Newspapers have come a long way

In 1440, German inventor Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. The beginnings of newspaper appeared in Germany in late 1400s. The news was printed in the form of pamphlets. Broadsides were printed when highly sensationalized events accrued.

The first successively published newspaper was The Weekly News in 1622. The first true newspaper in English was the London Gazette, which started to print in1666. In America it is thought that the first newspaper appeared in Boston in 1690, entitled “Publick Occurrences.” With the ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791guaranteeing the freedom of the press, America's newspapers began to take on a central role in national affairs. By 1814 it was reported there were 346 newspapers throughout America. I mention all of this to say that we have come a long way in 569 years. We’ve come from the printing press to instant communications.

I hope this blog will be a conversation not only about the New Year but also about our hopes and fears of the future. We can in this blog also talk about our county its future and what we as citizens can do to make Jefferson County a more progressive county.

What do you think of the zoning ordnance? What do you think of the new leadership at the County Commission level? What changes or improvements would you like to see in 2009 that would not only help Shepherdstown to grow, but also our county?