How local would you like for your news to be? More local, I'm sure, than most mass media organizations believe they are capable of delivering.

When Hugo roared in, we all fumbled through the darkness, asking a perfectly reasonable question:

On Sept. 9, 1989, a cluster of thunderstorms blew west, off the coast of Africa, unnoticed by all but a few meteorologists.

My, but you've been creative filling that blank computer screen.

Could someone out there have a solution to the funding crisis facing charities in the Charlotte area?

Rick Thames: So you aren't Al Roker and you won't be rolling up to a charity in a tractor-trailer packed with $369,000 worth of goods.

One of the best features about our newly designed Web site, CharlotteObserver.com, is that you get a chance to comment on virtually every story and column we post.

More than 2 million people visit Charlotte.com every month. Never been? Better hurry.

Most of the newspapers we printed today have a slightly different look and feel.

Rick Thames
Rick Thames leads The Observer's newsgathering operations and has worked as a journalist for 27 years.