Recent events brings back memories of my first time

You never forget your first, right?
I sure haven’t. It was 1999.
We had moved to Florence, Alabama, about eight months earlier. I was the new managing editor of The Times Daily, a 35,000-circulation daily newspaper owned by The New York Times.
After a career mostly covering sports news, I was now responsible for the whole ball of wax – the day-to-day operation of the entire newsroom.
As part of my duties, I was a…