More Letters from Readers |
Reader comments on The Island Free Press |
As much as I loved The Island Breeze, this publication is much better and more practical given everyone's access to the Internet. This is very well written, easy to use, and sensitive to the current issues islanders are facing. As a part-time Avon resident, it is wonderful to be able to find the latest news when I come to the island. Just recently, I was able to use your events information to purchase a delicious shrimp dinner from Locomotion and contribute to a great cause in the process. Keep up the good work and know you are greatly appreciated! Fran Cleary Midlothian, Va. I just found this Web site today. Gosh, I love it. I consider Ocracoke my home away from home. This is a great way to keep up with what is going on while I am away -- which I wish I wasn't. Can't wait for May when I get to come back. Keep up the great work. I'll check in daily. Thanks again Terrie Hart Walkertown, N.C. What a great newspaper online. From the first sentence to the last, what an outstanding job you have done. I was so glad to see this online, I have enjoyed all the pictures and stories. To everyone who does this online newspaper, God bless, and keep up the good work. We would miss it if you ever were not around. Many thanks for keeping all of us locals who no longer live on the island informed. Bonnie Dillard Chesapeake, Va. The
more I venture to your Island Free Press Web site, there more pleased I
am at the clean, crisp graphics and navigation ease of your site. More
importantly, I find the articles easy to read and easy to understand,
and I appreciate the way they are presented.
It’s great to be turned on to the news on the islands when we are not there.
I really enjoy reading The Island Free Press. Our family has been
enjoying Outer Banks vacations for more than over 25 years – on
Hatteras Island for the last 15 -- and we have seen a lot of changes.
It is great to be able to read about some of the inner workings of the
villages and their decision making.
Thanks
for all you have done and are doing to support real news and commentary
about Hatteras and Ocracoke. Your new endeavor is a pleasure to read. I
lived in Hatteras village for more than 20 years before moving to
Florida two and a half years ago. I did not know about this Web site
until Laura Young told me about it just before Christmas. I immediately
checked the village Christmas pictures specifically to see the pictures
of her house - which had been mine. It was a joy!
This
is an exciting venture! I love the layout, the user friendly design,
the great photography, the lifestyle articles, and the fearless yet
level-headed jump into the controversial and important issues. Good
luck! They
say you can take a girl out of the country, etc. I was born and raised
in Frisco, and married and left many years ago. But with parents and
siblings still there, I went home every chance I got. The parents are
gone now, but I still have one sister, Aleta Gray in Hatteras and
numerous nieces. So I still visit several times a year. On one of my
trips home someone gave me the link to The Island Free Press. I am so
grateful. It’s great to be able to feel somewhat attached to my
childhood, and this publication with the slide shows of such familiar
scenes make my heart sing. Thank you, and keep up the good work. Thanks for this wonderful newsletter. It is a great idea that helps keep us informed on what is going on in our hometown. Wylie William In years past, I used to pace as if withdrawing from some illicit drug while waiting for the Hatteras Monitor magazine to arrive in my mailbox. Now The Island Free Press is my addiction of choice! Great job! Thank you. Steven R. Fowee Thank you for starting
up this Web site. I check it out as often as I can. I recognized your
name from The Island Breeze, which I used to love to read. While we were down
for two weeks in October, I read a
couple of Breezes that my friend had saved for me, but, unfortunately, the
August issue was missing, and apparently that is the issue that announced your
"leaving." Their loss and this Web site are our gain. We are part-timers
right now, but our dream is to live in Frisco some day. We love Hatteras and
Ocracoke islands and appreciate your keeping us up to date on the local issues,
which we both are very interested in. Another thanks for
the article on Rob Alderman. We have followed him since the beginning
