The Times Plain Dealer released their redesigned print newspaper and Extra and a new up-to-date Web site this week. The reinvigorated products will feature more people and more news in two more convenient formats.
More People
    The fresh design of the weekly print newspaper offers readers a better look into the lives of Howard County residents.
    The newspaper will include more photos of community members featured on the TPD’s new monthly picture page, more features articles about interesting people in the county and more columns written by local experts and professionals on the paper’s Perspectives page. The TPD also introduced a weekly feature spotlighting a Crestwood student athlete.
More News
    The newspaper promises its restructured print product will provide more quality news.
    The paper guarantees its readers they will see reliable, consistent coverage of the Cresco City Council, Howard County Board of Supervisors and the Howard-Winneshiek School Board.
    The TPD will also print Law Enforcement and Courthouse public records. A Howard County/Cresco Dispatch Log and Courthouse Briefs will run weekly.
    More and better organized local briefs will be compiled weekly on Page 3, along with regional briefs to keep readers informed about news in surrounding counties.
    A weekly weather almanac will also appear in the redesigned weekly print edition.
    “Our readers asked to see more things like features articles, picture pages and court records,” said Sara Daehn, news editor at the TPD.
    “I feel part of our job as a community newspaper is to listen to our readers’ opinions and suggestions, and to incorporate as many of them into our product as we can. That’s what we’ve done with our redesign.”
    The TPDExtra also has more content than previously, with the addition of local news and sports highlights from the TPD.
    A weekly Sudoku puzzle will appeal to those looking for some fun entertainment.
More Convenience
    Some of the changes made to the print edition were subtle, but contribute to creating an overall product that is cleaner and easier to read and navigate.
    Brand new page headers and page numbers make it easier for readers to find what they are looking for. Special highlighted features will be easier to locate and recognize, including the TPD’s “In the Neighborhood” feature, in addition to local classified advertisements.
TPD on the Web
    The TPD’s Web site, www.crescotimes.com, is back up and more user-friendly than ever.
    The Web site showcases more local news, features and photos than ever before.
    “One nice thing about the internet is we can include more photos than we can in our print edition, because our space is limitless,” Daehn said. “This means if someone shot 20 photos of an event and we only had space for two of those photos in the newspaper, we could post all 20 online.”
    The TPD staff will also update their Web site frequently with breaking news and sports scores.
    “I’m really excited to have our Web site back up and running and to be a part in the redesign of our print edition,” Daehn said. “I hope our readers enjoy the new look and new content online and in the newspaper.”