Web site will close elections

By Joel Myhre (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Saturday, November 1, 2008

So as we sit here three days before the election, most people are watching their news channel of choice to hear what they want to hear about their candidates, are doing dutiful research to figure out who they should vote for, or are so sick of the process after nearly a year of political pundit bombardment that they have turned to sports, movies and Seinfeld reruns.

Luckily, as a member of the news media, and a certified computer geek, I get to do a little something else: create a new web site that will finally bring closure to the game we call politics.

On Tuesday, I will be manning our website: "http://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/ election2008" www.fergusfallsjournal.com/ election2008. This weekend, I have the task of getting it ready for prime time.

The idea behind the web site will be to give our local readers the latest results (is the technical term now called “in real time?”) on all the races that matter to you (another rip-off from the television networks).

All kidding aside, the point of the site is to provide you with what you want to know about all the races you voted on, from the president to your city council member. Whether you are from Fergus Falls or one of our surrounding communities, our web site is designed to help you sift through the elections that don’t really matter to you and get to the good stuff.

For example, if you live in Elbow Lake, you are probably more interested in the Grant County Board of Commissioners race than you are in the Otter Tail County Board race. Our web site can give you what you want.

On Wednesday, our print edition, as it does every election, will provide some perspective on all of this.

So while we expect that, come Tuesday night, you will be tuning in your television network of choice to get the national election coverage, keep your PC or Mac fired up as well, because we’ll be giving you the local election updates as soon as we can get them.

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So I have been experiencing something I guess I would have never guessed as a parent, a 3-year-old who no longer wants to eat candy.

After our shared experience of going to the dentist, mine requiring me to hold my daughters hands (arms, feet, and torso) as she yelled in fear through three sessions of cavity filling, the credo “candy ruins your teeth” has truly sunk in with her.

Following a couple of Halloween parties this week, my daughter shoved away some of the most delicious pieces of candy known to man. “Candy causes cavities,” she says, knowing that cavities lead to future trips to the dentist that she doesn’t want to experience.

Believe me, I didn’t really want her to take it this far. After all, every kid ought to be able to enjoy a few pieces of tasty candy on Halloween without worrying about cavities.

But I guess it just goes to show that, when it comes to lessons, those that you experience seep in far deeper than those that are told to you.

Joel Myhre is The Journal’s general manager. E-mail him at joel.myhre@fergusfallsjournal.com