"Got to get out of this satellite town." And Shea Van Hoy did.

Simpler times.

Tonight on Twitter, the newspaper's editor announced his forthcoming departure from Community Newspaper Holdings Incorporated.

Newspapermen come and they go, and while it's true that we often had our differences, it's all water under the toll bridges. Let's think about the community; one door closes, and another one opens. Maybe the newspaper finally is below the salary cap, and New Albany can have a city reporter after 201 days.

After all, they can't take reality incarceration TV and Taste of Home Cooking School away from us, right?

Dear Bill Hanson: Put down that colander, give NA some equality, or just change the damn name back to Evening News.

Fourth Estate, meet Eastside Christian. Move along. Nothing to see here.

I never thought I'd say this, but if Padgett could hoist Eastside's building and move it  into New Albany city limits ...

On watchdog journalism, a crucial and forgotten local concept.

Let's begin the week with a foreign concept. Because ... a boy can dream.

Watchdog journalism (Wikipedia)

Watchdog journalism informs the public about goings-on in institutions and society, especially in circumstances where a significant portion of the public would demand changes in response. This might involve:

• Fact-checking statements of public officials
• Interviewing public figures and challenging them with problems or concerns
• Beat reporting to gather information from meetings members of the public might not otherwise attend, and to observe "on the ground" in broader society
• Investigative journalism, which involves information-gathering on a single story for a long period of time

Like a literal guard dog that barks when it notices an intruder, a "watchdog" role involves alerting others when a problem is detected. Common subjects are the government decision-making process, illegal activity, immorality, consumer protection issues, and environmental degradation.

Watchdog journalism can be located in a variety of news media, such as radio, television, Internet, and print media where it may be seen as "a unique strength of newspapers",[1] and additional new media and concepts such as weblogs and citizen journalism. Watchdog journalists also are called "watchmen", "agents of social control", or "moral guardians".

"Chef Gina Brown offers all-ages friendly cooking class."

It flummoxes me that while the former New Albany newspaper devotes an enormous amount of energy promoting a one-time cooking class to be held in Jeffersonville in May, Chef Gina's cooking classes keep right on going here in New Albany, under the newspaper's nose.

Gina's also taking the lead in helping organize a Fresh Stop Market in New Albany; the next meeting is on March 17.

This evening, Gina is providing a healthy cooking demonstration at Floyd Memorial Hospital.

Sweet home Alabama -- whatever. There's lots to cover right here, isn't there?

Chef Gina Brown offers all-ages friendly cooking class, by Caitlin Bowling (Insider Louisville)

Chef Gina Brown’s goal is to get people back in the kitchen.

It has nothing to do with societal roles and everything to do with making fresh food accessible. Busy schedules make unhealthy pre-made meals look tempting, said Brown, whose Every Day Fresh cooking classes aim to teach novice and experienced cooks simple recipes they can make at home.

The classes are around three hours long, which includes learning how to make the food and then eating it. Each attendee also receives a print-out of recipes used in the class.

Pre-scheduled classes cover topics like pasta-making, Mediterranean cooking and homemade Asian dumplings, potstickers and pierogies. This month in celebration of Pi Day on March 14, Brown also is offering a special pie-making course.

People also can request a class if they want to learn something specific that isn’t currently on her schedule, said Brown, an adjunct professor at Sullivan University and certified ServSafe instructor and proctor.

This past Sunday, Brown taught a pasta-making course to 10 people in the former coffee shop space at the back of Destination’s Booksellers, located at 604 E. Spring St. in New Albany. The bookstore acts as her base of operations. It also is the home of Taco Steve, a street taco eatery that moved in at the end of last year.

Every Day Fresh Kitchen's open house is Wednesday, October 29.

Gina Brown's Every Day Fresh Kitchen and her classes got off the ground in May.

Foodie foreshadowing & denouement: Class With Chef.

She's having a special night on the 29th.

Here's what's happening in the Every Day Fresh Kitchen

Save the Date -- October 29th

YOU'RE INVITED

Come and take a free mini class with me! Join me at the Every Day Fresh kitchen at Destinations Booksellers, 604 E Spring, New Albany, Indiana from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Meet, mingle and learn about Every Day Fresh. I'll demo something sweet and savory ... maybe you'll be my Sous Chef, and get your hands dirty. Aprons and classes will be available for purchase.

Do me a solid and RSVP at classwithchef(at)gmail(dot)com

Mai's Thai offered a cooking class on January 5, and we were there.

The Confidentials were in attendance at Mai's Thai on January 5 for the annual cooking class, which functions as equal parts meal (twice), kitchen instruction and showcase for Mai's personal worldview, including her frequent charitable works. These truly go above and beyond the norm.

We had a stellar experience with the food and the people, and I unreservedly recommend the class. It's a once-a-year phenomenon, so mark your calendar to check with Mai's Thai around November if you wish to get on board next January.

Mai's Thai at NAC (November 2012)
Marty Rosen's C-J review (October, 2012)

Would you like a quick lesson in how to make Chicken Pad Thai? A previous class participant made this video in January, 2011.

Mai's Thai is offering a cooking class on January 5, and we'll be there.

Arguably, the Onion Restaurant and Tea Room at exurb's edge on Charlestown Road is the finest Asian place in New Albany. Hing Wang's greasy spoon Chinese fast food takeout menu is a great household favorite, and enticingly soon, Dragon King's Daughter will be bringing some crazy and creative sushi fusion to within yards of Bank Street Brewhouse. We're eager to see (and taste) it.

Meanwhile, it remains that if I could lure Mai's Thai from Jeffersonville to downtown New Albany, I'd do so in the proverbial heartbeat. Nothing disparaging can be said about a cuisine with fish sauce at its heart, and Mai's consistency with her Thai specialties over the years is unquestioned. Mai's within walking distance would be a dangerous thing, indeed.

We dropped in the other night for red curry and Thai-style hot and sour soup, and noticed that one of Mai's cooking classes is on the horizon: Saturday, January 5, beginning at 11:00 a.m. ... and just like that, we selected our first holiday gift of the season in the form of a two-person enrollment. The price of $35 per person includes three hours of instruction and a buffet meal. Consider joining us in the fun, and if you sign up, tell 'em Roger sent you.