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?

Have you been following the controversy over Torrington Mayor Ryan Bingham's plan to utilize the city's college tuition reimbursement program?
The latest (click here for story) is that Mayor Bingham and his administrative assistant, Stephen Nocera, have changed their minds in the face of taxpayer protest, and have revoked their $11,500 request for tuition payments. They plan to pay their own way for grad school courses at UConn.
Obviously, they get and most everyone gets why there was a backlash to this. When city and school services are being cut, taxes in this state are outrageous, and cost of living increases in other areas ($4.23 a gallon when I filled my tank last night on East Main Street) are out of control.
My question, though, is what does this say about how the region must adapt to a new generation of leadership?
Ryan Bingham is one of the youngest mayors ever elected in Connecticut, in what is the oldest county in the state.
Is he a once-in-a-few-decades anomaly, or can we cultivate other young people to step into roles of leadership in public service, business and charity in Northwest Connecticut?
As a politician, Mayor Bingham might have misread the tuition request issue, but as policy, how are we going to compete against job offers that our young people receive from Boston, Manhattan and elsewhere?
Are we behind the times in knowing what 20-somethings and 30-somethings need and demand from the workplace today in terms of technology, benefits, flexibility and ... yes, continuing education and career development in the form of things like tuition reimbursement?
The Bingham-Nocera tuition reimbursement controversy is dead, and it probably should be.
But the community does need to talk about how to engage, challenge and retain its best and brightest.
Here's the good news: The Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce is forming a new group to explore just that topic.
The first meeting of its Young Professionals Forum will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday at the Chamber office at 333 Kennedy Drive in Torrington. Call 860-482-6586 for more information or RSVP online by clicking here.

The Register Citizen has published its first local news video at www.registercitizen.com, the first of many.
Click here to check out a video report on downtown redevelopment efforts that includes interviews with downtown business owners and Torrington Mayor Ryan Bingham.
The newspaper business is changing.
For you, the reader, that means we'll be presenting local news in new ways. In addition to the stories you read daily in our print edition ...
- you can access an archive of past stories 24 hours a day on our Web site.
- you can read breaking news stories throughout the day rather than waiting for the print edition to arrive on your doorstep once a day.
- you can see and hear story subjects through audio slideshows and local videos.
- you can read online-only features like Mike Driscoll's Torrington Guy blog.
And this stuff is just the beginning. Stay tuned, and let us know what you think.