Al Zagofsky, publisher
Al’s career includes work as: an engineer, a project manager, a raft guide, a publisher, a journalist, a bodywork/massage practitioner, and an Alexander Technique teacher. He plays guitar and banjo and enjoys songwriting.
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California Update — A History
California Update — A History
What a coincidence.
The genesis of what is now California Update began in 2003, just days after President George W. Bush launched Operation Iraqi Freedom. The campaign opened with a “shock and awe” assault, intended to dismantle Iraq’s alleged stockpile of weapons of mass destruction.
But no such weapons were ever found.
In the end, more than 4,500 American service members lost their lives, and another 45,500 were wounded or fell ill. Civilian casualties were even more staggering—estimates place Iraqi deaths at more than 200,000.
Why bring this up?
Because that same week, I was working as a correspondent for the Times News of Carbon County, Pennsylvania. That evening, disturbed by what I saw as an unjustified war, I wrote my first—and last—editorial for the paper. I cited statements by United Nations representatives who had found no evidence of WMDs in Iraq.
The next morning, the publisher called me into his office. He said I had written “a pack of lies” and told me I would never write another editorial for the paper.
So, I started my own publication.
Living in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania at the time, I called it Jim Thorpe Today. That was 22 years ago. As it grew, I expanded coverage to the entire county and renamed it Carbon County Magazine. In 2015, after moving to the Sacramento area, I rebranded the publication once more—this time as California Update.
My career in journalism had started a few years earlier, around 2000, shortly after I moved to Carbon County. I was then working as a photographer—one of about 14 careers I’ve had—and happened to come upon a group of ice climbers scaling a frozen waterfall. I pitched the photos to the Times News editor, who liked them but asked me to write a short story to go with the images.
That was my start as a stringer—with the official title of “correspondent.”
The Times News itself has a deep and storied history. Originally, it was the Mauch Chunk Daily Times, founded in 1883 in the town of Mauch Chunk—home to the powerful barons of the anthracite coal, canal, and railroad industries that connected to the Philadelphia market.
From 1908 until 1951, James J. Boyle served as the paper’s editor and publisher. His children, Joseph and Gertrude Boyle, later took the reins and renamed it the Jim Thorpe Times News after the town adopted the name of the legendary Olympic athlete.
Eventually, Pencor Services acquired the Times News, as well as the Lansford Record, Evening Courier, East Penn Free Press, and other local papers—consolidating them under the Times News banner and growing into a regional media force.
During his tenure, Joe Boyle became a beloved local figure, often seen strolling the streets of Jim Thorpe, chronicling the town’s transformation—from coal wealth to post-industrial poverty, to a fresh start driven by tourism and outdoor adventure.
He documented the restoration of old mansions, the rebirth of forgotten rail lines and canal trails, and the arrival of rafters, kayakers, and cyclists who helped reinvent the town.
With his notepad and camera, Joe Boyle didn’t just record the changes—he became part of the story.
I walked in Joe Boyle’s footsteps. I came to know the people of Jim Thorpe, and I told their stories.
Today, I no longer live in Jim Thorpe, or Carbon County, or even Pennsylvania. But I visit. People remember me. Many are aging now, and many are frustrated with the direction of politics—locally and nationally.
Which brings me back to that editorial about WMDs.
Here we go again.
Now, another president—Donald Trump—has asserted that Iran is developing weapons of mass destruction. The United Nations says no. U.S. intelligence officials say no. But the drums of conflict are beating once more.
To borrow a line from John Denver, “Gee, it’s good to be back home again.” — or is it?
~ Al Zagofsky
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