I thought I had everything planned out to a "T" for our first edition.

Wrong so wrong.

Friday was our deadline although we have midnight deadline to have our pages over to the Walton press in Monroe; we scheduled a special 9:30 p.m. deadline.

Our editor and Sports editor began that process at about 10 a.m.on Friday.

About 6 p.m. I realized that we should have had some of the pages finished on Thursday and at least one on Tuesday.

Charles Hill Morris, Jr, my boss and the publisher of the Covington News, bet me five dollars at 6:30 p.m. that we would not have pages sent to the press until 9:30 p.m. I thought I had the five dollars spent for certain. As 10:30 p.m. rolled around and I realized the five dollars was long gone I would have been elated to have met that 9:30pm deadline.

Since layout is far from my expertise the only thing I could do was pace and hover which I did every four minutes each time assuring the staff I would not do this again. I would go back to my office sit down and four minutes later I would be up again!

At 11 p.m. I almost had a rebellion and in the nicest of ways I was told to get out, so I went home and then drove my wife Molly crazy.

We did make it to press about 1 a.m. and the folks at Walton Press were kind enough to work with us.

We did not get all the pages proofed-If you read last weeks column I don't have to tell you that. I am sure my favorite English teacher Sister Simplicia would have rolled her eyes at the errors and soundly wrap my knuckles with her famous ruler.

My editor actually still was talking to me on Monday. We have instituted new schedules and this weeks paper I'm sure is going to be on time. Well I am almost sure it is, remember life's pitfalls.

I had the opportunity last week to meet leaders from the Chamber of Commerce, the County and City governments, the department of Education, the Sheriffs department and some other great community and business leaders, I hope to soon meet and talk with many more, please call me at 770-483-3455, I would be glad to come visit with you and share my vision of what a community newspaper should be and to listen to your ideas and suggestions. You name the time and place and I will be there.

Speaking of the folks I met, I was impressed with their visions for Conyers and Rockdale County.

We are pleased to be a part of that vision.

We welcome letters to the editor and if you have an opinion on anything we will be glad to run it right here in this spot.

The more opinions we have the less you will have to read my stuff.

Molly and I drove around the community on Saturday, there is no place as beautiful as the South in the springtime. Rockdale was bursting with Dogwood and Azalea blooms and people were out running and walking with their children, what a fantastic sight.

We have a great community that has a lot of pride we ourselves are proud to be a part of it. We are looking forward to an enduring community relationship.

(T. Pat Cavanaugh is the
publisher of The Rockdale News. He can be reached at pcavanaugh@rockdalenews.net.)