That August, the International Astronomical Union downgraded Pluto’s status from planet to dwarf planet, according to the Library of Congress. As a former Space Camp grad, “Popular Science” subscriber and student of a “the solar system has nine planets” teaching plan, the change was mildly heartbreaking.

This week, the debate was sparked again. New photos of Pluto are opening a whole new world for astronomers and space enthusiasts, who are seeing close-up images of the still-technically dwarf planet for the first time.

The source of the photos is NASA’s New Horizons, a spacecraft that took off in, you guessed it, 2006. Third time’s the charm. Aboard the spacecraft is a host of “highly sensitive instruments and sophisticated electronics,” according to USA Today.

But a lot has changed in the last nine years.

What else was going on in 2006?

• Facebook became available to anyone over the age of 13 who had a working email address.
• Twitter was founded and thousands were using the social media platform. (More than 300 million use it today, according to Twitter.)
• Pop music listeners were bopping along to “Bad Day,” by Daniel Powter; “Temperature,” by Sean Paul; and “Promiscuous,” by Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland, according to Billboard.
• “Crash” won the Oscar for best motion picture of the year. (Granted, the ceremony was honoring films released in 2005. “The Departed” won the next year, when the 79th Academy Awards recognized movies from 2006.)
• J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, announced the title for the seventh and final book as “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”
• TV networks were premiering shows like “Heroes,” “Hannah Montana,” “Dexter” and “Friday Night Lights,” according to IMDb.com.

Devices that were considered state-of-the-art in 2006 — RAZR phones, anyone?  — are seen as obsolete today.

We’re talking about a world before the iPhone. Before Pinterest, Tumblr and SnapChat.

And the technology from that world can tell NASA scientists that Pluto’s surface appears to be no more than 100 million years old.

Imagine what we’ll learn next time NASA sends a spacecraft to explore the outskirts of our solar system using the communication tools we have at our fingertips today.

We’re on to you, YDR.

Over the past few months, journalists at the York Daily Record/Sunday News have been getting together to play a weekly game of kickball. The times and days of the week change — you can’t organize the news, folks — but they make an effort to get together for some good and friendly fun. Sometimes they even blog about it.

Evening Sun staffers have been invited to join, but no one has been able to make the 40-minute trip to York in time for the game. (Some of us have to work. Just sayin’.) Someone from the YDR emails everyone in the Hanover newsroom a few hours, maybe a day, before play would start, saying we’re “more than invited” to participate in some “kickball action.”

Well, we understand. And no judgement, really. We wouldn’t want to give us time to properly prepare for some kickball action, either, if we were you.

So, let’s make it official. The Evening Sun challenges the YDR to a kickball game. The ball’s in your court — er — field.

Want to share your news with people in the Hanover-Adams area?

Join Evening Sun editors July 1 for a “How to Get it Published” seminar where you’ll learn how to get news and information out to the community.

Whether it’s a pat on the back for a job well done or a photo of church members enjoying a chicken dinner, we’ll guide you through the various ways you can share your news.

If you go

What: “How to Get it Published” seminar

When: Noon, July 1

Where: 37 Broadway, Hanover

RSVP: Email news@eveningsun.com and put “How to Get it Published” in the subject line

Kristin Reed, 15, works on her mathematics homework at the kitchen table March 24 at her home in Littlestown. Reed was once an honor roll student, now suffering from five concussions Reed struggles daily to maintain her grades in school. (Shane Dunlap — The Evening Sun)

The Sementillis were going through a rough time. Their 11-year-old daughter, Izzy, had just sustained her third concussion in less than a year. They had seen reports on TV of long-term effects multiple concussions could have on a person, especially one as young as Izzy.

So they Googled, “multiple concussions,” expecting pages of medical reports and essays to appear as they had the last several times the family had turned to Google for answers.

But this time, the first thing that popped up was a story I wrote a few weeks ago about 15-year-old Kristin Reed, a Littlestown girl who had gone through six concussions with brutal consequences.

Concussions: One Littlestown family’s struggle

As the Sementillis read through the story, they became emotional. They couldn’t believe someone else was going through this nightmare, too, they said in their email. Someone else knew what it felt like. Finally. They weren’t alone.

Izzy’s mom, Pola Sementilli, emailed me after reading it.

“The article was wonderful,” she said. “Thank you for taking time to share this important story.”

