It started with the Pittston Fair last week. This week, it's Monmouth.

I love Maine fairs and fair season is upon us. I think we cover the fairs pretty well, with A1 photos, stories, lists of events, profiles at times.

But how do you feel? Should we do more (or less)? Are there fairs in our area that we should do more with?

If we ran stories from the Portland Press Herald about the Fryeburg or Cumberland fairs, how would you feel about those?

Isn't it odd how changing gas prices affect your thinking? Or maybe it's just me.

With gas around $4.08 a gallon a week or so ago, it's oddly pleasing to most of the signs around Waterville and Augusta start with a $3 instead of a $4 this week.

We will have an editorial in Sunday's newspapers about gas prices and what we should do about them. It will be provocative.

Anyone want to guess what we suggest should be done?

It's rare for me to weigh in on a news story with a personal opinion, but I was so impressed with what William and Nicole Guerrette said in today's A1 story (by Meghan Malloy) that I'm breaking my rule.

William said: "I am lucky to be alive. I am very blessed to be here."

He also said: "What good does it do to dwell on on anger? It's not good for the soul."

Nicole said: "I'm still scared sometimes."

Readers: I made this announcement to our staff Monday. It's an important job; thought I'd share it with you./Eric

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Folks: I'm pleased to tell you that Jim Evans will become the full-time city editor of the Kennebec Journal effective Monday, Aug. 18.

Jim did a fine job during his six-week stint as KJ city editor earlier this summer. He is a high-energy journalist who loves local news, sees good stories and photo opportunities and knows our markets and communities well. Jim told me that he found the assignment-editing work satisfying and he found working with the reporters enjoyable. I thought the newspapers -- both of them -- were about as news-y when George Myers and Jim were working together as city editors in Waterville and Augusta as I've seen them during my 18 months here. They are a good team.

They also are two visual talents, which is why we are making a change to our newsroom structure. Also starting Aug. 18, photographers Andy Molloy and Joe Phelan will report to the KJ city editor -- Jim. And, David Leaming and photographer TBA in Waterville will report to the Sentinel city editor -- George. We will no longer have a "photo chief" position per se. I expect this change in structure will make photo assigning simpler and should bring the news reporting and photo staffs closer together.

Please congratulate Jim when you see him.
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So, here's the KJ city editor lineup for the next few weeks:

Through July, Susan Cover.
Aug. 4-8, Patty Ammons and me. I am actually off Aug. 4, however.
Aug. 11-15: Susan Cover.
Aug. 18 and thereafter: Jim Evans.

In case you missed it, reporter Susan Cover had a really unusual story in today's newspapers (A1 of Kennebec Journal; B1 of Morning Sentinel).

In her piece, Susan describes how local fisherman Bob Greene was on the Kennebec River when he saw what he first thought was a log, then thought was a body, floating downriver.

Greene called police on his cell phone and a dispatcher told him not to jump in after the person, but rather to try to keep the person from going downstream even more, from Greene's perch on the river's dock.

Different kind of topic today.

I was at the KMart on Western Avenue in Augusta last week and, to me, the place looked very different. It was full of merchandise, there was a nursery in the parking lot.

It just looked more vibrant, and I couldn't help but wonder if the new Target up the street may have something to do with that.

So, I thought I'd write about "big box" stores now that all three -- Wal-Mart, Target and KMart -- are in Augusta.

Last Sunday, we published a lengthy investigative report by staffer Meghan Malloy that looked into an alleged puppy mill that was operating in Somerville, and looked into how state and local officials had regulated the dog-breeding operation prior to 2008.

I don't want to recite the story in this blog. If you haven't read it, here's the link to Malloy's story.