Goose-bump moments. We all have them. Sometimes, they come at unexpected times. I was fortunate enough recently to visit Hawaii, and while there my wife and I took a “duck” tour of Honolulu that included a trip to Pearl Harbor. As we motored around the city in a ridiculously yellow amphibious landing craft, our guide pointed out various sites and played kitschy songs by the Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Don Ho, etc.

It has been more than year since the financial meltdown transformed the economy, the way business is conducted and regulated, and the way people conduct their personal finances. It also changed the way the me JOHN
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dia, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, cover the economy and business. We routinely showcase our daily business coverage on the front page and our in-depth projects on the Sunday front to examine the impacts of the recession. We restyled the Sunday Business section as Moneywise to offer readers a lens into how other people and companies are weathering the economic storm. And we continue to press forward with delivering our business news report not only in the newspaper but online and through mobile alerts, e-newsletters, and social media such as Twitter.

Rex Springston traces his love of rivers back to his childhood adventures in the Elizabeth River in the Virginia Beach area. He recalls spending a lot of time in the river with his young buddies—“a gang of little Hucks and Toms”—swimming, plucking jellyfish from their arms, and even rowing a boat to a miniature golf course upstream.

You probably noticed the promotional ads in the paper or messages on our Facebook page about our new electronic newsletter, MetroBiz2go. In case you missed it, here’s the news. MetroBiz2go, a weekly e-mail newsletter, launched in mid-August. The e-newsletter is like a younger sister to our popular and long-standing Metro Business print section, which is published each Monday.

The most memorable line from the mostly forgettable 1980s television series “The A-Team” was uttered at the end of each episode by ringleader Col. John “Hannibal” Smith: “I love it when a plan comes together.“ That’s a sentiment I sometimes repeat, aloud or to myself, as we put together each day’s Richmond Times-Dispatch. My job, as night editor, is to lead the discussion about which stories we use on Page A1. That discussion can continue all through the evening, as events warrant.

Whether we’re at the grocery store, at a dinner party, or at the pool, there’s one question all reporters and editors get from regular newspaper and online readers: “How do you find your stories?“ Sometimes, they find us. Sometimes, we find them. One case of reporter-as-investigator came last week, and it’s a good example of a story that requires some creative digging and good sourcing by our reporting team to make the story come to life.

Friends who go out to eat with Dana Craig have learned the hard way: Everybody has to order something different, she’ll demand bites of food from around the table, and she’ll make discreet notes on how tangy the vinaigrette is and whether the steak is grilled to her satisfaction. Craig is The Richmond Times-Dispatch’s restaurant reviewer, and her pieces appear Thursdays in the Weekend section. You won’t see her photo there or with this column because staying anonymous ensures that she gets treated like any other paying customer.

You can take it with you. Podcasts allow readers on the go to download our online shows on entertainment, sports, politics, current events, and commentary and view them at any time or place on a laptop, netbook, smart phone, or portable media player. If you’re saying, “What’s a podcast?“ you’re not alone: The majority of Americans haven’t heard of podcasting, according to a recent report by Arbitron and Edison Research. But why not join the 22 percent of Americans who do listen to podcasts for fun and information? Read on!

We’re doing more than covering what’s happening at the tracks during the NASCAR season this year. We’re also offering fans the chance to participate in an online fantasy racing contest. Two weeks ago, the drivers in the Sprint Cup series were banging bumpers, trading paint, and burning rubber at Richmond International Raceway in the Crown Royal Presents the Russell Friedman 400. They’ll return in September for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

You’re familiar with the regal symbols (bald eagle), adorable animals (panda bear), and even business controversies (spotted owl) that have connections to the word “endangered.“ You probably haven’t heard of Caddo, Hupa, and Menominee, and you may never hear of them again. They are languages that are still spoken—for now—in the United States, but they’re on their own critically endangered list.

A photo of Kyle Busch celebrating his victory at Bristol Motor Speedway appeared in Monday’s Sports section. Unlike most NASCAR celebration photos, this one was not taken in Victory Lane. It was taken on the track as Busch faced the crowd and raised his arms in triumph.

Freedom of Information Is the Foundation of a Free Press Some of the most exciting writing we do here in the Richmond Times-Dispatch newsroom never gets published. It reads like this: “This is a request under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act . . . .“ With those words, we recently found out that:

What is your favorite part of the newspaper? What part of the paper makes you angry, or inspires you, or makes you feel smarter? What does your newspaper not have that you wish it had? We’re going to offer you the chance to answer such questions—face to face—and we’ll buy you a cup of coffee to boot. Beginning tomorrow, we are launching a series of visits to Richmond-area restaurants we’re calling “Coffee With the RT-D.“ This is your chance to sound off about what you like about the

Six months ago, the Dow was above 11,500, TARP and credit default swaps were not common terms, and most Richmond business news appeared on the business pages. As the business landscape has changed, so has the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s business coverage. Local business news lands on the front page regularly, along with the latest developments in stimulus, bailout, and foreclosure recovery efforts.

Your mother probably told you it was dangerous to bring up religion or politics in polite conversation. By now you’ve figured out on your own that other topics, such as race or sex, can quickly turn a friendly discussion into a rhetorical free-for-all. Yet every day on our Web sites, TimesDispatch.com and inRich.com, we invite readers to comment on those subjects, along with other hot-button issues such as smoking in restaurants, gun laws, abortion, domestic violence, and just about any incendiary subject you can name.