We Didn't Read it in the DeSoto Sun

The Peace River Water Authority is nearing completion -- a year ahead of schedule -- of a 6-billion-gallon reservoir over on the west side of Kings Highway. This monumental effort will increase regional water-holding capacity from about a month's supply to a year's supply.

How do DeSoto County residents know this? They didn't find it in the pages of the DeSoto Sun. The Herald's story is written by an inquisitive reporter who asked questions, visited the site, talked to people and looked into the who, what, when, where, and why from every reasonable angle. For the "where" part, a photographer got some great photographs of the massive project. The reporter's fruitful background search turned up enough relevant factoids to make a substantial sidebar.

Over at the DeSoto Sun, three reporters were tucked comfortably in their air-conditioned offices rewriting press releases from the cops and trying to make eight photographs from the middle school "graduation" fill two wide-open pages. Oh yes, they also poured the crop weather report supplied word-for-word from the state ag department. Busy day.