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We are planning a major redesign and improvement of our Web site, www.LitchfieldCountyMom.Com, to coincide in May with the conversion of our quarterly Litchfield County Mom magazine to an all-color, all-glossy format.

What kind of information and interactive tools would you like to see on this site?

Please send your thoughts to Jenny Golfin at jgolfin@registercitizen.com, or call her at 860-489-3121, ext. 357.

How do you say thanks for a lifetime of community service?

Many people were kind and helpful to me when I returned to Torrington two years ago to become interim — and then “permanent” — publisher of The Register Citizen. But two people stood out in a “went-out-of-their-way-to-be-helpful” kind of way.

I will have more about this in my column on Wednesday, but in case you missed it, longtime Northwest Connecticut United Way Executive Director Bill Egan is retiring next month.

Bill was one of the most welcoming people to me when I returned to Torrington two years ago, and has been a wonderful partner with The Register Citizen in projects such as Warm the Children and the Northwest Connecticut Diaper Drive.

He has done so much for so many people in need over the past two decades in Northwest Connecticut. He will be missed.

I am pleased to announce that Rob Pazdziorko has rejoined The Register Citizen and Foothills Media Group as advertising director.

I worked with Rob briefly while I was briefly editor of The Register Citizen back at the start of 2004. He moved on to become general manager of the Step Saver in Southington, but never left Torrington, where had been involved in Rotary and with the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce.

He brings an incredible amount of knowledge about marketing and advertising to our growing operation, and an optimistic, positive attitude that is refreshing.

Readers aren't afraid of strong opinions on the op-ed page

Any manager of a local business will tell you that when a customer feels strongly enough about your product or service that they take time out of their day to call you and offer an opinion about it, you should take it seriously. And if you get multiple customers going out of their way and saying the same thing, it means that many others probably feel the same way.

Readers jump in to shape the news

I’ve always been a “thinking out loud” kind of guy. So the light bulb turns on most often when I am talking to a reader, advertiser, community leader or member of my staff. There were several moments like that as I had the pleasure last night of appearing on “City Views,” the local access call-in program on Cablevision’s Channel 5 that Tim Driscoll has been hosting for 22 years now.

I've been getting phone calls and emails all day from readers about THIS COLUMN asking whether we should shake up our lineup of op-ed columnists.

Causing a particular stir is the suggestion by some readers that we dump Michelle Malkin.

Well, so far today the feedback has run about 11 for keeping Malkin and 3 for replacing her with a "more reasonable" conservative columnist.

Let us know what you think!

I will be a guest on the "City Views" call-in program on Cablevision Channel 5 tomorrow evening.

Hosted by former Torrington mayoral candidates Tim Driscoll and Sam Slaiby, the show will be on the air from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The call-in number is 860-361-9985.

Anything goes in terms of the discussion, as far as I know, so it should be fun.

I'm sure the issue of "Sound Off" and Web site comments will come up. I'm eager to see what else does!

Some poked fun of us a bit today for this story about Torrington Mayor Ryan Bingham asking his girlfriend to marry him.

No longer orbiting around the print edition of The Register Citizen, we report news when we get it, across multiple digital platforms, including our Web site, and via email alerts (sign up on the registercitizen.com home page), Twitter, Facebook, etc.

The Bingham story showed up as "Breaking News" on our home page, just as a fatal car accident in Barkhamsted did earlier this morning and former Torrington High School standout Jordan Williams winning an ACC championship with Maryland in his first year of college basketball did a few hours after the Bingham story.

For those who think we should be this aloof arbiter of what is "important" enough to be breaking news, I've got to say, there have been more comments from readers on our Web site, on Facebook and Twitter congratulating Ryan and commenting on his wedding plans than anything else we've done today.

Why can't community journalism be personal? Shouldn't it be?