Journal Community Publishing Group in Rhinelander is pleased to announce the official release of Roger Luce’s new “Luce Change: Improving Our Local Economy” blog. The blog, accessible via StarJournalNOW.com (under the “Community Voices” tab), features thoughts and solutions on how to solve some of the problems facing northern Wisconsin’s struggling economy. It is written by Roger Luce, the executive director of the Oneida County Economic Development Corporation.

“Blog readers will have access to some of the most current information about the current Northwoods economic climate, and they will have the ability to interact and converse through the blog’s ‘Comments’ feature,” said Craig Mandli, Editor of the Star Journal and Hodag Buyers’ Guide. “Roger has several decades of economic development experience in both the private and public sector, and I’m looking forward to helping him share his articulate viewpoints with the public.”

The blog was created to complement the launch of the Star Journal’s new website, which went live several weeks ago. Mandli said the paper is planning to bring aboard several more community bloggers in the next month.

“These blogs are going to be a fun and exciting way to supplement what we are doing with our print products,” said Mandli. “My goal is to get people in this community talking and interacting with each other.”

The first posting on Luce’s blog, “Manufacturing Does Matter” discusses the recent announcement from Oldenburg Group that the company had won a large Chinese manufacturing contract that is likely to create much-needed jobs in this area. In his second posting, “Let’s be hard to beat,” Luce equates his local economic strategy to a team’s recipe for winning a close football game and making itself unbeatable.

“Roger has a great way of simplifying complex economic theories into wording anyone can understand and get behind,” said Mandli. “I’m happy that we are able to provide this platform for him to get those ideas out there.”