News

Sea turtle tracks are on the beach and TV weather maps already show suspicious-looking bright blobs in the Atlantic. The steady hum of air conditioners is all around and even the finest restaurants are offering enticing dining deals. It must be summer.
Less traffic, more parking, cheaper admission. What’s not to love? Soon the ocean will be warm enough for natives to swim in and the predictable afternoon thunderstorms will pass, casting rainbows on balmy evenings.
Now is the time of year when our publication scales back to allow our advertisers and employees to take vacations if they choose. As a result, we plan to produce a smaller newspaper each month. Beginning this month, expect two sections instead of three and know that some of your favorite columnists will be taking brief sabbaticals. It’s all planned. Nothing to worry about. All is good at The Coastal Star.
We’re just trimming the sails for a smooth cruise through summer.
That doesn’t mean we’ll stop covering news. Not at all. The summer months are when municipalities begin budget talks — discussions that decide how your tax dollars will be spent in the coming year.
We’ll be at those meetings and will write about what your elected officials decide. If you’re here year-round, we hope to see you there. It’s your money; make sure your voice is heard.
And make sure the calm of summer isn’t used as cover for sneaking personal agendas through without input from seasonal residents. It happens.
And, of course, we’ll write about more than budget news. We’ll also continue to find fascinating people to profile, interesting stories about our area to share and, as always, we’ll bring you information on coming events. Our advertisers will be around too, and you can count on them to show you the most attractive real estate along the coast and keep you informed about the year-round (and seasonal) services they provide to our community.
So, even though many of us have vacations planned and we expect to deliver fewer pages in each monthly edition, we’ll still be around — as long as hurricane season is kind and the air conditioner keeps working!

Mary Kate Leming,
Editor