By CHRIS LENOIS

Newspapers the size of L’Observateur are typically referred to as community newspapers.

Rightfully so too, I believe. Our readership wants stories that hone the focus in on what’s happening here, and to celebrate the citizens who live here.

Each of the three parishes we cover has a population of less than 50,000 – small communities by conventional standards of measurement.

I was hired primarily to cover St. John the Baptist Parish, 43,000 people who want to know and celebrate what’s happening in their community.

I’m not running for public office, but I want to represent you in the best way possible. I want to be at every single ribbon-cutting, sign-naming, and plaque-awarding. I want to recognize every good deed and useful program and charity dollar raised in the community. I want to put color photos of the shining faces of each and every student in the parish.

This is where the number 43,000 starts to represent a large community, rather than a small one. Forty-three thousand to one are better odds than you’ll get on a Powerball ticket. But there are ways of improving your chances without having to wait around for me to be the prize.

As a community newspaper, you can come by to drop off photos you’ve taken of events. Several of the area schools and civic organizations already do this, and that’s why you might see more of their news in our paper than from others.

We’ll do our best to get as many as possible into our pages.

The better the details you provide about the photo will increase the chances of our using it even more.

(By the way, did you realize that issues of L’Observateur and Powerball drawings both happen on Wednesdays and Saturdays? Perhaps we are the winning lottery ticket of community news. Then again, perhaps I’m babbling.)

I hope I’m here to meet you if and when you do come by the office.

More likely than not, however, I’ll be out in the community looking for story number 43,001 – all the while shaking hands and kissing babies.

CHRISTOPHER LENOIS is a staff reporter for L’Observateur. He may be reached at (985) 652-9545.