Maysville, Ky., and its paper hit a trifecta: Bill Clinton, a Clooney premiere and a state title

Folks in the newsroom of The Ledger Independent, the daily newspaper in the Ohio River town of Maysville, Ky., pop, 9,000, thought they had a lot on their hands when George Clooney, who grew up just down the river in Augusta, announced that his new movie, "Leatherheads," would premiere in Maysville tomorrow night and that he would attend with co-star Renee Zellweger.

Then things got really interesting. First, Bill Clinton scheduled a campaign stop for his wife on Tuesday, seeking votes in Kentucky's May 20 primary. And last night, the Mason County Royals won the state's high-school basketball championship -- really big news than in most states, because Kentucky doesn't divide its schools into enrollment classes for basketball.

So, in three consecutive days, the 9,000-circulation Lee Enterprises paper gets to report on a countywide celebration and the visits of America's top cinematic idol and a former president who wants to move back into the White House. Sports Editor Dan Hopwood began his story this way: "George Clooney and Renee Zellweger are due in town tonight, and Bill Clinton is coming to Maysville on Tuesday. But on Sunday, the center of attention was a group of tall, gangly teenagers who proved themselves the best in Kentucky on the basketball court Saturday night."

"Are things a little hectic around here?" Editor Mary Ann Kearns asked in an e-mail reply to our inquiry. "Absolutely. In fact, crazy might be a better way to describe the newsroom over the past week. But these are the stories we live for, the kind of events that make this the greatest job in the world and, wow, we have hit the trifecta. Everyone in the newsroom -- reporters, editors, photographers, paginators, videographers -- has been pushed beyond what they thought they could comfortably handle but they have responded with a level of professionalism and dedication that makes me extremely proud to be a part of this team."

Publisher Bob Hendrickson wrote us, "It really is amazing that we could experience such a windfall of great news events all within a week." He said the paper knew the local team had a shot at the state title, but "When we heard George Clooney was coming home to premiere his new movie the way his Aunt Rosemary did in the early 1950s with 'The Stars Are Singing,' we kicked things into a higher gear both at the newspaper and in the community. Then, when Maysville native Jerry Lundergan announced plans to bring the former president to Maysville, we thought, Why not?" Lundergan, a former state Democratic chairman, is a major fund-raiser for Hillary Clinton. Here's Barbara Goldman's advance on the premiere and Debra Perry's backgrounder on the Clinton visit.

Hendrickson, a Maysville native, added that U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings was in town last week to recognize the school system for its improvements and "MTV announced plans last week to choose a local student for its 'Made' TV program. ... And all of this happens during Easter Week which is a very special time of year in rural America. All in all a great week to be in Maysville and a great week to be in the news business. We're pulling out all the stops and focusing on our Web site (videos, photos, slide shows, multi-media) to deliver immediate coverage of all these events." (Encarta map)