Published: January 15, 2008 09:29 am      

Changes abound

If you haven't noticed his byline or read his introductory column, allow me to introduce you to our new sports editor. Paul Wilcoxen comes to us from Linton, Ind., where he served as sports editor of the Greene County Daily World.

Paul shares our commitment to local sports coverage and already has jumped in and increased our local content. We look for good things from our sports desk under the direction of Paul.

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We're gearing up for our local Super Tuesday coverage. To help preview the local primaries, we have sent out questionnaires to candidates and will print their responses the weekend before the Feb. 5 election. The candidates are gathering tonight for a forum being staged by the local BPW. Things could get interesting tonight.

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Congratulations to Mt. Vernon boys basketball coach Doug Creel, who recently surpassed legendary Stanley Changnon as the school's second-leading all-time boys wins leader. Creel has downplayed the accomplishment, and I last week wrote a column saying as much. While I said Creel was every bit a part of Rams basketball lore as Changnon, some disagreed. So let me further explain my statement. While you cannot compare the apples and oranges of different centuries, I feel Creel has earned his spot as one of the school's most noted coaches not only for the wins, but for the fact that he is Mt. Vernon basketball. He was a player who fans enjoyed watching because of his hustle and work ethic. And his teams win by playing the same way. Creel has spent 13 years as a head coach and nine more as an assistant. When you add that up, he has been involved with Mt. Vernon basketball — including some very successful seasons — for a total of 26 years. That is what I meant by saying Creel's legacy is cemented within local history.

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We're always looking for interesting feature story ideas. If you have one, e-mail me at jeremy.hall@register-news.com