www.roanoke.com

We published a story today by reporter Mason Adams based on information from three Roanoke City Council members who requested anonymity. Adams story broke the news that City Council will meet Monday to discuss ending City Manager Darlene Burcham's tenure.

We strive to avoid using unnamed sources in our stories because we know readers can't fully assess the value of the information we are providing without fully knowing the sources. Sometimes, though -- when we believe we can't get the information from on-the-record sources and we think it's important for our readers to know -- we will allow it. We always strive to have the information confirmed by more than just one person. And any use of an unnamed sources has to be approved by one of the top two newsroom editors.

Do you think this was a good use of unnamed sources?

You can read more about how we make these decisions in our news standards and policies.

Earlier this month we handed out the newsroom's Landmark Awards, our annual in-house competition to recognize top performers in writing, photography, design, headline writing and online innovation. The awards recognize a body of work (reporters must submit 10 stories, for instance) throughout the year.

Here's a list of winners and a few of the judges' comments. Congrats to all of the winners.

Read more »

From my column today, some perspective on where The Roanoke Times fits into reports on the newspaper industry's troubles:

In Roanoke, we go into mid-2009 carrying no onerous debt. We remain profitable. Our owner, Norfolk-based Landmark Media Enterprises LLC, is a privately held partnership. As such, it is not required to make quarterly reports to public stockholders. That allows us to think and plan longer-term.

We're gratified, and even humored by, an industry blogger's recent declaration that we're one of "10 Newspapers that Will Survive the Apocalypse."

Remember this as you read of the Boston Globe's late-hour negotiations with unions, or the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's struggle with bankruptcy. Their story is not ours. 

-- Carole Tarrant

A few times a year, our newsroom targets an important issue or event and dedicates a small team to reporting it thoroughly in and print online. This year, you'll see such a team focus on the issue of underage drinking and its impact on Virginia college and university campuses.

Our new series, "Under 21," begins today with reporter Greg Esposito's overview of the Amethyst Initiative, the movement by academic leaders to reopen the drinking age debate. Look for new stories in "Under 21" each month through most of this year. And watch for the roanoke.com team to contribute with plenty of multimedia storytelling. 

In my print column today, I refer to a recent fatal alcohol poisoning at the University of Kansas. While doing research for this series, I came upon an excellent report about this incident by student journalists at Kansan.com. Called "A Shot of Reality," the project includes graphics, video, a quiz and a heartbreaking retelling of the death of student Jason Wren.

One story, "Excessive and accepted," looks at KU's drinking culture, "where where girls make 'shot books' on their 21st birthdays, taking 21 shots and keeping a page for each shot; where guys chug whole beers through beer bongs; where beer pong and other drinking games are commonplace at student parties; and where bar specials on weeknights bring students out in large numbers."

Do those scenes occur regularly at campuses in Southwest Virginia? And what do you think of reopening this debate? Is alcohol awareness education -- and not a lowered drinking age -- an effective way to discourage such excesses?

Let us know what you think. Our reporters want to hear from all perspectives as they undertake this series.

-- Carole Tarrant

It took us a while, but we've finally sorted through all the votes (7,800+) we got for the comics poll and we're ready to announce the results!

Check out Sunday's Extra section for the details. But what I said weeks earlier (when we had just 3,000+ votes) apparently held true -- "Gil" has lost his charm. Not so for the Patterson family, though!

We do plan on making some changes to our line up in June based on the poll results. I know we won't please all folks, but that would pretty impossible, wouldn't it?

In the meantime, check out our new online comics offering. You can read your favorite comics daily, find past strips, and build a page of your favorites to follow. And you can read "Zits" as a "motion strip," with voiceover. Though not all of our strips are offered (but perhaps that can be changed if there is a clamoring), it also features strips that we don't publish, such as "Beetle Bailey" and "Hagar the Horrible" -- both of which I know have fans in the area.

Let us know what you think of our online comics offering at comics@roanoke.com.