COLUMN: Two big weeks of news

Today I am sure you have noticed this week’s Express is bigger than normal. So was last week’s newspaper. Back-to-back issues. Last week was 44 pages, this week 72 pages. Normally the paper is around 28 pages for an average. 

If you missed last weeks Express, it contained the Kids’ Edition. I’d recommend you go back and read it. There are so many cute kids, cute ads and fun write-ups. I believe we had about 145 kids this year, trending up from the last couple of years. 

At our peak, we ran around 260 kids on average. Social media surely has had an effect on photography in general. Does anyone get their photos printed and put them in a photo album? 

It’s unfortunate they do not. I still enjoy opening up our photo albums and looking back on our family from years past. Saving photos on your phone or downloading them to a computer is all fine and dandy but you are one short disaster away from technical difficulties. 

In today’s Express you’ll find a record number of fair photos of 4-H kids and their animals and projects. Of all the different events we cover in the paper, the post fair coverage to me is the most outstanding. 

I’m really proud of our staff and interns. They brave the elements: heat, rain, storms and floods. They brave the smells. I’m sure there are plenty of flies in their vicinity. 

I think it’s awesome that my employees never come back to the office complaining about a parent, which tells me those kids are learning many life lessons by participating in 4-H. 

Hats off to the volunteers as well that have been so helpful to our staff over the years. Those programs seem to run smoothly. 

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What ails these Cubbies (and their fans)? 

My beloved Cubs are battling again for first place in their division with the surging Cardinals and the very consistent Brewers. But turn to social media and you might wonder how many of us Cub fans have become so fickle. 

It wasn’t that long ago this team struggled to win. Now under the current ownership, that have become consistent winners. But that doesn’t seem to be enough for many fans, myself included. 

Personally, I feel this team has underachieved since winning the 2016 World Series. The nucleus of talent in my opinion is on par with teams like the Dodgers and Red Sox. 

Unfortunately, they fall short in a couple of areas and one of them would be the depth in their minor league system. Two trades come to mind that I still debate with other Cub fans, giving up Gleyber Torres to the Yankees and Eloy Jimenez to the White Sox. 

The trades got them Aroldis Chapman and Jose Quintana. Chapman ended up just being a rental but he was a big piece of the puzzle in ’16. 

Upper management hasn’t been able to make any splashy trades as a result. 

The Cubs are missing pieces right now. The bullpen is a glaring weakness. Clutch hitting is also a problem. Left handed pitchers eat this team up. I’m still not convinced Joe Maddon is the right guy steering this ship. Thoughts?