and are proud of what he is and has done for Gordon and Bev Christian My husband and I were visiting during the past few weeks and expressed to the hostess at the Breakwater restaurant how much we missed getting tidbits of Hatteras news. (I used to subscribe to the Monitor.) She told us about the Web site. What a treasure! I know I will be viewing it regularly, especially to follow the progress of the library improvements and the bridge updates. Keep up the great work! We have been visiting in October/November since 1993 and always start the countdown for our next trip during the car ride home. Hatteras will always be very dear to our hearts. Karin Brian and Tom Dooley Coatesville, Pa. Irene, the best thing that ever happened to you professionally, and the best thing that has ever happened to Hatteras Island's communications, was the Island Breeze letting you go. What you did next was brilliant, gutsy, and highly effective! You DO realize, of course, that your Internet newspaper is providing instant information here for the first time in the long history of this remote island. We have been overlooked, ignored, and had to rely on rumor, gossip, or difficult ferreting out of information. No more! And you took this all so much further with all of the different features and categories. Super job! Yes, I am proud to say I am a friend, but also a big fan. James Charlet Salvo The Island Free Press rocks! This is what the Island Breeze was like seven or eight years ago. Keep up the good work! Derek Scott West Chester, Pa. Congratulations, Irene and staff/friends! This is a terrific idea and a great resource. I will be a frequent reader on line, and I'm not renewing my subscription to that other mullet wrapper! See you soon. Sandy Mlinarcik Louisville, Ky. An absolutely great and spectacular Free Press with great articles. We have been visiting the OBX fro over 25 years and find your e-mails excellent. David W. Hannig Cazenovia, N.Y. You do wonderful work and we wish you the most success. Sure wish we had the same type publication down here. Joe Ragland Emerald Isle, N.C. I love this Web site. My mother, Diane Buckner, told me about it. I am coming to Buxton on Oct. 26 and there is so much good information in your paper that I think I’m already there. Thanks so much. Angie Carver Candler, N.C. Congratulations on a brilliant idea. I always loved the "Breeze" when you were editor and this is even better. Best of luck with this new venture! Pat Taylor Frisco We have been coming to Hatteras since 1975. Eight years ago we were able to purchase a home on the island. We were first hooked by the surf fishing but now enjoy walking the Buxton Woods trail, kayaking and sailing in the sound, kiteboarding at the Canadian Hole, finding new fishing holes, birdwatching at Pea Island, night stargazing, getting to know island residents, and following the local artists' creations. The island landscape refreshes our souls and keeps us coming back. The environmental and social issues (bird habitat, beach driving, beach erosion, land use, zoning regulation, bridge replacement, bike paths, etc. ) that island communities must address are complex. It is critical that accurate information and thoughtful questions are presented. Thanks for your articles. We are glad to support The Island Free Press. Keep it up! Tina and Bob Podolak Denver, Colo. Best wishes in this new venture of Web media. So far I have enjoyed it and find it informative. Also have heard others say good things. I think it will become a great way for folks to keep up with their community. I know this will help us on Ocracoke this winter when the bridge work starts. As usual, great job and hats off. David Styron Ocracoke Welcome to the world of Internet News! Yours is a great idea, a needed service and a delight to behold. Carry on bravely! Erbnie and Fred Westervelt Ocracoke Congratulations on your new venture, Irene. I believe you have a hit on your hands. Move over Island Breeze, which is becoming stilted, predictable, and boring. As an English teacher for 40 years, I recognize good writing when I read it, and The Island Free Press is exemplary. Patricia J. Crist Wales, Mass. Thanks for many enjoyable years of the Island Breeze. I will be an avid fan of your new venture. Good luck. Mike Neave Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario I wish you, Pam, and Donna great success. I have really enjoyed reading the articles, seeing the pictures, and the readers’ comments. I think you have hit on something big and will end up with what is a good day -- a grand slam! Congratulations. Rosa-Alice Mayo Hatteras An online paper is just what I needed! Our family has been coming to the Outer Banks since our children were small. Everyone we have dealt with in all those years has been wonderful -- from Steve and Rita Dwight, who sold us our house in Avon and have remained our friends to this day to Pam Stoffel, who has now helped start this great paper. It's so much easier now to keep up with what's happening. While I live hundreds of miles away in Pennsylvania, there is a part of me that wishes I lived in Avon. That's partly because the ocean is there, but it's also because of the fine folks we've had the pleasure to meet. This paper makes it