George,

Thanks for the thoughtful articles on The Daily Progress, The Hook, C-ville Weekly and The Observer. They were well-written and informative. I also got a kick out of Hawes Spencer's quote: "We were the first to get on the Ivy Industries story."

Your list of Progress "graduates" missed a few folks, but I think it got the point across. Richmond Times-Dispatch writers Peter Bacque and Calvin Trice (who works in the TD's Harrisonburg bureau) worked at the Progress. Tina Eschelman, a Progress city editor, also moved on to the TD. I think, perhaps, you'll see that list continue to grow.

I do agree, and admittedly I am biased about this, that the area's journalists should be better paid. Not to defend the Progress' shabby wages, but I do think because this area is so talent-heavy that employers, in general, can pay less than market wages. Workers are willing to accept lower pay just to be in a great place like Charlottesville, at least while they are relatively young and unattached.

It doesn't take much to draw folks here. It's keeping them here that tends to be the problem as the article points out. Anyone with even a novice's understanding of how to run a business knows that retaining employees is a whole lot cheaper than constantly hiring and training new ones.

Thanks,

Dave Dadurka (electronic mail, January 19, 2004)