By Scott Carlson

The breadth of Bugleland

As the Bugle’s fall fundraising campaign begins to gather steam, we want to reiterate the importance that all of our supporters, where ever they may live, make to our annual campaign.

In the October issue of the Bugle, one reader told us she was “stopped in my tracks” by Steve Plagens’ commentary touting the latest campaign “on which he somewhat smugly praised the homegrown attributes of St. Anthony Park” but “never mentioned the three other communities that are listed on the Park Bugle’s masthead.

“I literally felt a sense of exclusion,” the upset reader said. “Does the Bugle not include me and my neighborhood in its thinking? Has the newspaper reverted to a time 30 years ago when the newspaper was called the St. Anthony Park Bugle and served only that community?”

Well, let the record show that Steve never intended to minimize the support of donors from Falcon Heights, Lauderdale or Como Park.

“I am sorry if my failure to mention by name the other communities we serve implied we weren’t interested in their support.” Steve wrote to our concerned reader. “That was the last thing I wanted to convey in a plea for readers to contribute to our annual fund drive. Please attribute this oversight to my personal tendency of lumping Lauderdale, Falcon Heights and Como Park into my perception of the “neighborhood” rather than inherent smugness on my part.”

Steve said he, in his fundraising appeal, tried to give some examples of inclusive venues and events that draw folks from all of our communities. Those include “everything from the Events calendar to regular coverage of District 10 and 12 Community Councils to the upcoming elections in Falcon Heights to the monthly focus on Como High School,” he said. “All are of interest to our readers regardless of where they reside.”

I can vouch for that. In the last year, we have tried to ramp up more coverage of our non-St. Anthony Park neighborhoods and cities. In the last year, we have run more than 50 stories that have focused on the people, businesses, events and activities in Como Park and the cities of Falcon Heights and Lauderdale. That’s an average of 3 to 5 stories a month.

Examples include “Falcon Heights moving on a climate plan,” the arrival of Karol Coffee in Falcon Heights, “Lauderdale exploring municipal cannabis business” and the Eustis Street project. We’ll also continue covering developments at the U of Minnesota’s golf course property in Falcon Heights.

Meanwhile, we always welcome story tips from readers about events, issues, people and activities across Bugleland.

Thanks for reading us and for being our supporters.

Scott Carlson is the managing editor of the Bugle.