What's new? What's hot? What's cool? Now you can get the local information you need about your community - along with 120 others through the Sun-Times News Group Network. The new network is hyper-local - but still makes it easy to access regional, national and international news and information.
Go to the local STNG newspaper Web site in your community, and you'll get local news and events, features and photos updated throughout the day.
Go to the pull-down menu at the top of the page, and you can jump to the next town over.
Pick a topic that's important in your life, type it into the STNG Online Network search field, and find what you're looking for around the region.
You can take a look at a breaking national or international news story on the video links, and then jump back to your local community for the score of a high school sports event.
Here's a quick overview of some of the STNG Online Network's new features:
Community news
What makes the Sun-Times News Group special? We're local, local, local: Local news, local photos, local events, local people, local places. And now that all of our newspapers are using the same format, navigating the network is quick and easy. At the top of every page, you will find a drop-down menu where you can select your community, click "go," and you're on your way.
Integrated Network
Whenever we publish a special section - such as the Holiday Guide, NCAA playoffs or Summer Festivals - we'll post links, photos, and related material in one spot on every home page. This spot is one-stop-shopping for interesting and useful information, whether it's in the city or suburbs.
AP Video
When news happens, nationally or around the world, not only can you read about it online, you can watch the video, too. For your convenience, up-to-the-minute entertainment, sports, news and business videos are posted at the top right of every home page.
Left tabs
Some of our most popular features are presented in tabs along the left-hand side of every home page. Here you can easily navigate to Roger Ebert's movie reviews, horoscopes, Sudoku, crossword puzzles, lottery results, restaurant reviews, blogs, video, classified sections, the Yellow Pages and more.
Something to Talk About
Every day we comb our 120 communities searching for something bizarre, interesting and/or inspiring to share with you. Look for this fun feature on home pages, in the main news section above sports.
Columnists
Finding your favorite columnists is easier than ever. Their names are on the front page and on the right side of section pages. Just click on a name to view the writer's most recent column. You can also click on "columnists" along the navigation bar at the top of each page.
STNG news alerts
Pressed for time, but want to know what's happening right this minute? Check out our STNG news alerts at the top of the home page. The moment news happens, you can find it here. Want more details? Click on the headline.
Photo galleries
If a picture is worth a thousand words - what would you say about a whole bunch of pictures? Each day we'll have featured photo galleries located at the top right of every home page, next to the video links. We will also have links to photo galleries inside related stories.
Inside
The "Inside" box can be found on the right-hand side of each section's index page. It takes you to hot spots all over the site, like Illinois school report cards, stock portfolios and The Fixer column.
Top stories
Highlights from other sections - including news, business, sports, and entertainment - show up on the right-hand side within stories and on section pages. That way if you're reading about the latest Britney Spears gossip ("by accident," right?) you can see what's going on in the rest of the world with a quick glance. A click of the mouse will take you to the whole story.
Join the discussion
New blogs will be added to our sites from writers, columnists and others, and we want you to participate in the conversation. Whether it's discussing the Bears, or commenting on street repairs, watch for more blogs in the weeks and months ahead.
New Web Addresses
The old Web addresses for STNG sites were not easy to remember, as they were often unfamiliar names. The new Web addresses are closely tied to each community newspaper, making it easier to recall the URL you want. Better still, just bookmark the page!
