasota News Leader held its Christmas party on Dec. 16 with staff members and their families. Posing for the official "masthead" photo were (front row, from left) Norman Schimmel, Harriet Cuthbert, Rachel Hackney, Fran Palmeri and Vicki Chatley; (back row, from left) Roger Drouin, Cooper Levey-Baker, Stan Zimmerman and Robert Hackney. Editorial Cartoonist John Riley, Production Manager Cleve Posey and A&E Writer Elinor Rogosin were unable to join us. Photo by Rachel Levey-Baker