{"author":{"bio":"Norman Bauer is the editor of Your Good News in Easton. A local writer, web developer, and community-minded storyteller, Norman is interested in highlighting the people, families, businesses, churches, and everyday acts of kindness that make Easton worth celebrating. His work focuses on clear communication, local trust, and helping good stories find their way into the public square.","name":"Norman Bauer","slug":"norms-ministry","url":"/contributors/norms-ministry/"},"content":"This week was an important one for Your Good News. The site continues to grow from a simple local-good-news publication into something more useful: a place where local stories, community organizations, ministries, contributors, and neighbors can all be found in one durable home.\nThe biggest highlight this week is the continued growth of our contributor family. Scott Votey has joined Your Good News as a writer. Scott spent 45 years working in schools as a teacher, coach, guidance counselor, and administrator, and now spends time with his grandchildren, volunteering, water skiing, golfing, and cycling.\nHis first story, St. Mark’s Turns Compassion Into Action Through Food, Soup, and Community Support, highlights the food distribution, thrift shop, soup ministry, and Empty Bowls work connected to St. Mark’s in Easton. The story is exactly the kind of local good news this publication exists to share: practical service, quiet faithfulness, and neighbors helping neighbors.\nSandy Adams also published a new article this week, A Genuine Purpose. In it, Sandy shares a personal story from the early days of Friends Helping Friends Network, Inc. and explains why community support matters so much. Her story reminds us that the good being done in our community often reaches people in ways we may never fully see at the time.\nWe also recently welcomed Elaine Sadler as a contributor, and her article Rooted continues the deeper purpose of this publication: telling stories that are not just about events, but about memory, place, faith, and the kind of community life worth preserving.\nElaine, Sandy, Scott, and Norman are now all listed on the Contributors page, which gives readers a simple place to learn more about the people helping tell these stories.\nNew Community Organization Listings The Community Organizations directory also grew this week. New listings now include:\nChesapeake Film Festival Mid-Shore Community Mediation Center Phillips Wharf Environmental Center ShoreRivers Talbot Interfaith Shelter YMCA of the Chesapeake The purpose of this directory is simple: when someone wants to find help, fellowship, service, support, or a place to volunteer, they should be able to find the local organizations already doing the work.\nSite Improvements There have also been several visible improvements to the site itself.\nStory pages now show the author in the standard “By [Name]” format, and author bios with photos now appear directly after the story and before the sponsor section. That keeps the writer connected to the story while still keeping the content first.\nStory pages also continue to include alternate TXT, JSON, and RSS versions for readers, text browsers, accessibility, low-bandwidth use, and long-term durability.\nSome of the cosmetic work is also about making the publication feel more complete and intentional. The navigation is cleaner, directories are easier to find, sponsor sections are better integrated, and the site keeps moving toward a polished local-publication feel without losing its simple, readable foundation.\nWe have also been experimenting with ad-space layout ideas for future publication formats, including expanded side-column space for sponsors and advertisers.\nHelp Us Gather the Good Thank you to everyone who has submitted a story, suggested a lead, shared an article, or helped point us toward good work happening in Easton and Talbot County.\nYour Good News only works if the community helps gather the good. If you know of a person, church, ministry, nonprofit, school group, civic organization, or neighbor doing something worth sharing, please send it our way.\nThe good is already happening. Our job is to help more people see it.\n","date":"2026-05-24","params":{"author":"norms-ministry","categories":["Weekly Updates"],"county":"Talbot","date":"2026-05-24T00:25:00-04:00","description":"A weekly update from Your Good News covering new contributors, recent stories, new Community Organization listings, and cosmetic improvements to the site.","draft":false,"featured_image":"/uploads/weekly-update.png","iscjklanguage":false,"lastmod":"2026-05-24T00:31:40-04:00","permission_status":"editorial","publishdate":"2026-05-24T00:25:00-04:00","state":"Maryland","status":"approved","story_type":"community","summary":"This week brought new contributors, new local stories, new Community Organization directory listings, and several site improvements that continue to make Your Good News more polished, useful, and community-centered.","tags":["Your Good News","Weekly Update","Contributors","Community Organizations","Easton","Talbot County"],"title":"Weekly Update: New Voices, New Stories, and a Growing Community Directory","town":"Easton"},"section":"stories","summary":"This week brought new contributors, new local stories, new Community Organization directory listings, and several site improvements that continue to make Your Good News more polished, useful, and community-centered.","title":"Weekly Update: New Voices, New Stories, and a Growing Community Directory","url":"/stories/weekly-update-05-24-26/"}