Dear Reader | Best laid plans go awry on editorial page; box scores get a digital rebirth

We hold these truths to be self-evident: Sometimes we think our instructions are clear and they are anything but.

That’s what happened to the presentation on our July 4 Opinion page. It has become a tradition to reprint the Declaration of Independence on the anniversary of our nation’s birth. That has been accompanied by an appropriately patriotic photo or cartoon.

This year, the cartoon, which showed the Confederate battle flag with white hoods in place of the stars, was not the appropriate visual, no matter what your view is of the flag’s history or public display.

It happened because I wasn’t clear in my instructions and those carrying out the page design thought they were following directions when they used the editorial cartoon that had been set aside earlier, before I remembered that the Fourth is not an ordinary share-your-opinion day.

For those who haven’t already done so, feel free to send your brick-bats my way. Meanwhile, you can see what last year’s page looked like here.

Box score update

In case you missed it, up-to-date box scores are now available daily in the e-edition of The Sun News. That means, if you are a subscriber, you can see how your teams are doing each morning by going to the e-edition and clicking on “Sports Extra” at the top of the page.

Thanks to our McClatchy colleagues on the West coast, who compile the full report after games end each day, the listings are up to date. No more “late game” notations in this version.

We recognize how important these listings are to many of our readers across the country and hope you will access this new feature to find the stats most important to you. We take no responsibility, however, for how your team is doing.

Your print subscription includes the online content, unless you have opted out of it. If you haven’t already activated your online account, all you need to do is go to the “Digital Subscriptions” link at the bottom of our homepage.

Major news for Mini Page fans

The Mini Page, which has been published for 45 years, is getting a new look. The syndicate that distributes the popular page said the updated design will welcome some new features as it phases out some older components.

For example, the Try’n’Find word search puzzle will remain along with the weekly recipe, jokes and resources. New items will include a rotating puzzle and an environmental tip or fact.

The page is published on Wednesdays as the back cover of our Food section, and based on comments I have received from readers in the past, it is a hit with young readers, including grandchildren of our many area retirees.

If you have feedback on the new page when it appears beginning July 15, you can share them with me and I will forward them to those responsible for the feature.

This story was originally published July 6, 2015 at 1:10 PM with the headline "Dear Reader | Best laid plans go awry on editorial page; box scores get a digital rebirth."