I formerly lived in Augusta, and I like the area and it's people.
I have visited Concord,NH and I didn't like the city. In Augusta, I like the hospital and the park across from the capitol building. I am confident the city will grow into a beautiful city.

Comparing and contrasting these three capital areas is a great idea - and maybe it will trigger some great ideas for Augusta.

The details are important: in Concord NH, the statehouse- engendered traffic is a huge contributor to both the parking problem and the vibrant business activity on the street. When the legislature is not in session, there is a much quieter feel to Concord, and, the local businesses respond appropriately by sponsoring events that draws the people into the downtown.

Concord is working to increase the cultural draw of the downtown because their history has shown that it is not just shops that pull in the crowds.
Their former First Night celebrations were full of cultural attractions, and during the peak years, drew tens of thousands to the street. The money dried up and a wonderful tradition-in-the-making was shelved, along with the opportunity for people to participate in a non professional way with art-making, poetry-listening and much more.

Augusta has the river, the street space and the opportunity. As always, it becomes an issue of money and investment.

I'd like to know how many of the reporters covering this issue are natives of Augusta. The KJ has a reputation of supporting local issues while using/employing reporters from out of state. Does the KJ support the economy of the capital by helping keep local people employed or attracting Maine journalism students?

Hi Local. I'm the editor here. Keith Edwards, the reporter on this project, is a native of Winthrop. Went to a Maine college. Etc. Our newsrooms have 58 full-time people. I'd say at least half are Maine natives.

Others who weren't born here have been in Maine 10, 20, 30 years. So they should know the terrain by now. I'm from a small town Pennsylvania but have been in Maine since 1995.

I blogged a few months ago about how I'd prefer to hire people with Maine roots, but candidates also need to display good journalism experience and clips. Both.

When we have reporting openings, we often get upward of 50 applications -- and very few are from Maine people. Few are from Maine college students either. I give those an extra look but also judge the quality of experience and work samples (writing, photos, etc.). To me, an ideal candidate would have demonstrated talent, experience and local ties.

Among some of our more-recent hires, reporters Meghan Malloy and Matt Stone are "from away" -- Iowa and Mass. Copy editors Adam Bachelder and Lucas Knowles are from Maine -- Casco and Winthrop.

I hope this helps.