Sweetwoods Head to The Land of Thurber!

There's nothing like getting a Christmas card from the Sweetwoods featuring a long-overdue address change only to discover mere weeks later that we're changing our address, again.

We're changing our address, our latitude and our longitude.

To begin this next crazy chapter of our lives we must first confront the recent past. We loved our time in Florida and we love Hometown News. We have made many new lifelong friends and we will always treasure the time spent as Central Florida residents. 

But I cannot lie: I have missed the pace and excitement of the daily newspaper. And in my many conversations with prospective employers in recent years, I remained firm about one point: I want to remain with independent, family-owned publications where decisions are made on Main Street and not Wall Street.

That is getting increasingly difficult, these days. The good, family-owned newspapers are becoming more and more scarce. Many that remain have lost their way or have attracted folks from larger organizations who bring along their bad corporate habits.

Enter Todd Franko. Todd and I last worked together in Corning, N.Y. when he joined a team that stood down the Gannett empire as it tried to over-run The Leader newspaper. We went a.m. and launched a Sunday IN THE SAME WEEK and then added zoning to drive Elmira back. I left to go back to Illinois while Todd served successful stints in throughout the Midwest before being named editor in Youngstown, Ohio. We long ago became friends and have kept in touch over the years (Todd actually became a roomie while transitioning into his Rockford, Ill. gig when we still lived in Crystal Lake).

Todd has been looking for an editor for his newsroom and we have spent some months discussing the possibilities. Last week, I accepted the company's offer. I have always been a big fan of Todd and the vision and energy he brings to an organization and the possibilities for the future seem limitless.

The Youngstown newspaper is practically the perfect storm of opportunity, as I see it.  It's a big, family-owned newspaper with a progressive, above-average Web site and cross ownership of a TV station. Just as important, it is all lead by an in-touch executive team that is fully invested into Youngstown's future, as a brisk walk through the downtown revealed.

Sure, Ohio lacks palm trees but I am not the first to relocate to a Florida job with dreams of sun, sand and surf only to realize I am trapped behind a desk 10-12 hours a day and truly saw more ocean during a week's vacation. 

So, the Sweetwoods are Ohio-bound. The land of James Thurber and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We'll always have Florida, but for now, we excited to be Buckeyes!

I will head to Ohio in a couple of weeks to start work and scout housing, while Mary will continue on here organizing the move. My first day of work in Ohio will be on my birthday, Feb. 25.

This move comes with an ironic twist: It was Publisher Neil Hopp who lured me to Corning, N.Y. with the news editor gig and I returned the favor when I hired him as managing editor for training/development during my time as editor in Crystal Lake, Ill. I originally hired Todd to be news editor in Corning and now he's hired me as editor in Youngstown. Somehow, I think we need to get Neil involved at some point just to complete the circle.

More later,


Mark