The Free Lance welcomes and encourages letters to the editor and news items from our readers. E-mail is the best way to send these. Generally, it’s easier if the news item is in the body of the e-mail rather than an attached file. However, larger items can be attached as Microsoft Word, Simple Text (or any standard Macintosh application) or plain text (ASCII) files.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
E-mail Editor Conan Knoll at ed****@fr***********.com
Letters should be kept to 300 words; longer letters may be published as a guest column. You may be critical, but please be fair and factual. Include your name and phone number for verification purposes. (The phone number will not be published.) The Free Lance does not publish anonymous letters or those that are potentially libelous. We also reserve the right to edit letters for space and/or clarity.
BULLETIN BOARD/CHURCH BRIEFS
E-mail Editor Conan Knoll at ed****@fr***********.com
Allow at least one week before the event. Include the date, time and location of the event, a brief description of what it’s about and a phone number, e-mail address or Web site for readers to obtain more information.
ON OTHER FIELDS (Sports)
E-mail Sports Editor Josh Staloch at nm*****@fr***********.com
Allow at least one week before the event. Include the date, time and location of the event, a brief description of what it’s about and a phone number, e-mail address or Web site for readers to get more information.
WEDDINGS, ENGAGEMENTS, ANNIVERSARIES
E-mail Editor Conan Knoll at ed****@fr***********.com
These are published the first Friday of each month on the “Celebrations” page. Deadline is one week before publication. Please include a phone number in case we need more information.
Weddings: Include the bride’s and groom’s names and cities of residents; their parents’ names and cities of residence; the date, time and place of the wedding; the names of the bride’s and groom’s attendants and any musical soloists; a description of the bride’s gown; the bride’s and groom’s employment and schooling (high school/college and year of graduation); the date and location of the reception and approximate number of guests; and the location of the honeymoon.
Engagements: Include the names of the bride-to-be and the future groom; their cities of residence; their parents’ names and cities of residence; their employment and schooling; the date and place of the engagement and the date and place of the wedding.
Anniversaries: Include the names of the couple; the date and place of the wedding; the date and place of the renewal of vows (if any), who administered the vows and any of the original attendants at the renewal; the date and place of the anniversary celebration (if any), the name(s) of the host(s) and the approximate number of guests.
Photos: Photos can be e-mailed as attached files (.jpg preferred). Please do not send photos scanned at less than 72 dots per inch or more than 300.
BIRTHS
E-mail Editor Conan Knoll at ed****@fr***********.com
Births to San Benito County residents are published every Friday. Include the baby’s full name, date of birth, weight, the names of the parents, the city in which they live and the hospital where the baby was born.
OTHER NEWS ITEMS
E-mail Editor Conan Knoll at ed****@fr***********.com
Did your son or daughter win an award or do something special or unusual? Perhaps it was your pet, or maybe even you. Let us know about it. If you think it’s news, chances are others will too.
OBITUARIES
E-mail Editor Conan Knoll at ed****@fr***********.com
Generally, the Free Lance accepts obituaries only from licensed funeral homes; exceptions can be made, however. Privately submitted obituaries must include the name and phone number of an agency in charge of funeral arrangements, i.e. an out-of-town funeral home, the Neptune Society, etc.
The deceased:Obituaries should include the full name of the deceased; the date and place of death; date and place of birth; when they came to San Benito County (if a resident at the time of death) or when they lived in San Benito County (if not a resident at the time of death); their occupation(s) and employer(s); college attended and degree(s) earned; military service including branch, rank, years, war service and any military honors received; and memberships in churches and organizations.
Survivors: Include the names of surviving spouse (and how long married), children, brothers and sisters and parents. Include the number of surviving grandchildren, great-grandchildren, cousins, aunts and uncles. Also include the names of pre-deceasing spouse, siblings, children and (if the deceased is younger than 50) parents.
Services: Include date, time and place of visitation; funeral, vigil, Mass or Rosary services; interment and graveside services. If memorial donations are desired to a specific charity or charities, include their name(s) and address(es). Trust fund accounts will be published if the name of the bank and the account number are included.
Photos: Photos of the deceased can be included with obituaries and can be e-mailed as attached files (.jpg preferred). Please do not send photos scanned at less than 72 dots per inch or more than 300.
The Free Lance does not charge a fee for obituaries. However, we do reserve the right to edit them for space and policy requirements. Please note that obituaries are essentially news items and, as such, include only basic facts about the life of the deceased. If you wish to make a more personal tribute, memorial ads are available at a reduced rate. E-mail Advertising Director Denise Cauthen-Wright at dc******@fr***********.com for more information.
