You may have lost this in Romensko’s fine print, so I’ll mention it here, “North Carolina Paper Will Provide Free Local WiFi; Plans Paid WiMax”

I’ve seen a lot of WiFi models lately but this appears to be the first from a local newspaper. (You’ll let me know if I’m wrong, I’m sure.) The Pilot, which covers Pinehurst and several other communities in North Carolina, will provide free WiFi across Moore County. Publisher David Woronoff explains: “The Pilot’s mission is to serve Moore County and we think the technology has advanced to the point that we can help bind the community together in a dynamic and compelling way with The Pilot’s products and Internet service.” They’ve acquired WiFi equipment, hired a GM and will start the rollout with a transmitter on their own building in Southern Pines. This isn’t a value add for print subscribers — it will be accessible to readers and non-readers. The Pilot plans to launch a fee-based WiMax network later this year.

Other plans include a major web redesign — ThePilot.com averages 5,000 uniques a day — with full bells and whistles (podcasts, community-oriented blogs, multimedia, etc.).