The Booster wasn’t even closed for a week when rumours about changes to the Fitzhugh started to circulate.

Word seems to have gotten around that since now we’re the only paper in Jasper, we’re going to start charging for copies.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. The Fitzhugh has been a free paper since day one, and putting a price on copies has not even been considered by the powers that be.

Think about it. The revenue from newspaper sales is paltry at best. Advertising sales support papers.

Though some newspapers continue to charge for issues, often it’s a symbolic gesture to give readers the impression of a prestigious publication worth paying for. 

Why would we start to charge for the Fitzhugh, a move that would alienate our readership, when we’d likely lose enough readers to hurt, not help our books?

We’re not going to charge for issues. We’re not going to stuff post office boxes, and we’re not going to drive up our advertising costs.

In fact, the closing of the Booster means very little change for the Fitzhugh.

It would be nice if the people of this town could put their words to good use, for example, passing on word of a job opportunity to people who have lost theirs or helping someone new to town find a place to live.

Apply some common sense before you believe or pass on something you heard along the grapevine. More often than not, the message won’t make much sense if you pause to think about it.

Congratulations for deserving young man

Kudos to Han Wook Kim, the young man from Jasper who got on the Dean’s List for his first semester at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

It’s not every day a young person has the chance to follow his or her dreams. Many are encouraged to study something deemed more “practical” and to take up arts as a hobby. Others never get the chance to pursue higher education at all.

However, a myriad of success stories do come out of Jasper. Unfortunately, only those that are brought to our attention wind up in the newspaper. If you know a success story about a young person from Jasper, please let us know at the Fitzhugh, as we’d like nothing more than to highlight their success.