easier for us to keep our fingers on the pulse of the island. Thank you, all. Timothy Tietze Chester Spring, PA Love the Island Free Press! I've been coming to Hatteras Island for more than 20 years from northern Virginia. I've always had a special place in my heart for Hatteras. I almost feel like I'm there when I read it. For a moment I can hear the ocean and seagulls instead of the honking horns of the cars! Thanks and keep it coming! Stacy Devaney Sterling, Va. Congratulations on your new publication with up to the minute, well researched, and professional in-depth coverage of Hatteras issues. More power to you! Mary and Arthur Hammond-Tooke Frisco I am enjoying signing on daily to see what the news is with The Island Free Press. It is great for Hatteras Island to have its own newspaper that is not fluff and advertisements but real news -real time. Thank you for keeping us abreast of important issues at hand - the bridge, stormwater, etc. As to Louise Brown and her comment that you "steal employees," she should know that those two valuable women chose their own roads and that was to follow the person who headed up their paper for years. I love what you are doing. Kudos to you and your staff for stepping out of the box! Sylvia Mattingly Frisco Thanks for a little touch of home -- news and current events in the area. I have been away from home and at the helm (literally) since 1993, and it is good to get a little piece of the island "by and by," as my Nana (Retta Quidley) says! Reese Quidley, Jr. Sigonella, Sicily Just a very simple yet sincere "thank you" for affording us the opportunity of being able to stay abreast of happenings in the area I hold most dear in our state! Wishing you much success. Sam Huffstetler Burlington I grew up on Hatteras Island. My parents were born and raised there. So since I moved, I love that you have this Web site set up so I can keep up to date on everything. Thanks you. Joni Tallman Portsmouth, Va. Just discovered the paper. I really enjoy it, especially since I am originally from Buxton. Doesn't matter how long you are from there you heart is still there. Thank you so much for the news. I’m homesick now. Mattie O’Neal Carpenter As a former publisher who understands the unruly politics of this business, I appreciate what you are doing, and the product looks professional and sharp. I wish you luck in your endeavor, and it's good to know to know some journalists are still covering the news. James Ridolphi Richmond, Va. Good idea! Great job! This is a much needed resource for the island and our inland family and friends. I commend you and your staff for having the courage to take a chance on this. I hope you make a well earned profit, while we the readers are kept up to date in an area that has always had to wait for news to be printed, or get it from inland sources, or rely on word of mouth. The site is up-to-date, timely, and well presented. How great is that? This is how we plan to start each day. Clifford and Billie Swain Hatteras I cannot begin to tell you how much I have enjoyed reading the Island Free Press since it's debut. In particular, the coverage of "Day at the Docks". Buddy Swain's photography of the day's events and people made this native girl homesick in a wonderful way! Denise Ziegler Easton, Maryland I am so grateful that you have provided a newspaper that allows me to stay connected to my family and friends on the island that I love so very much. I wish you blessings of success and continued joy in your writings. Dabni Shelton Stumpy Point I have just finished touring your new venture, The Island Free Press. Very impressive. Good luck, and I will continue to read. Lorraine Burrus Hatteras So delighted to see you start The Island Free Press. Keep writing the stories we need to read. You go, girl! Colleen Crane Avon and Michigan Again, I see, you have taken a negative and made it into a positive. Congratulations! That's why I remain one of your loyal customers. Even now, you have put your hand into the heart of the community affairs, letting us know about the storms that will affect us in our daily lives, keeping us in touch with our friends, and gently leading us into the future. I hope I can follow your example myself. Gary Owens Hatteras What a good idea. I will look forward to reading no matter where I am -- in Frisco or in upstate New York Bunny Doolittle It is so nice to have such a wonderful update. I was born in Hatteras village, and it is so good to be able to know the happenings in my hometown. Thanks for this new connection to Hatteras Island. Blessings to you for this venture and may you experience continued success. Vivian and Charles Gray Fort Myers, Fla. You are a blessing to all of the folks on Hatteras Island. I just knew when you lost your job with the Breeze that you would not let that small stumbling block