A gripping tale

Judging by the comments left on this website, the story of runaway teen Victoria Pilkington has really captured the imagination.
Our story this week is pretty unusual - not exactly staple local newspaper fayre but it's equally gripping and fascinating, whatever your opinion of the case.
Elsewhere, tomorrow is your annual chance to tell the politicians what you really think of them.
Without getting all preachy, I'd urge as many of you as possible to get out and vote.
After all, do you really have a right to complain about the service you get from your council if you don't even bother to vote?
You only get one chance a year to make your voice truly heard - don't waste it.
You can read the latest on this week's vote by visiting the election section of our website - inclduing a full rundown of who is standing in your ward.

Busy, Busy, Busy

A bank holiday might only be one extra day off, but it has about a fortnight's worth of repurcussions for us.
For example today, while trying frantically to finish this week's paper, I'm already having to think about next week's - which won't pass through your doors for a full eight days.
Sob story over with tomorrow's Crawley News is looking great - a mixture of sad, controversial, thought-provoking and funny stories.
That's what we try to achieve every week, just some weeks it falls into place more than others.

Chariots of Dire

AS I've mentioned before, in July I'll be donning my running shoes along with a few other News team members for the 10k run in aid of St Catherine's Hospice.

Over the coming weeks we will be running an entry form in the paper, encouraging as many of you as possible to take part.

To 'launch' the Crawley News' coverage of the race, reporters Alex Morrison, Michael Connellan and I had our pictures taken yesterday down at K2, in full running garb.

For nothing but my own amusement, I've attached a picture of Michael and his comedy run.

By the way, I'm the one that looks like Brad Pitt.


On a more serious note, Alex is also doing his bit for St Catherine's by tackling the daunting Three Peaks Challenge over the bank holiday weekend.

You can sponsor him by following the link below.



www.justgiving.com/cashforcare

Most Read

One thing I've discovered about our website is that it's a great market research tool.
At the touch of a button, I can find out which stories are the most popular and, in theory, what sort of stuff you all like to read.
Here are our top five most read stories of the past seven days.

1. Mum's fury as police refuse to send missing girl home
2. My wife is hot, boasts council leader
3. Tributes paid to a loving father
4. Breast-flashing mum dumped toddler in road
5. Tragic teen loses legs to rare disease

Notice the entry at number 2. This story was derided by a few contributors (see below) but it got more hits than any other story on our website bar one.
Newspapers are often accused of dumbing down and going for a sensationalist angle but, as this case proves, a lot of you seem to like a bit of light relief now and again.

Sense of humour failure part II

Another fan of our "hot mama" story has posted a comment.

"The Crawley News stoops to a new all time low "we've got nothing else to publish" gutter level. Do you guys get paid to produce this complete and utter drivel?"

Some people just don't know groundbreaking, barrier-shifting journalism when they see it.

What a joke

The small 100-word titbit about council leader Henry Smith calling his wife "hot stuff" has provoked a mixed reaction among you.
I thought it was a harmless and, actually quite charming little insight into the life of a powerful figure.
However one guy, who just left this comment on our site, clearly didn't get the joke:

"I'm sorry. I thought this was a paper that reported NEWS!", he says.

Mr Palmer, I've just called Crawley Hospital and they are happy to book you in for a sense of humour by-pass later today.

Slide Shows

You can now see what I'm on about below by visiting the slide shows section of our website

http://www.thisiscrawley.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=256887&command=newPage

Follow this link for pictures of some excellent singers, East Grinstead's fine Chequer Mead Theatre and a grown man (that'll be me then) looking about as comfortable on the stage as Steve McClaren did under that umbrella.

Aside from such nonsense, this week's Crawley News is looking good. Find out tomorrow, among other things, how a row involving the man in charge of the town centre has led to the popular farmers market upping sticks and leaving Crawley.

That's Showbiz

I spent an entertaining Saturday night judging a talent contest run by our sister paper, The East Grinstead Observer.
I was part of a three-pronged judging panel comprising of myself, the town mayor and a talent agent - think Osbourne, Walsh and Cowell, minus the tight trousers.
Quite how qualified I was to judge this event is questionable. My singing ability is somewhat limited and I was once told to mime at a school carol concert because I wasn't exactly hitting the right notes.
Even scarier, I had to get up on stage at the end of this rather surreal evening and announce the winner along with the Mayor, who rather rained on my moment in the sun by muttering the first name of the chosen one before I even had the chance to make my big annoucement into the microphone.
Dazzled by the stage lights, I also made myself look a complete tool by performing a part catalogue/part lifeguard pose and shielding my eyes against the glare while announcing the victor.
A fun evening but one, I think, that provided a valuable lesson.
Showbusiness isn't for me.

New Toy

The great thing about working with the website is it is like having a new toy to play with.
This afternoon, for example, I've discovered the joys of putting together a photo slideshow.
Yes, I know, hardly the most difficult task in the world but pretty impressive for someone who can barely wire a plug or cook a pizza without burning it.
Keep an eye on the slideshow section from now on and you will see a few more of these treats appear.
If we come to cover your event and the picture doesn't appear in the paper, this is the place to go from now on.

Ghosts in the machine

Great.
It's deadline day and my computer doesn't work.
If it doesn't improve by mid-afternoon, brace yourself for the first ever (to the best if my knowledge) hand-written Crawley News.
Assuming everything is sorted though, this week's paper should be a cracker, and I'm particularly taken by one story about a man with a pretty unusual, but equally fascinating, job.
All will be revealed tomorrow.

Do ya think he's sexy?

Making my way home last night I recieved an excitable text message from one of our reporters, saying a major A-list celebrity had been spotted in a town centre bar.

An hour or so later, a phonecall from a News reporter (who shall remain nameless) confirmed he had indeed just seen Mr Rod Stewart.

Not only that, two of our intrepid team had lured him into the News office, grabbed a world exclusive interview and taken a snap of the mullet-topped rock god.

I was pretty excited at the prospect of a great scoop at this point - then they sent me the picture of 'Rod'...

Village idiots?

One story sure to stir debate is the row brewing over the status of Maidenbower.
Some of its residents, rather grandly, refer to it as 'Maidenbower village'. They don't want to be part of Crawley, they are better than that, of course.
A few Crawley-ites, understandably I would say, have taken offence to this and used the web to hit back at the slur on their town.
Fact is, if you live in Maidenbower you live in one of Crawley's 13 neighbourhoods. Like it or not, made in Maidenbower means made in Crawley. Is that really something to be ashamed of?
The people of Maidenbower, quite admirably, are proud of their neighbourhood, but if they think they live in a village then they clearly suffer from the Egyptian disease.
They are in De Nile.