Right in the centre - Scanning the news

By Ken Waddell

The Neepawa Banner

Needless to say, as a local newspaper owner, I read a lot of newspapers. In recent years, I also read a lot of papers on-line. In general, newspapers have gone downhill. In contrast, our newspapers are very much holding their own and expanding. Our circulations are increasing a bit, our total sales are up and our profits are up slightly as well. All three are indicators of a newspaper’s health. Our papers are bucking a national trend.

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My Perspective - We need more baskets

By Kate Kackman-Atkinson

The Neepawa Banner

Over the last few years, Canadians have sat smugly at the world table.  We weathered the economic recession and came out relatively strongly; we are expecting a federal government surplus in next year’s budget.  Unlike other developed countries, we have had no rioting in the streets, no crippling austerity measures and no soul shattering unemployment. 

But the news this week indicates that we might not have been entirely spared.

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Not so silent E - From radio guy to paper boy

By Eoin Devereux

The Neepawa Banner

As I have made my way out and about across Neepawa and the surrounding communities over the past few months, I’ve been asked the same question over and over again. Well, actually I’ve been asked two questions, the first being “How the heck do you pronounce your first name?” But, the second question I’ve heard almost as often is “Why did you decide to cross over into newspapers?”

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The view from my chair - The Charlie Brown Christmas tree

Submitted by Alan Gillies

G.E.M. Media

I’ve become so racially sensitive that I actually become self-conscious when I’m separating the whites from the coloureds to do laundry. Just as I do whenever I’m singing about a “white Christmas”.

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Homebodies - Don't have to travel far for a good story

By Rita Friesen

I just finished re-reading “Welcome Home, Travels in Smalltown Canada” by Stuart McLean. Written in 1992 McLean travels across Canada capturing the essence of small towns. 

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