keep you down. You're a go-getter, and we are very lucky to have you here. I am enjoying this Web site so much. I come home from work in the evenings and check it to see what’s happening today. Thank you and you are truly appreciated by many. Go do a great job. Hell hath no fury like a local newspaper editor that is replaced by a "remote editor" from out of town. John Wyatt Chapel Hill Read the first issue and think it is great. Loved the front page. It is very attractive. We both wish you much success. I sent our kids the web address so they can read it too. Go girl. Catherine Bechly Hendersonville Congratulations to you and your faithful staff. I assure you I'll be faithful too in my online reading of The Island Free Press. Tom Carlson Memphis, Tenn. It's about time! So glad to know you're back! Rosanne Penley Morganton Good luck with the new format. We think it is exciting that you will continue the news and views from Hatteras that we have always looked forward to in the Breeze. Leaving paper for an online publication has to be a little stressful, but count us in as regular readers! Keith and Jeri Bechly Dallas, Tex. Congratulations and good luck. Tom Bibbey Quatar Great job on The Island Free Press. Most everyone has Internet access and gets on daily. It’s easy to get around, and I especially like the fact that you can update during the month, week, or even day if you need to. Plus it saves paper. Best of luck. Dan Oden Oden's Dock Hatteras Congratulations! I'll look forward to reading your Web paper. I check the Hatteras fishing report daily just for fun and to pretend I'm "there." My family and I have spent many week long vacations in Brigands’ Bay and recently returned in June with our family and grandchildren (the grandkids' first time) after a two-year hiatus vacationing in Maine. It was a wonderful time and we hope to continue this tradition. I've been a Breeze subscriber for several years, and I look forward to your new venture! Susette Richards, Bowie, Md. Great job on your first edition. We have subscribed to The Island Breeze since we purchased our home in Kinnakeet Shores 15 years ago. Now you have put together another great source of information for the community (and non-resident homeowners like us). Keep up the great work. Doug Baird Let's see if this comment fits your discretion. It's been three weeks since you started this online newspaper after you were fired by The Island Breeze. Word is out you resorted to stealing the former sales rep and designer from their long-term jobs at the Breeze. Not only that, but both resigned without providing the standard two-weeks notice, leaving behind one employee to carry the load. Is that any way to start your new venture? You steal employees and only post letters that support you and your new online "island" newspaper? It's unprofessional and disgraceful. I will continue to read "the cat-box liner" and check out your little "paper" whenever I choose to. Good luck! By the way, I've rented property in this area for over 20 years and always enjoyed reading your articles. Louise Brown Lackawaxen, Pa. I'm really glad to see a paper finally return to the island. It's a wonderful way to keep up with what's going on when your heart is there but you have to be here. “Here,” by the way, is Morganton, N.C., eight hours away from there. We are hoping to get back there this October. Hope to see you all soon. Lisa White Morganton We wish you great success with this new venture. I subscribed immediately because it was through your columns in the Breeze, I was able to keep up with my home away from home. Hatteras and the friends we have there are so dear to our hearts. Joanne Throne let us know today about The Island Free Press. I am constantly reading about the bridge, beach access, weather, fishing, and anything else about Hatteras Island and Ocracoke. We get down several times a year from Ocean City/Berlin, Md., with a two-week trip in October. It is the Breeze's loss and hopefully a whole new beginning for you. Again, we wish you great success and we'll be reading. Don't see any need to continue with my subscription to the Island Breeze! John and Kim Holloway Congratulations! I am delighted that you have started this newspaper. It is sorely needed. The printed papers and magazines prior to this were always “iffy” in getting to our home, which was then in Texas. We are now in Florida and worry about storms as much as you now. We owned a condo unit at the Durant for many years and vacationed there every summer, beginning in 1973 or so. We sold it when I retired before the big storm and were sad that it all got destroyed. We haven't been back since because of all the memories, but we definitely plan to. Good luck with the paper. The Web site is very attractive. Bill Swindell New Smyrna Beach, Fla. Thanks for the e-mail about your