Note to readers

Over the past few months, we’ve been making some behind-the-scenes changes to our lifestyle coverage to get more stories on topics of interest. The next step is to introduce some new features and reorganization.

Sundays will continue to be home to interesting reads on lifestyle and culture. In addition, The Sunday Break section will include expanded coverage of books, including a fun literary roundup by books editor Erica Smith — plus pages dedicated to travel, fashion, home and garden, and things to do in the coming week.

On Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Daily Break will feature timely entertainment and culture stories with a couple of regular features:

▪ How Nice, How Rude, on Mondays, features the good and bad things that happen.

▪ Thrifty Thursday spotlights local nifty (and thrifty) finds each Thursday.

We’re looking forward to hearing from you with both of these features.

Wednesday will continue to serve up delicious restaurant and food stories in the Flavor section. In addition to recipes and stories from food critic Matthew Korfhage, look for the Humble Steward, a local column all about wine by Jim Raper.

Friday’s Pulse section will give you lots of reasons to get out over the weekend, including information on movies, music, festivals and other events. You might’ve already spotted Editor’s Note, a weekly column by assistant editor Dan Duke. You’ll also find a long list of Fun to Do items, enough for a fun-filled weekend, plus Down the Road to assist with future planning.

Saturday’s Real Estate section remains largely unchanged.

Every day, you’ll also be able to find these stories and more online at dailypress.com.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on these changes. You can contact features editor Jamesetta Walker at features@dailypress.com, or call 757-446-2456.

The coldest place

Ed, Hampton: Weather trivia reads it’s the coldest place of earth. This is not common English language. Should be coldest place on earth. Also listing 72(F), which is an average temperature.

Editor: Clearly there was a mistake on the preposition, but there was a negative sign before the 72 in the answer.

Curled up news pages

I have been a subscriber of this paper for over 30 years I have seen the paper getting smaller and costing more and now the paper itself is thinner and curls down in the upper corners when you try to read it.

I wish I could pay the same price for everything as I did 30 years ago when I was, ahem, a little younger. Alas, the world has changed, and prices have, too. Just look at the monthly cost for cable access or your mobile phone. And, let’s be honest, no one covers local organizations — city and school boards, high school sports, local elections, etc. — in the same way we do. But enough of my #journalismmatters, it’s all about America and democracy flag-waving stuff.

In the case of the Daily Press, the price you’re paying includes more than the newspaper. It includes news that breaks throughout the day that you can read on our website through your digital subscription. My favorite part, though, is that when it’s rainy or snowy or I don’t want to go pick up the paper because I don’t feel well, I can go to my email and open my e-edition on my iPad and read the newspaper without even having to leave my house and inflict my unhealthy self on my neighbors.

As far as the paper itself, you’re right. We’ve been having a little difficulty with product quality. We buy our paper from various plants around North America. This particular batch included some rolls that were, for some reason, a little thinner than most. We’ve had to send some of it back to the manufacturer. We apologize for the quality issue. We will continue to monitor these issues.

Skip the repeats

I have a digital subscription and have noticed that you now repeat the publishing of articles that have previously appeared in the paper. Please stop this practice. I am paying for “news” not “olds.” I can’t believe there is no new material to publish.

Not everyone reads every product that we publish in every way. Some folks only read the print edition. Some folks read the e-edition. Some folks read us in print, online and also in the e-edition. We routinely publish stories online and in the e-edition extra that are used again later in the week in our print edition so that our print audience doesn’t miss out. We’ve been cross-pollinating for a long time. Usually the complaints I get are from print readers who don’t read the e-edition and haven’t activated their digital account, and they don’t think we don’t produce enough content in print. Yours is the first complaint I’ve ever received from someone who reads the digital product and the print product and doesn’t like the overlap. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. I’m not certain we’ll ever be able to stop the practice, but you’ve given us something to talk about in our ever-increasing digital world.

Walmart and Dominion

Could you do a follow up story to today’s piece about Walmart losing its effort to be allowed to buy its electricity from a company other than Dominion Energy? What is puzzling is, how would such a change be done?

I’ve passed it along to the appropriate folks for story consideration.

First names first

Thank you for putting the names in the obits back to first name, last name. It is so much easier to read. I also like the black lines separating each obit.

My hat is off to you and your staff for the new obituary arrangements. … The location line is greatly appreciated, especially for “old” guys like me. The name is also great.

Thank you so much for putting the names in the proper order on the obit page. I have been complaining about this as many others. Thank you again for fixing this.

You are most welcome. Thanks to all of you for your patience and your kind words. Today’s Feedback was written by Marisa J. Porto, editor and publisher of the Daily Press.