Commandeering the Montco Memo
Jeremy Roebuck and Bonnie Cook share the stories behind their Montco beat.
Commandeering the Montco Memo
Greetings, Montgomery County! As your new Montco Memo blogger, I’d like to introduce myself so we can all get to know each other a little better.
But first, I must tip my hat to outgoing blogger Bonnie Cook, whom you have come to know and love. Not to worry, Bonnie is safe and sound, embarking on a new adventure covering federal court in Trenton, N.J. Her co-blogger, Jeremy Roebuck, is also safe and sound, but covering a larger state politics beat. He’s following the money, as they say.
I, Jessica Parks, am a newcomer not only to Montgomery County, but also to Pennsylvania and the East Coast. I joined the Philadelphia Inquirer in June after earning a Master’s in journalism at Stanford. Before Stanford, I spent four years as a copy editor at the Los Angeles Times, where I worked on a wide range of stories, from state budgets to wildfires, the Prop. 8 campaign, a database of Iraq war casualties and a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation of massive civic corruption in a tiny town called Bell. I also have a B.A. in journalism from USC, and will remain a Trojan fan for life no matter how many sanctions, dropped passes or penalties we rack up (come on guys, let’s bounce back!) I come from a long line of 49ers and Giants fans, but I have forsaken them in favor of the Eagles.
I am a HUGE dog lover, and of course I believe my dog, Hopkins, is the best dog in the world. I also love the outdoors, and learning about the history and culture of every place I go. That’s one reason I love the Philadelphia area -- there’s arguably more history and culture here than anywhere else in the country. I plan to learn a lot more about Montgomery County’s history and culture, so if you have any tips, story ideas or suggestions, send them my way!
Follow me on Twitter @JS_Parks.
Welcome. Your first assignment is to figure out the mess in Norristown. Might be harder to figure out than whatever was going on in Bell, CA.
Welcome to MontCo. I was born and raised in Philadelphia but have lived in Montgomery County for the past (almost) 20 years. We just might be the biggest and best (at least the most diverse) county in the state. We have areas where you hope to G-d that your car never breaks down on, homes, neighborhoods, and estates that 90+% of us will never be able to live in.....and inbetween we have hundreds of thousands of great people of every possible race, gender, religion, and political affiliation who all want the same thing.....a better tomorrow for themselves and a much better tomorrow for their kids. Our local politicians (of both parties) actually care about the communities they serve, our first-responders are among the bravest and best trained anywhere, our dining out and entertainment choices keep getting better and better.......and while there is and always will be lots of room for improvement (in every aspect)....I can't think of too many places I would rather live (a small list to begin with that gets even smaller if I just include the places that I could afford). BOTTOM LINE: You're gonna' love it here......and if you get out and around and spend time in all of our townships and boroughs (and one municipality)....and get to know the folks who live here....well, we're gonna' love ya' right back.— donbenn
Contact Davis at cdavis@phillynews.com or 610-313-8109.
Contact Parks at 610-313-8117, jparks@philly.com, or https://twitter.com/JS_Parks.