new venture and glad to know you are still in the editor business, as we enjoyed your articles in The Breeze.... Signed up for the e-mails and will be visiting Frisco in September/October. Fred and Margaret Feil Ocean View, N.J. I just read The Island Free Press, and it's one of the best online local papers I have seen to date. I like the way the articles are a mix of local color (beach driving crisis, Day at the Docks complete with a fantastic slide show, the renovated house at Ocracoke,) national news with a local slant (the ongoing flood insurance drama) and in-depth coverage ( the Bonner Bridge.) Linking to articles in the News and Observer and Associated Press gives your paper a cosmopolitan flair without losing the wonderful local flavor. Well written articles, lots of photographs, and an easy to read format - I knew it was going to be good, but this exceeds my expectations! Well done. I'll be a regular reader. Mary Kay Taylor Hilton Head, S.C. I love it! The easily accessed articles and even the interactive ads are great. The Virginian-Pilot people must be nuts! Best of luck and success. Elaine and Paul Schmidt Buxton Pool & Spa Bravo! Just what I wanted. I am a descendant of many of the early Outer Banks families, love the place, and am working on family stories. Your newspaper will keep me up-to-date until I can get back there myself! Ann Brewer Ianuario Congratulations and good luck to you and your associates on your new venture. I am very excited and looking forward to reading your articles about Ocracoke Island. Len Rusko I'm sorry the Breeze will no longer be under your leadership, but I love your new venture. It's filled with all the news that will keep Hatteras on my mind all winter. The layout is great. The best part is I can log on anytime! Best of luck. Marlene Kuhl Baltimore, Md. Congratulations on your new venture. How clever a person you are. So glad to see that you were not looking so hard at the closed door that you did not see the open window. The best of luck to you, Pam, and Donna. Robert and Angela Smyers What a refreshing breeze. I love the new paper, and now I have my cup of tea in the morning with my laptop. Donna Peele Hatteras Bravo! The Island Free Press is great! I look forward to logging on every day. Thank you for sharing your expertise and giving us the opportunity to stay connected to the islands we love through the long winter. Charlotte Zovistoski Florida, N.Y. I just finished reading this first edition of The Island Free Press. Congratulations on an outstanding publication filled with news and current events that I found to be most beneficial and useful to me as a public official representing Dare County in the North Carolina General Assembly. I look forward to future updates and editions to keep me up to date on all the local news. Please include me in your list of appreciative readers. Rep. Tim Spear NC House of Representatives District 2 |
| I
read with disappointment of "the change in vendor services," which
means that you will no longer be editor of the Breeze. It is my
sincere hope that does not mean that we will no longer get to read your
interesting and informative articles about the issues that currently
affect life on the Banks. Although we are only sometimes
visitors, the visits have been going on for 30-plus years, and I feel a
real kinship to the Banks, and Buxton in particular. Thus I look
forward each month to reading about the issues, the history, and the
people on and of the Banks. I wish you the very best with whatever happens next. Bill Zimmerlin Covington, Ohio Irene Nolan is among the best newspaper professionals I have ever known. She is a writer with elan and an editor with dignity and pith -- without piety. Whoever made the decision to "change leadership" is an idiot. Cornelia Olive Editor (Ret.) Sanford, N.C. I don't know which I am most--angry or sad. You are the Breeze! No one can possibly fill your shoes. I'll miss the Breeze, for I doubt it will survive too long. Dixie Burrus Browning Frisco We have been in Pennsylvania since last Saturday, and I just sat down to read my e-mail. And I am mad! How dare they decide that a newspaper for island people about island people needs an off-island editor! Under your guidance, the Breeze has become an award-winning publication. And the circulation has most certainly grown tremendously. We will not just roll over for these people. Brenda Conley Frisco We were so sorry to hear of you termination. It is their loss. You have been wonderful for the paper and a staunch advocate for our community. I wish you nothing but the best in your next venture. Donna and Wayne Thomas Frisco and Hamilton N.J. So many times I have called you about information to go into The Breeze -- way back to the "school daze" and more recently for our Hatteras United Methodist Church fundraisers. As