Journal website no longer free
By CHRIS BARBEE cbarbee@journal-spectator.com

All features of the new and improved www.journalspectator. com have been enjoyed by readers for several weeks now at no charge in order to give readers the opportunity to browse and see just what is available to them.

But effective Thursday, Nov. 1, online readers who want current news will be required to subscribe to the service just as they would a subscription to the newspaper. Items that will be free on the home page without a paid subscription are Dateline Wharton, Obituaries, Classifieds, Church Page and Breaking News.

Those who don't mind their news being a week old can go to the archives to read the previous week's editions. Archives are free. However, the current Wednesday and Saturday editions will be available free for subscribers only. "A major feature of our new site is the ability to get the entire newspaper online Wednesday and Saturday mornings. That is going to be a big plus for our out-oftown readers who now wait three days to two weeks to get their newspaper in the mail," Pam Hubenak, subscription manager, said. If all goes as planned, when an online reader clicks on journal spectator.com on Nov. 1, the home page will come up and a few sentences will be displayed on a number of stories. Click on the "more" link and it will take the reader to a page giving them the subscription options. If more information is needed, please call 532-8840.

Anyone who has a current print subscription can call the Journal-Spectator at 532-8840 and pay $5 to add an online subscription. When that print subscription expires, they can renew both their print and online subscriptions, or select one or the other. New subscribers can select "print edition" only or "online" only or both. Online only subscribers will pay $39 regardless of where in the world they live, which is great for former residents, students and those in the military.

"As a retired military service member, this is the only Web site available for me to check out what is happening back home. I ... have been working in the European continent since my retirement from the U.S. Army Feb. 1990. It looks great...," said Secundino Ochoa Jr., a 1968 Louise High graduate.