www.roanoke.com

It's the start of week 2 of our comics ballot and we already have more than 3,000 votes online!

Not to mention the 8 bins - yes, 8! - of paper ballots that we're getting ready to tally. Everyone in the newsroom has been blown away by the response, so thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think!

Speaking of that, bet you're curious about the results so far. Well, I can't get into details, but let's just say that based on the online votes so far, strips about family relationships are topping the heap. Not quite so for the strip whose name rhymes with "gorp."

If you haven't voted yet, click on the logo for a link to the ballot. Poll closes April 12!

We're day three into our comics poll and we are gratefully overwhelmed!

More than 2,000 votes have been cast online since the polls opened Sunday. And just this morning, several of us in the newsroom were huddled around three bins FULL of mailed-in comics ballots, marveling at stacks. It's true ... comics fans aren't shy!

Some other fun facts about the poll responses so far:

- We've heard from people ages 10 to 91.

- Some comments we've received include: "Get rid of them!"; "One of the best features of the paper, like dessert!"; "Does _*anybody*_really read Prince Valiant?"; "PLEASE bring back FOR BETTER OR WORSE !!!!"; and "They get my day started and breakfast would not be the same without them."

Thanks, folks. We love hearing from you. Keep it coming!

As the editor of the Extra section, one of the things I've learned is that people are passionate about their comics.

I'm not one of those people (I'm more of a fair-weather fan, reading "Funky Winkerbean" through Lisa's passing, but have not read it since). So I was amazed at the number of people who responded when we tested "Pearls Before Swine" recently and also when we dropped "For Better For
Worse."

For good or for bad (and trust me, we got a lot of bad when we dropped FBFW), it meant a lot to me that so many readers cared that much about their comics that they would write and call.

Now, we're giving them a chance to tell us loud and clear how they feel about our daily comics, plus four test strips, including the new/old "For Better For Worse." On Sunday, we begin the voting process at roanoke.com/entertainment.

Also that day, we'll be running a paper ballot in The Roanoke Times' Extra section.

We'll be collecting online votes for three weeks. After it closes, we'll add up the numbers and use the result as a divining rod to decide where to go next with our comics.

In the meantime, you can also send comments to comics@roanoke.com.

We're expecting a good response. I'm sure our comics fans won't disappoint.

We're happy to spread the news that our 2008 series "Age of Uncertainty" garnered more recognition today, this time from the Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Awards. The multimedia series was named a finalist in Web reporting, just on the heels of it being recognized by POYi. The Scripps judges awarded first place in Web reporting to the Los Angeles Times for "Mexico Under Siege," a fascinating series that explores the escalating drug violence in Mexico. The site tells the story through the latest storytelling tools, including an interactive map and video Q&A. Congratulations to the latimes.com staff, and again to the team who produced "Age" for us here.  To see more examples of excellent journalism across the country, go to the complete list of 2008 Scripps winners, which includes honors for investigative, business and environmental reporting. FYI, while Scripps has been giving out awards since 1953, the Web reporting award debuted in 1999. The Roanoke Times and roanoke.com won the Web reporting award in 2005 for "Going Down the Crooked Road," a multimedia series exploring our region's bluegrass traditions.

Glenvar Cub Scout Pack 352 toured The Roanoke Times on Thursday evening.

While here, the Cub Scouts got a look at our press -- plus a sneak peek at Friday's print edition of So Salem, our community newspaper for Salem and western Roanoke County.

Here, editor Carole Tarrant talks to the Cub Scouts about how the newspaper is put together.  For more on the scouts' tour, see our Salem community news site.

Would your group like to tour The Roanoke Times? Let us know.

The next "JobQuest" -- the monthly television show that Blue Ridge PBS produces with some help from us and others -- will be Tuesday, March 17 at 7 p.m.

One of the guests will be Duncan Adams, a business reporter for The Roanoke Times.

For background on JobQuest, check out our posts from Dec. 23 and Jan. 31.

Here's a release from the public television station that gives more information Tuesday's show: Read more »

Pictures of the Year International today named our 2008 series "Age of Uncertainty" as the documentary project of the year.  This honor is especially sweet because, as I wrote earlier this year , the series was a labor of love for many of us involved. We are taking care of our own relatives and seeing the challenges that lie ahead for the Roanoke Valley and its aging population.

My thanks to reporter Beth Macy and photojournalist Josh Meltzer (now on a Fulbright fellowship in Mexico) for telling these stories so beautifully and passionately. Many thanks, too, to multimedia editor Seth Gitner, who had the vision to build the online site as a long-lasting, interactive community resource.

These three were backed by a dedicated team of journalists who collaborated so well in print and online: Grant Jedlinsky, Alec Rooney, Tracy Boyer, Belinda Harris, Matt Chittum, Meg Martin, Terri Macklin, Dan Beatty, Dan Casey, Brian Kelley, John Jackson, Rob Lunsford and Andrew Svec. And while we're talking POYi, here's a big congrats to photojournalist Kyle Green, who won second place in the sports action category for his operatic photo at a boxing match.