CAJUN CORNER

Some time has passed since I last had an article or column published in a Sound Publishing newspaper, but hopefully some of you may remember me from my stint as an intern with the Bremerton Patriot.

For those of you who do not, I am a 36-year-old Bremertonian, by way of New Orleans, La. I live with my wife, Jennifer, a caregiver in Port Orchard, and our two children, Amber, 14, and Jordan, 11, both of whom attend Mountain View Middle School in Bremerton. We have lived in the area off and on for the past 10 years and have owned our current home in Bremerton for just more than two.

I came to Bremerton in 1994 while enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After serving my time aboard the now-decommissioned USS Sacramento AOE-1, I was discharged, but could not bring myself to leave. I had not only fallen in love with my wife, who was born and raised here, but also with the area itself. Coming from the swamps of Louisiana, I still can’t help but be mesmerized by the scenic beauty of the area (not to mention the mild summer temperatures and the absence of giant, flying cockroaches).

As I mentioned earlier, I spent a few months as an intern with the Bremerton Patriot during my school days at Olympic College. I was introduced to the field of journalism by Olympic College professor Michael Prince and to the world of community news by Charles Melton, who was editor of the Patriot at the time. Some time after I left, the Patriot and the CK Reporter staff merged and Charles became a staff writer for both papers. Now, Charles has decided to move on and I have been fortunate enough to be chosen as his replacement. As I have been here before, the transition should be seamless.

I served many roles while working for Olympic College’s newspaper, The Olympian. I was a staff writer and advertising manager in the beginning, but I quickly moved up to the position I loved most, online editor. That position allowed me to work with other types of media, like video and podcasts. I was able to modernize the Web site and, at the same time, learn skills which are considered by most to be the future of print journalism.

My desire and attitude have changed very little from two years ago. I am still very excited to be reporting the news here at home and I look forward to sharing my excitement and enthusiasm with everyone I meet. I am also hoping to help transition the CK Reporter and Bremerton Patriot into the future. The editorial staff have been very helpful and welcoming and they too share my desire to develop our product into something that will be useful and enjoyed by many future generations.

I look forward to bringing you the news that is important to our community and in as many formats as possible.

Steven DeDual can be reached at sdedual@bremertonpatriot.com.