A former writer for the Munjoy Hill Observer who was involved in a neighborhood newspaper dust-up last year has started her own blog about the Hill at munjoyhillnews.wordpress.com.
Carol McCracken, 66, who lives near Colucci’s, insists she harbors “no sour grapes now” regarding her conflict with Observer editors who, unbeknownst to McCracken, inserted a questionable bracketed statement about a source into one of her articles. But in a recent interview at Munjoy’s most popular meeting place, the Hilltop Coffee Shop, she says there is “a void in community news on Munjoy Hill.”
To rectify that want, she started her own blog this summer. On it, she highlights locals and gives them the “pats on the back” she thinks they deserve. So far, topics have included the North Street Community Garden members, a Freeport painter who frequently works on the Eastern Prom, and local politico Cyrus Hagee, who is apparently building a home on the Hill. She hopes to do some investigative work (city housing policies are of particular interest), but vows to stay away from Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization (MHNO) politics.
McCracken has big ambitions, but she might have even bigger shoes to fill than she anticipates, given the Observer’s financial woes. The paper is on hiatus this month, as organizers try to figure out how to pay for the monthly publication costs (the MHNO lost significant funding this year). It’s unclear whether the paper will hit the streets again in September. The MHNO board held an exective session last month to talk about the Observer’s future, and the Observer committee will meet this month to outline editorial and volunteer policies, as well as to discuss funding options and the possibility of switching to a bulletin format.
“I believe the [MHNO] board will take the time to manage this transition thinking about long-term sustainability,” says former MHNO board president Markos Miller. “The Observer does require a significant amount of time and energy for a volunteer organization.”
