Editor’s note: No, you didn’t miss Parts I and II. Read on.
No matter the tone, all questions, comments, criticisms (or any communication with the Sun Day) is heard and taken seriously, however, when the same comment is made twice in the matter of a couple days by readers or residents completely independent of one another, I pay particular attention.
Just a few weeks ago, this happened. One reader emailed me, the other called, just days apart, but both addressed the same topic: Does the Sun Day operate in an official capacity on behalf of the Sun City Community Association of Huntley? Meaning, does the SCCAH own the Sun Day?
First, this is a BIG, FAT RESOUNDING NO. Here, let me put that in bigger print:
NO.
The Sun Day always has been and will always be an independently owned news publication that focuses on the affairs of the Sun City and surrounding communities. We are not owned or operated by the Sun City Community Association of Huntley.
Despite some of our editorial ups and downs and clashes (all commonplace for newspapers), I take no issue with the SCCAH. In fact, from an outsider’s perspective, I think your association does a pretty decent job (except for their very low tolerance of a few weeds popping up inside driveway paver cracks – seriously, guys, cut your residents some slack, here!). They at least seem more reasonable than the two associations I deal with for my condo in Lake in the Hills, where I lived for twelve years and started the Sun Day, and my home here in Huntley. The condo’s association is just plain awful, and to pull from a Tweet I recently read, if I died right now and went straight to Hell, it would be at least a week before I realized I wasn’t just dealing with my condo association. And my home’s association, which is nowhere near as intolerable as my condo’s, just sent their law firm after me for being accidentally late with my annual dues…by two weeks.
All things considered, the SCCAH does a pretty good job. But it is of utmost importance that it is completely understood that the SCCAH DOES NOT own or operate the Sun Day. This is important because our independence from the SCCAH is what allows us to bring you accurate, and more specifically, unbiased, objective information. This is the foundation of the Sun Day.
After fielding these communiqués, though, I sat back and thought, “That’s weird,” wondering what prompted the sudden question of our ownership. “We covered this topic years ago,” I thought, yet the caller specifically insisted that the perception was out there, that people thought the Sun Day was owned by the SCCAH.
Then it hit me.
In April, the Sun Day turns ten years old, and no matter how you look at it, ten years is a long time, long enough for a lot of new people to have joined the Sun City community. So, of course, to these newcomers, the Sun Day’s history is unknown, which allows me the perfect opportunity for a recap on the Sun Day’s origin and a refresher on its content.
Over the next two months, all leading up to the Sun Day’s tenth anniversary in April, I will discuss the Sun Day’s history and content divided into three parts, this being Part 1. But actually, I’m running the series like a countdown, so this is really Part 3 of 1, as in 3…2…1…Happy Anniversary!
