The storied and venerable but also absolutely first rate Eastern Avenue pizza place, Matthew?s on Eastern Avenue, was the venue for a mid-summer break of The Examiner?snews interns a few evenings ago. The pizza was the real thing and the Matthew?s servers were as good as it gets. But the headline is that those who fear the future of newspapers haven?t read enough of the bylined stories of The Examiner intern class of 2006 or felt the vibrant enthusiasm in their young voices as they told stories the other night of their early summer on our team. They don?t think but believe that reporting news is important. They don?t feel but know that doing it and doing it well is rewarding, exciting and fun. They?re smart, resourceful, reliable, hard-working and tough, and our newsroom and its readers have been the beneficiary of their talent, drive and spirit.

They are: from the University of Maryland, Geremy Bass, Falls Church, Va.; Sam Hedenberg, Beltsville; Carolyn Peirce, College Park; Michael Silvestri, College Park; Stephanie Varga, Potomac; from Gonzaga University, Kristin Deasy, Spokane, Wa.; from the University of Pittsburgh, Doug Denison, Westminster; from Howard University, Heather Faison, Laurel; from Rutgers University, Meghan Shapiro, Montclair, N.J.; from the University of Delaware, Kyle Siskey, Baltimore; and from Slippery Rock University, Rachel Seeman of Hanover and Genevieve Cocco, Towson, from The Corcoran College of Art and Design.