New- look Trib worth awalk to the store

If first impressions are what matter most, I will be liking my new- look hometown newspaper.

Imay even be liking it big time.

The new look caught me by surprise Tuesday morning when I opened the online version of the Trib.

I said aloud to myself and to the frisky felines at my feet: “Wow! Nice stuff !” The cats, Ebony and Cole, were wrapped up playing their version of floor hockey with a token of some kind that they found in a corner. Sports page copy? What a purrrrfect segue for more comment about this morning’s pleasant surprise.

After a quick scan of the online front page, I navigated through ‘ tabs’ at the page top, clicking on: News, What’s On, Opinion, Living and down the list. For the most part, I liked what I found, except for the Obituaries, which seemed at quick glance a hodgepodge presentation. But they were easy to read and photos that accompanied them were crisp and clean. The obituaries will be getting more attention later in the day.

A“Note to readers” caught my eye. It was about changes to the daily paper — the “paper” version of the Trib. I found it enticing, so much so it prompted me to walk to the corner store to buy a copy.

That was a big decision — not walking to the store, but buying a copy. Over time, I became accustomed to reading the paper online except for the once- a- week free copy that was distributed and the occasional edition with something special in it.

The comely clerk said: “One dollar thirty, please,” and I forked over some change. She reciprocated with a smile. This could get to be habit forming. I won’t disclose what might make it so, at times it’s good to keep readers guessing.

One thing about the paper edition that must be said at get go: it’s easy to read. I like it.

But the photos are big, maybe too big in some cases, like the pic of the polar bear chowing down on whale meat, found on the back page of the Canada and World section. Did that pic really have to run across all columns? The editorial page had two columnists from Torstar — some of us will like that connection, others won’t. Count me in the former.

The cartoons feature a strip by the local cartoonist Sandra Bell- Lundy. I’d say Between Friends, the comic strip, is a welcome addition to the local paper, which should use all the “local” that editors can get their hands on. The full- page ad, Built On 154 Years Of Trust, is a not- so- subtle reminder of the paper’s longevity and legacy in the local community, and something that’s worth preserving.

Sure, you may find bugs in both new editions, online and paper over the next few days, but these things happen. Don’t rush to judgment based on minor miscues.

I’ve been a reader of my hometown newspaper since the late 1950s. That’s a long time.

An older kid across the street, Norm Cuttress, delivered it to our doorstep on Fifth Street in late afternoon, it was an afternoon paper way back then. Norm still lives on that street as far as I know. The paper was scooped up quickly, brought into the living room and spread open on the floor where I’d read it on hands and knees.

That was decades ago. I don’t know whether I could read my newspaper on hands and knees these days, getting back on my feet would be a front- page challenge. But I’ll give the new- look daily paper a try every now and then over the next couple of weeks just to see how things are going.

Who knows? I may even end up holding it in my hands, a daily reader once again.