Reporter declares independence with his own blog

One of Blogriculture's contributors is setting up a blog at a new address.

Tim Hearden, a Capital Press reporter based in Northern California, is launching a new blog this week he calls the Jefferson Journal. As Tim describes it, "the Jefferson Journal, invokes both the name and spirit of the mythical State of Jefferson, a huge expanse of rural Northern California and Southern Oregon that briefly sought its own statehood in the early 1940s. Folks in these parts still have an independent state of mind."

If you've spent any time in the border area around where Oregon and California meet, you no doubt know that the Jefferson spirit is still very much alive and well. Residents of that area feel more connected to the interests of their cross border brethren than they do their respective state capitals.

Tim intends to tap into that deeply ingrained sense of independence and write on politics and other topics unique to the farmers and ranchers in that state, which may not exists on a map, but it definitely exists in the hearts and minds of those who live and work there. For some, the dream of a separate state of Jefferson still exists. This Wikipedia listing describes the history of the effort to form a 51st state and includes links to a variety of Websites that still carry on the banner of independence.

To Tim is declaring his independence and breaking away from Blogriculture. We hope he comes to pay us a visit from time to time. But we also encourage you to check out the Jefferson Journal and see what's happening over there too.