usual, I would be at the deadline or a little over, and you would always tell me you would try to get the information into the paper. Sure enough, it would be there! Another thing is that you were always very nice about doing it. I know at times I was probably not the only one calling things in late, and I'm sure it was frustrating! To say the least, you will be missed by so many and know that I appreciated all you did to help get the information out on our community events and for being kind about it. I think those folks up the beach are making a huge mistake. Faye Foster Hatteras I am saddened by this incident, but you can count on me for support with your new venture. Maybe this is even a blessing in disguise. Who knows? At any rate, it appears to me that, in the end, The Island Breeze will suffer the most. Michael Halminski Waves I am so sorry to hear of your departure from The Island Breeze. Should you begin work at another paper, please feel free to email me. Thank you for taking the time and effort to keep Hatteras close to your heart. It takes special people to do what you have done with the paper. Being a Hatteras native and living in Texas, it has always been a pleasure to go online and find news from home. Jasper Williams Retired from the Dare County Sheriff's Office (1976-1999) Glad to hear that your idea is progressing quickly. It is obvious that many islanders are Internet-connected. For the rest, I hope that those who are connected will print out the news and forward to those who are not. I hope you can find a way to make this enterprise not only self supporting, but also a source of sustenance for you. I’m pulling for you. Jim Kinghorn EVP/General Manager Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative Buxton I just received the email, and I, for one, am angry if you are not. You have done a job that is beyond any that could have been done. Your editorials, the contents of the paper, the down home feel that it has, is from you, and I don’t think that the Breeze will have anything like that from an editor that does not live on the island and is not in touch with the issues the islanders face. I will mourn the loss of you at the helm of this local paper. Jinny McBride Frisco Your work as editor of the Breeze was quality. All the way. Your reporting and editorials had value. The Breeze became an award-winning paper for a good reason, not the least of which was the professionalism you brought to it. I am so sorry that your tenure with the paper ended this way. You don't deserve this. You've heard the saying, "One door closes...another opens." I hope that many doors will open for you now. Hang in there, and know that I, for one, truly appreciate all you have done to shed light on and educate us readers to the important issues facing the islands today. I will miss you. Linda Browning Frisco I am extremely sorry to hear this. You were The Island Breeze. It will never be the same without you! I always looked for your articles first when I got the new Breeze. You have done so much for so many and done a fantastic job. I am glad that you are exploring other publishing options. Please do this. It would be such a major loss without you. Your contributions are invaluable and appreciated by all of us, residents and visitors alike. Lynne Murray Frisco I received an e-mail from Dewey Parr today about your leaving The Island Breeze. Is this true? If so, I am very sorry to hear it. They will be hearing from me as soon as I log off my computer. As Irene Nolan goes, so goes The Island Breeze. As The Island Breeze goes, so goes the last remaining voice of all who truly love Hatteras. I hope you understand how much I'll miss your paper. I truly appreciate all you did for me, my family, and friends here in New Jersey. You were a link to the place we all love, however far away. Michael Letso Chadwick Beach, N.J. Congratulations Irene, I am excited for you and for us, that we will have your great insight and wisdom for years to come. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you, and welcome back. Warren Judge Kitty Hawk You have done an excellent job with The Island Breeze, in my opinion, for what that’s worth. Hopefully you will continue in some capacity as the “Voice of Hatteras Island.” We all need not only the forum for reader input and discussion of local issues, but also a guiding and balanced editorial philosophy, which you provided. It will be a travesty if the “Island” Breeze no longer has the credibility that ensues from having an islander at the helm. At that point, it becomes nothing more than simply another advertising broadside, to be routinely relegated to the role of cat-box liner. Damn the accountants, pencil-pushers, soulless hucksters, and all those with that bureaucratic mindset that can’t see beyond their own cubicles. Wayne Mathis Buxton   |