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You ask the questions, we answer them
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Gulfport, MS 39501
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Don Hammack is the assistant city editor/interactive at the Sun Herald, where he's in charge of the editorial content of sunherald.com.
Most Recently Answered Questions
Questions 6 - 15 of 16 (Page 2 of 3)Submitted by C from Biloxi
Q: Why do we now have to register to access the news(other than the front page) online?
Answered 04/14/08 13:08:26 by Don Hammack
A: Like many papers, we have implemented a free registration process. It does many things, include letting you sign up for our e-mail newsletters and share photos and videos at videos.sunherald.com. In the future, we'll be introducing more features you'll be able to take advantage of. All we ask is that folks supply 12 pieces of information that almost identical to what we need to deliver the print edition to your front yard.Submitted by Kent from Atlanta, GA
Q: After Katrina, there were thousands of volunteer groups who traveled to the Coast -- churches, nonprofits, etc. Most outsiders now assume the recovery is complete. Are any of these volunteers continuing their visits to the Coast?
Answered 04/11/08 10:14:56 by Don Hammack
A: Yes, yes, a thousand times yes, and the Coast and its people would not be doing nearly as well as we are now without their help. We do at least a couple stories a week on major efforts undertaken to rebuild homes, churches, playgrounds, etc. If you're looking for a way to make a connection with folks needing help, try http://1-800-volunteer.org/. Many national church organizations still have presence down here, so if anybody is interested in organizing a trip that might be a good place to start. There are also major organizations like Habitat for Humanity doing good work here, including the upcoming Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project 2008.Submitted by Hubert Moresnot from Nome, Alaska
Q: What are your thoughts on the reports that the Chinese have used the Olympic torch to ignite Tibetan protestors (as reported in the Onion)? In light of this, do you support the boycott movement?
Answered 04/08/08 06:46:49 by Don Hammack
A: If America's Finest News Source reports it, that's gotta be true and a great excuse to not show up for an athletics competition. Seriously, there's even less chance of an Olympic boycott now than in 28 years ago. Thank the commercialization for that.Submitted by Opal from Rock Island, IL
Q: Is your "General News" forum a reflection of what you people are like in real life? I've never seen such offensive dialogue to be allowed on a newspaper forum. I'm getting nervous about that golf package I purchased.
Answered 04/03/08 09:13:42 by Don Hammack
A: No, it's not. I'm not sure how many of the people that post there are even from the area. Please visit. I'm sure you'll be treated very, very well.Submitted by Joan from Washington, DC
Q: I remember you when you went to Long Beach High - you didn't smile back then either.
Answered 03/27/08 16:01:14 by Don Hammack
A: Ahh, an early trend in Ask SunHerald.com questions. I waiting for the theme music to "This is Your Life" to break out.Submitted by former coastian from Mesa, AZ
Q: Hello, as a Coast native, I would like to ask how you feel about more upsacle hotel brands apperaing on the Coast. EX: Courtyard by Marriot
Answered 03/27/08 16:00:15 by Don Hammack
A: I think the biggest thing the willingness of chains to return and/or expand here proves is the optimism in the outside world regarding our recovery prospects. Successful companies don't get to be successful by reaching and whiffing on these expansions, so it's gotta be considered a good sign for the area. I'll remind folks, though, that there were a ton of mom-and-pop hotels and motels along the beach that were wiped out. Whether the post-Katrina landscape allows them to come back will be another indicator of how we'll look in 15 or 20 years.Submitted by Donny from Biloxi, MS
Q: Why do you NOT smile in your photo? What did you do on submarines? From a Silent Service!
Answered 03/26/08 16:01:21 by Don Hammack
A: Don't you realize that I'm a serious journalist, dealing with serious issues that demand a serious demeanor? (Consider this before you look at the woodchuck answer below, please.) I'm about as comfortable in front of a camera as I am at a wine-and-cheese party. Gimme a hamburger and a beer, and no pictures please. Yes, I served on a submarine for about three years. I was a nuclear-trained officer, but enjoyed most my time on the bridge at night, watching the expanse of sea and the unbelievable number of stars you see when you get away from the lights of land.Submitted by Eliza from Diamondhead, MS
Q: What particular event, restoration, return to business, etc. would you consider as signifying the completion of the coast's recovery from Katrina?
Answered 03/21/08 07:36:06 by Don Hammack
A: Wow, that's probably an impossible question to answer. I don't think our recovery will be complete for a long, long time. Judging it's completion will be largely an individual thing, i.e. Is my new house complete? I think back to my visits to my grandparents on the Coast when I was a kid and all the empty lots (or the ones with the stairs to nowhere) on the beachfront. They didn't really fill in until the casino boom of the early 1990s, more than 20 years after the storm. That's why I tend to think the six- or eight- or 10-year figures given by some folks are a bit optimistic for complete recovery. You could point to the last FEMA trailer leaving, or the return of a downtown Gulfport library, or significant rebuilding of housing on Point Cadet, or the repair of Beach Boulevard and the seawall in Bay St. Louis as significant milestones, along with a million other things, but I'm not sure there will be a day when we'll say, "OK. We're done." Anybody else want to take a stab at this one?Submitted by E-vil Clown from Gulfport MS.
Q: Are you a member of the Clown Crew ?
Answered 03/20/08 16:16:41 by Don Hammack
A: No.Submitted by Azu Whish from Kiln, MS
Q: Hi Don, Do you ever go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line?
Answered 03/19/08 16:19:52 by Don Hammack
A: What an easy question. I'm no one to be triffled with. I spent the last few years building up an immunity to iocane powder.