By EILEEN FELDMAN
Leader managing editor
The Leader began its 23rd year this week and is offering a $9.99 subscription special to all our readers to mark the occasion.
Start a new subscription, or renew or extend your subscription today, and get 104 issues — Wednesdays and Saturdays — for just $9.99 a year, or less than 10 cents a paper, a savings of $40 off the newsstand price.
The Leader was founded 22 years ago on March 4, 1987. Much has changed in the last two decades, from the political landscape to the faltering economy, but the Leader remains committed to bringing you local news, sports and commentary that you won’t find anywhere else. We are grateful to you our loyal readers and advertisers.
The Leader now also publishes the Combat Airlifter, the base newspaper.
Our company would not be where it is today without its remarkable staff of dedicated and hard-working newspaper all-stars, including the sales staff headed by John Henderson, (who is being promoted to general manager after being with The Leader for more than 16 years); Matt Robinson, The Leader’s publications manager, and advertising sales staff Linda Hostettler and Susan Swift.
We bring you The Leader All-Star writers twice a week: John Hofheimer, Joan McCoy, Nancy Dockter, Rick Kron, Eric Francis, Ernie Dumas, Jeffrey Smith, as well as the quality sports team of Kelly Fenton and Jason King and photographers David Scolli and David Parker.
Creative editor Christy Hendricks is largely responsible for the award-winning and innovative design that The Leader is known for.
Publisher Garrick Feldman still writes his popular column when something makes him mad enough and occasionally he will knock out a pretty good humor column and music review.
Managing editor Eileen Feldman makes sure deadlines are met and details are not overlooked.
Their children Aliya Feldman and Jonathan Feldman have recently joined the paper’s editorial staff.
Other Leader staffers who deserve a nod include office manager Tosha Churches, who heads a stable of diligent front-office employees, including Whitney Riggins, Thomas Alvis and Melissa Sheldon (who also staffs our Cabot office).
The hard-working graphic-composition staff headed by Clayton Knupp along with Krystle Hall and Lisa Grisham, crank out all the ads and special sections that delight our Leader readers and keep our local economy buzzing.
The new mantra these days (which has always been The Leader’s mantra) is ‘Buy Local.’ Read your Leader’s ads for all the skinny on buying local and reap savings galore. Sometimes the best deals are right under your nose. You can always find them in The Leader.
While praising Leader staff, we can’t say enough good things about our Leader readers. You have helped make The Leader what it is today, an award-winning newspaper which garnered the Arkansas Press Association’s general excellence designation in 2008.
Other Leader employees who keep things ticking include head pressman Randy Morris; mailroom supervisor James Matheney and his second-in-command Ray Gallup; Pat Eddy, who makes sure Leader readers get their papers, and many, many dedicated mailroom employees including Elwanda Barnett, who’s been with the Leader since its earliest days.
While daily newspapers are shutting down across the country or cutting back the days they publish, we at The Leader are convinced there’s a role for our kind of award-winning community journalism.
You don’t have to pay $150 a year to subscribe to The Leader. Instead, for the cost of a trip to McDonald’s, you get re-porting that covers your local government, schools and their teams and tries to keep politicians honest. Because if we don’t keep a wary eye on them, who will?
We cover Metroplan, the Highway Department, future water supply, schools’ plans, fascinating people, police reports and more.
Also, advice columnists and entertainment news, comics, crossword puzzles, horoscopes and a TV guide.
There’s more: Spotlight on Education highlights achievers in our local schools. Also advertising specials from local businesses, valuable coupons, car deals, real estate values and more.
So subscribe today. Send in the attached coupon, drop by the office or call 982-9421 or 941-5132.
And happy anniversary, readers, from your Leader staff.
