The Middletown Press, along with 17 other daily newspapers in our company, will declare its independence on July 4 by publishing an entire print edition using only free tools you can find on the internet.

While part of the project is to learn about new technology and free programs, another part is learning to listen to the audience. A couple of weeks ago, we posted a story listing some ideas that we wanted to start working on for our Ben Franklin edition.

We also ran a story in the print edition, and we've been following several comment threads on daily stories at www.middletownpress.com.

Two of the stories we suggested - what to do about the fireworks now that Middletown has canceled its display, and dangerous intersections in the city - have been wildly discussed on several parts of our website.

So far, we have gathered comments left to us online, information people have called in and those concerns sent in via e-mail or regular mail, and we are hoping to utilize SeeClickFix for the story on dangerous intersections to add to the concerns people have already voice to us.

Once we have a first draft of both of those stories, we intend to post them on the web for people to comment and offer other suggestions.

We look forward to working closer with our readers than ever before to complete this never-before-seen product.

Have concerns or questions? Leave a comment below or e-mail me at vsundqvist@middletownprses.com.