BIG NEWS! The Star Car is here!

It's here, and the people at The Star couldn't be happier.
"Now I'm excited," Interactive Editor Joy Scott said. "I don't let myself get excited until I see something."
That something came to The Star as a white Chevy Trailblazer. Joy and I took it for a spin, and I can tell you now that the Star Car is fantastic.
But The Star and its parent company, Freedom Communications, didn't invest in an SUV just so the staff can tool around in style. During the next few days, the Star Car will be transformed into a lean, mean newsgathering tool that lets us keep you up-to-date and informed on a moment's notice whenever something is happening around the area.
It will make a world of difference. In the olden days .... about a year and a half to two years ago .... here's how it would have happened:
A reporter would go to an event.
Take some notes.
Come back to The Star.
Type up the notes.
Write up a story.
Turn in story.
From there, the editor would read the story, make any changes, ask for the reporter to fix some things.
Then, the story would sit in a damp, cold place called the que, where it would wait until later in the evening to be put in the paper. The paper would print, and you would get your news the next morning.
Then came http://www.shelbystar.com/.
That let us post breaking news online as it happened...almost. Reporters would call in stories. Sometimes, depending on where they were, the reporters could blog their story using their laptops.
But that would be difficult or impossible in places without wireless signal. They might have forgotten to grab the video camera on the way out.
Even worse: If a reporter was in the middle of a hot story, he or she would have to stop what they were doing to call in a report.
Not anymore. When finished, the Star Car will provide reporters all the tools they need to report live from any scene.
The Star Car will have:
Online wireless capabilities through two different cell phone companies.
A camera mounted on it where people online can see what reporters see.
A GPS tracking system that lets people watch where the car is going online ... not only can you watch the news as it happens, you can watch the Star Car as it's chasing the news that's happening.
What if police are chasing a suspect? The Star Car will be there.
What if tornadoes are ripping up part of the county? The Star Car will be there.
What does that mean for you? You'll be there, in the thick of it all.
And, if you'll forgive us, we're going to have a little bit of fun with it, too. That was evident Monday, when Publisher Skip Foster, Editor Jon Jimison, Joy and myself started pulling the vehicle apart to see what all it can do.
More on that later.
Watch the Star Car become a mobile news center. Check back with this blog daily and watch a white SUV become more than a cool vehicle. Watch it become your tool for finding out news as it happens.
Got questions? Don't hesitate to ask. Just post a comment below.