The Sentinel will pay you to know the news

Actually, more than just knowing the news, you need to know more of the news than your neighbors. And if you do, you can win.

But this isn’t about gossip. It’s about the news that affects your community, news that tells you what your elected officials are doing and what’s happening around town and the state. News based on facts, not rumors, which you can use to make decisions. News about the good work of your neighbors.

It’s what the Sentinel provides every week. The staff works hard to gain and keep your trust, looking forward to hundreds of people picking up the paper at the post office or stores on Wednesdays.

We’re just looking to learn more about which stories people read and which they ignore; how much people follow the news; and what the Sentinel could do differently to better serve our readers.

And what better way to collect that information than to run a contest — with cash prizes.

Starting in next week’s newspaper, the Sentinel will publish a box with half a dozen questions about that week’s news. No trick questions, no upside-down hints scattered throughout the pages, no secret code words to decipher. Just an open-book test to determine the winners.

Read the paper, answer the questions, send in your answers and wait to see if you win. No multi-page forms to fill out, no online app to download. A blank piece of paper or an email works.

The Sentinel will publish a different set of six questions for each of the next three weeks. The readers who get the most correct answers will share $500 in cash prizes: $250 for first place, $150 for second and $100 for third. The prize money will be shared equally in the event of a tie.

No purchase necessary. Just look for the questions in the July 5, 12 and 19 Sentinels. Send in your answers by email to sentinelquiz@gmail.com, or drop them off at the office on Front Street, or mail them to Box 798, Wrangell 99929. Limit one entry per person, and be sure to put your name and phone number on your entry. The deadline to receive entries is noon July 28. Winners will be announced Aug. 2.

Just as there are no tricks to the news quiz questions, there are no tricks to the contest. We just want to learn what people read, how closely they follow the news, and how many people pay attention to the news enough to try winning a share of $500.

Maybe it’s also a matter of Wrangell pride. The contest is open to anyone, which means any of the Sentinel’s 140 out-of-town subscribers could win, though we’d rather see Wrangell readers receive the money. It’s the same as pulling for a Wrangell resident to win the Fourth of July raffle, only that’s all luck while this contest requires a bit of skill and effort.

We work hard to report the stories, and we’re willing to put up some money to see how much our readers follow the news.

 

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