From the Editor

He's not a byline or a name on the masthead, but for the past three decades Mort Saltzman has been a major force in The Bee's news efforts.

Valeeya Brazile isn't around to tell her own story, which ended Feb. 5 when the 3-year-old from Fair Oaks was killed and her mother's boyfriend became the suspect, later charged, in her murder.

Most voters have made their pick for president, but where are you on the school board race, your local council candidates, the Sierra College board or Propositions 1 through 12?

Once in a while I get a letter or e-mail that begins this way: Stop using the newspaper to try to make me go to your Web site; I don't read news on the computer, and I don't want to!

When we all learned in seventh grade how a bill becomes a law, we must have missed the part about the all-nighter.

In my favorite newspaper movie, the 1952 Humphrey Bogart title "Deadline – U.S.A.," a bittersweet scene unfolds in a bar after the staff learns that their paper is about to be sold.

Complain if you like about The Bee's political coverage, but don't blame us for "the media."

The Bee reports almost daily on how the current economic downturn is affecting people, businesses and the broader welfare of our region. In the past few months and again last week, we've also been part of the story.

I admit it, sometimes I hate the media.

Several new features in The Bee have put a sharper focus on some important areas of coverage.

The Bee's conservative critics and its staff agree: This newspaper has an agenda.

We've been delighted by how many readers have written or called to comment on The Bee's redesign.

My column on the front page last Sunday drew a few questions about The Bee's new format, which you'll see beginning Tuesday.

In nine days, your Sacramento Bee will undergo an overnight transformation that has been months in the making.

In three weeks, The Bee will launch a new arts and travel section called Explore.

I was reading a story about Fresno State's recent national championship in baseball when I came across this quote from closing pitcher Brandon Burke.

In case you missed the first installment last week, longtime Bee TV writer Rick Kushman launched a new column called "The Good Life."

The announcement Monday of layoffs at The Bee, including seven news and opinion staffers, prompted this question from readers and some of our journalists:

Beginning today, The Bee is publishing a McClatchy Newspaper series offering some of the deepest reporting to date on treatment of terror suspects detained by the United States in Cuba and Afghanistan.

Let me be clear: Business columnist Bob Shallit is not leaving The Bee.

We're just two months away from major changes in The Bee print edition, so I thought I'd update you on our plans.

To hear some people talk, the Sacramento mayor's race will affect our whole region's destiny.

Tony Bizjak is that friend we all treasure, the one who can tell us the best driving routes and shortcuts to dodge traffic.

People who don't like The Bee's Kevin Johnson coverage lately accuse us of political bias, racism, personal attack – guessing at everything, it seems, but the real motivation.

Barbara Christian and Aundré M. Herron aren't Bee staff writers, but their Forum section essays last Sunday on the death penalty prompted more responses than we've seen on any other topic recently.

Bryan Patrick picked up another Photographer of the Year trophy the first weekend in April, and a few days later The Bee's front page reminded us why.

I've written often in this space about The Bee's online coverage, but much of our attention right now is focused on improving the newspaper.

We had some debate among senior editors last Monday about whether The Bee's change in publishers, announced that morning, was front-page news.