My wife, Assistant Managing Editor Jessica Eng, had trouble sleeping the nights leading up to the launch of the newspaper you’re holding in your hands today. And my mood swung wildly — from confident excitement to sheer panic. Sure, we’ve been publishing the Plant City Observer for more than a year. But this joint venture […]
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OBSERVED: In the studio with Plant City’s NRG
Rain pelts the roof above the Brandon-based Polysound Recording Studios, and an occasional thunderclap reminds everyone we are lucky to be indoors. Inside, studio owner Wes Price is at command central, furiously working on what seems like hundreds of vocal tracks. Six members of Plant City’s youth pop singing group, NRG, have been slugging it […]
Continue ReadingObserved: Observer + Times = a better publication
As representatives from the Plant City Observer and the Tampa Bay Times sat in the same room for the first time last week, Ernest Hooper, the Times’ East Hillsborough bureau chief, joked that the rollout of our new joint venture, the Plant City Times & Observer, should be a wedding. That got me thinking. Maybe […]
Continue ReadingOBSERVED: Blackout evidence of media bias
Rare is the week I dip into national news in the Plant City Observer. We’re a hyperlocal community news outlet, and 99% of the time, we leave the national headlines to the others. But, when those outlets have flat-out failed to deliver information you deserve, I am compelled to dip my pen in that ink. […]
Continue ReadingOBSERVED: Grandparents set shining example
Years ago, my wife, Jess, and I found one of those online surveys. It displayed several images and asked the question: Which of these best depicts love? One was a couple walking hand-in-hand on the beach. Another was of a husband and wife on their wedding day. Still another was of a romantic candlelit dinner […]
Continue ReadingOBSERVED: Daughter injured in freak accident
I’ve always been bothered by those signs in factories or industrial work zones that read, “This site has been accident-free for X days.” If the number is really low, then everyone who sees it wonders what had just happened. If the number is high, then it seems like disaster is about to strike any second […]
Continue ReadingOBSERVED: Haircut satisfies grandfather’s wishes
My eyesight is pretty bad without my glasses. They’re not quite Coke bottles — but they’re close. Most days, I lament my near-sightedness, and all those ads for LASIK catch my attention.
Continue ReadingOBSERVED: Fifty reasons this dad is thankful today
By Michael Eng | Managing Editor When my wife and I decided we would leave our posts at Observer Media Group headquarters to open the Plant City Observer earlier this year, we knew not every piece of an extremely complex puzzle would fall into place at the same time. Not only were we charged with […]
Continue ReadingOBSERVED: Kids kick dear old Dad back to reality
By Michael Eng | Managing Editor I could feel my 2-year-old daughter’s grip tightening around me with every step. And even though — in my head — I knew the outcome, I kept convincing myself it would be different. I had to. It was the only way I could justify standing in such a long line so […]
Continue ReadingOUR VIEW: We recommend …
The political buzz today, of course, is all about the presidential election. Rightfully so. The course of America, if not the world, is at stake. And so is your individual liberty.
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