We’re calling it “30 in 30”—and what it means is that, starting Monday, Buffalo News readers will find a month’s worth of new features in their daily paper. (The features will be print-edition only, not online.)

The idea is to let readers know that the paper has a fresh approach, with something new every day.

There’s a method in this March madness: We’re hoping that some potential readers and subscribers, who think they know what’s in the paper, will be tempted to take another look. We’ll be rolling the new features out, day by day, during the month of March.

Here’s a look at the first week’s offerings, just to give a taste of what’s to come.

Monday: "Seven by Seven." This is a Monday through Friday must-see guide, on page A2, to what’s happening in Western New York— the seven things you need to know by 7 a.m.

Tuesday "Be Well in WNY." This health-oriented feature will appear in the Life & Arts section each Tuesday. The first one, written by Charity Vogel, tells sun-starved Western New Yorkers whether they should consider a Vitamin D additive during the winter months.

Wednesday: "This Day in Buffalo Sports History." You can check the second page of the Sports section daily to revisit great moments in Buffalo sports over the decades.

Thursday: "Pet Tales." Feature writer (and dog owner) Anne Neville seeks out some of the quirky, sad or funny stories behind Buffalonians and their beloved pets.

Friday: "Out to Eat." A new Gusto feature highlights great dishes and great people at local restaurants.

Saturday: "Buffalo News Shape-Up." This ambitious project helps five local people lose weight and get fit over a 16-week period and tracks their progress. Local nutritionists and trainers lend a hand.

Sunday: "Car Fix." Nationally recognized car expert (and Clarence resident) Lauren Fix begins a weekly question-and-answer column in Life & Arts that will satisfy your automotive jones.

. . .

When American superstar skier Lindsey Vonn swooped down the slope headed for her gold medal, Buffalo News columnist Bucky Gleason was right there waiting.

“I got lucky,” he said. “Where I was watching, it was like she was going to ski right into my lap.”

Gleason has spent the last two weeks in Vancouver covering his third Winter Olympic Games for The News, starting in Salt Lake City in 2002, followed by Turin, Italy, in 2006.

His experience has paid off in his savvy and engaging coverage, much of it featured on the front page.

In addition to writing about the biggest events of the Games—such as Vonn’s triumph —Gleason focused on stories of particular interest to readers in the Buffalo area.

Gleason wrote engaging features on young athletes with strong local ties. These included 22-year-old aerial skier Matt DePeters of Hamburg, focusing on the sacrifices he made to become an Olympic athlete, and U. S. women’s hockey goalie Molly Schaus, whose roots in North Buffalo helped bring her to the Olympic bliss of competing in Vancouver.

The high point, though, may have been the U. S. versus Canada hockey game last week, in which Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, former Sabre Chris Drury and coach Lindy Ruff had substantial roles.

“For the world, it was U. S. versus Canada, but for Buffalo fans, it was different, and that’s what I was there to bring them,” Gleason said. He had to write for the front page under the tightest of time constraints, with the game ending as the first-edition deadline loomed; he did a near-complete rewrite for later editions.

“I was scrambling,” he admitted. “But it worked.”

These days — as newspapers are focused on cost-cutting — it’s a big decision and a big expense to send a staff writer to the Olympics, which are so heavily covered by national and world media. In this case, I believe, and I hope readers agree, it was worth the investment.