A gracious email like that from a reader is more than enough for any journalist. Actually, just hearing someone say they read your article usually makes a journalist’s day, so this made my week. I emailed Pola back, thanking her for the kind words (even though she accidentally addressed it to ‘Brian’ instead of Brandon, which we laughed off).

She asked if it would be possible to get in touch with the Reed family. I passed along an email address for Kristin’s mom, with her permission, and apparently they were able to connect. It was a huge boost just to hear another family understand what they were going through, Pola said, because no one else had.

As Pola and I talked on the phone, I got choked up, too. She described the heartache that came with an 11-year-old going through such traumatic injuries. Some of what she said brought me back to when I sat in the Reeds’ kitchen weeks ago, talking to Kristin and her mother, Stacy, as they fought back tears, explaining the same heartache.

There was a silver lining now though, Pola said, because they knew they weren’t alone.

Then came the ultimate compliment for a journalist: “Reading the story, then talking to the Reed family has lifted our spirits so much,” Pola said. “And it’s all because of you. Thank you.”

As a journalist, you search for stories worth sharing, and you do the best you can to craft a story worth reading. Every now and then, a story such as this means a little more to the writer. The people involved become more than names on a page. Their stories become personal.

To the Sementillis, Reeds, and any other family touched by reaching the article: Stay tuned. This story isn’t done being told just yet.

Name: Eric Blum
Lives in: Hanover, Pennsylvania
Hometown: Germantown, Maryland
Position at The Evening Sun: News Reporter
Years with The Evening Sun: Started Dec. 29
Graduated from: Towson University
With a degree in: Electronic Media & Film/Journalism
Twitter: @Eric_M_Blum

1. What made you want to become a journalist? My mom is a technical writer for the government, so her career made me interested in taking my first journalism class. Once I took that class during my  sophomore year of high school, I knew I wanted to become a journalist. It was exciting and always presented a different challenge.

2. If you weren’t a journalist, what type of career would you pursue? I was never athletic or good enough to become a professional soccer player, so I think I would try to work in the communications department of a Major League Soccer franchise.

3. What do you like most about your job? I like that I get to cover the municipality where the paper is based. I appreciate that I’m in a position to write about something people care about.  That’s really cool to me.

4. What do you like least about your job?: I really don’t dislike anything, but if I had to choose, I guess I would say that I don’t get to sleep in every morning.

5. It’s 9:30 a.m. on a day off. What are you doing?: I’m most likely sleeping. If not, I’m eating breakfast or watching sports.

6. What’s been your favorite project or story recently? Why?: My favorite story I’ve worked on while at The Evening Sun was about Brenna Sheaffer, a senior at Hanover High School, who has won five Hanover Idol competitions. She also works at a local elementary school helping special needs children with music therapy. Getting to see her in different lights helped me write a thorough and informative piece.

7. Your favorite journalism-related blog you read or Twitter feed you follow: @KICKTV

8. What’s your favorite movie/Book/TV show?: My favorite movie is “Pulp Fiction,” the only book series I ever truly enjoyed reading was Harry Potter and my favorite TV show is a tie between “That 70’s Show” and “Breaking Bad.” I could never choose between them.

9. What’s one of your favorite hobbies?: Over the past year I have taken a huge interest in working out and staying in better shape. There aren’t many better experiences than reaching a goal at the gym.

10. What’s one piece of newsroom jargon that had to be explained to you?: I was incredibly happy to find out that in a newsroom, a budget has nothing to do with money. There’s a reason I’m a reporter and I never took an economics class in college.

Meet other Evening Sun staffers
Meet photographer Clare Becker
Meet photographer Shane Dunlap
Meet news clerk Arlene Little
Meet assistant metro editor Katy Petiford
Meet reporter Brandon Stoneburg
Meet reporter Jenni Wentz

Evening Sun sports reporters Brandon Stoneburg (left) and Zach Miller pose for a photo April 14.

Tuesday was picture day for the Evening Sun editorial staff and most of us — photographers, reporters, editors and clerks — were perfectly content with getting a standard portrait shot.

By most of us, I mean everyone except Brandon Stoneburg and Zach Miller.

Maybe you’ve seen the photo floating around Twitter or posted on various Facebook pages. If you know Stoneburg and Miller, their pose isn’t entirely surprising.

