Is there much good nmews for then to read?

Is it buried somewhere?

Does it say more about the people who frequent the internet?

Print some good news, I will read it.

The front of today's local section has a story about a new wine business (yeah!), the restored B-17 Liberty Belle at Meadows (way cool) and a column by Herb Benham about Miss Kern County (definitely good news.) It's not hard to find good news in the paper. Unfortunately we don't have a way to count what people are reading in the paper, only online.

More alcohol in B-town doesn't qualify as good news to me. Beauty pageants don't qualify as good news to me either.

The B-17 story I read online. Very cool.

Unemployment extension benefits DID NOT pass by one vote---gonna be ALOT of angry folks out there that depend on that....

Jennifer ~ What's that old axiom? "If it bleeds, it leads", it's been that way since newspapers were invented. On-line, print, TV, radio...doesn't matter, the top stories will always be the tragedies. Sad; but true.

I used to really love the Eye Street section contributions from locals describing their "Perfect Day."  I haven't seen any in a while.  I don't know it that constitutes "news," but it was something pleasant that I really liked, and never missed.

However, just judging from the sound off letters to Mike Jenner, I'd say the parts of the paper people are most passionate about are the crosswords and the comics.  Not really news either, but pleasant, and extremely necessary, apparently.

I'd say people are clamoring for good news because of the spiraling economy.  It's like in the 30s when all those glossy Fred Astaire movies made the big bucks.  People wanted escapism.  Maybe you guys could include more reader-submitted stories about traveling and interesting experiences.  I know I loved those letters sent home from the Olympics by our local runner from Taft.  People can't afford to get out much anymore.  Maybe they'd like to live vicariously through someone else.

*And lastly, it seems to me that the blogs that get the most hits are often the latest jailbird lists.  Not exactly good news, but often funny just the same.  : )

The last "My Favorite Day" ran on Feb. 15, according to our archives. There were actually two that day, from Jeff Nickell at the Kern County Museum and Condors player Dave Bonk. Anyone in the community is welcome to write about their favorite day and submit it to our Lifestyles Editor Jennifer Self at jself@bakersfield.com. We run them as we get them.

Also, we get a lot of reader-submitted stories through our Web site at Bakersfield.com/youreport. If you have a story to share, please do! We really do strive to get good news from our community into the paper.

It's just that I notice it's the death and mayhem stories that really get the hits on our Web site, not the community submitted stuff. Even though THOSE are the stories that I like to read, personally. I mean, read this story by a military wife whose husband is about to come home for R&R and see his baby for the first time in 8 months. I cried when I read this. I want to run it in the newspaper, but the author hasn't answered my e-mail asking her for permission and for her name.

Jennifer--maybe I'll read the story about the daddy and his baby another day.  I have no doubt that it would be popular among local news readers, but I cried enough yesterday over that little 5-year-old boy.  Now that really was a sad story, and I'm sure it got a lot of hits, but I'm not going back to check.  To be honest, I really don't look at the "Breaking News" blogs much anymore, although they really are often funny if you're into laughing at the foibles of other people--which I am.  ; )

I really should submit my own "favorite day" to Jennifer, but in all honesty my favorite day would be a total drag about only about a paragraph long, describing how my husband and kids left the house for the day and I never got off the couch.  I'm a homebody with a lazy streak.  Not exactly riveting reading material.

I only remember one favorite day story last month--the one by the Condors player.  I guessed I missed the other one.

BTW and totally OT--I didn't get my paper 3 times this week, so I've been a little out of the loop newswise.  I would write a letter to Jenner about it, but I've already called the # and gotten it taken care of I think.  If not--watch out Jenner!  LOL!