What went into it? Check out this behind-the-scenes video.

Stoneburg has been working for the Hanover newsroom for more than a year and Miller started in February. They both report for The Evening Sun as well as GameTimePA.com, a regional website that covers high school sports.

Want to join the party? We’re having an open house from noon to 4 p.m. April 11, the same Saturday as Main Street Hanover’s mini-golf tournament. Stop by, chat for a bit. Test your putting skills with our mini-golf hole.

If you want hang out with journalists after the open house, hit up Miscreation Brewery from 4 to 7 p.m. Ashley May, the editor the regional entertainment site FlipSidePA.com, and I will be guest bartending at the Center Square brewery.

We’ve also got some special anniversary-related news content coming your way, both online and in print, toward the end of the month. Before that content goes live, staffers will be tweeting about their stories, newsroom facts, notable moments from the past 100 years and other birthday tidbits.

Don’t miss a minute of the centennial celebration. Follow the live blog for updates.

I’m sorry. Couldn’t even finish that sentence. I do like to brag when it’s absolutely warranted. And when Evening Sun journalists win a bunch of statewide awards, it’s time to pull out the soapbox. Or, you know, write a blog post.

Evening Sun reporters and photographers won seven Keystone Press Awards for work they produced in 2014. Yup, seven.

Need help remembering that number? That’s one win for each day of the week. A prize for each of the little miners in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Or, if you’re feeling a little devilish, one nod for each of the deadly sins.

The last time The Evening Sun walked away with that many Keystones was in 2004. (Hanover journalists won 10 that year.)

The Keystones, awarded by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, recognize the best of the best in categories like investigative reporting, special projects, sports photo and page design. There are 27 categories, with three chances to place in each category — first, second and honorable mention — and newsrooms are split into divisions based on circulation rates.

Check out some of the award-winning journalism produced last year by Evening Sun reporters and photographers.

Writing/Reporting

Hanover journalists won four writing/reporting awards,  including two of the three Keystones given for news beat reporting.

James Mister, 75, stands by the ferris wheel ride on July 1. Mister says he has worked at carnivals for 55 years. (Clare Becker – The Evening Sun)

Jenni Wentz won first place for her coverage on illegal and prescription drug abuse. Her beat portfolio included Hanover vs. heroin: Not just an urban problem.

Mark Walters, who is now a journalist at the York Daily Record/Sunday News, received an honorable mention for his medical marijuana reporting. He kicked off his coverage with Treatment, oil could reduce kids’ epileptic seizures, but it remains illegal in Pa. and continued to update the community through stories, live coverage and blog posts.

Wentz won her second award, an honorable mention in the investigative reporting category, for a story on panhandling in West Manheim Township.

A series written by Adam Michael on Hanover’s roller derby team, the Black Rose Rollers, won first place in the sports beat writing category.

Photo/Video

The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association gave Evening Sun photographers three nods with one first place award and two second place awards.

Shane Dunlap placed first in the video story category with Art in Air: Plein Air artists at Gettysburg Festival.

“Re-enactor Bob Doerr of Andreas walks through a field back to Steinwehr Avenue after the 58th annual Remembrance Day Parade ended in Gettysburg on Nov. 15, 2014. (Shane Dunlap – The Evening Sun)

Clare Becker’s photo from the Harney Fire Company Carnival, above, won second place for a feature photo.

Dunlap’s gallery from the 58th annual Remembrance Day Parade placed second in the photo story/essay category. (The other two spots, first place and honorable mention, went to Jeremy Long, a photographer at one of The Evening Sun’s sister papers, the Lebanon Daily News.)

He might be leaving Hanover, but he’s staying in York County. Continue to follow Mark’s coverage as he takes on the York City beat for our sister paper, the York Daily Record/Sunday News.

GameTimePa is your home for high school sports coverage in southcentral Pennsylvania.

Like sports? Like journalism?

The Hanover newsroom is looking for an experienced multiplatform journalist to cover Adams County and southwestern York County high school sports. This position also works for GameTimePa, your home for high school sports coverage in southcentral Pennsylvania.

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Innovative with social media
• Familiar with Hanover-Adams sports
• Psyched about the changing world of journalism
• Invested in producing quality sports coverage
• A team player

Think you have what it takes? Read more about the position at journalismjobs.com.