Smoke filling the air
I've told you before how our reporters leap to cover breaking news so that you have the latest updates from any big incident.
And that's what happened on Wednesday night. A fire broke out at the metal recycling scrapyard in Northam - with flames visible from across the area.
Thick black plumes of smoke filed the night sky, with firefighters warning it was 'hazardous'.
 There wasn't a tweet, Facebook post or email out to residents informing people of the smoke danger - and that's no criticism of the fire service - but a few words at the scene to our reporter who filed that back to the newsroom so readers could be told.
It's an example of how on-the-ground reporting cannot be beaten, and why one of the phrases most heard in the Daily Echo newsroom is "can you get out there please" - and not "just write it up from your desk".
In the criminal courts
Original, quality and exclusive stories are what the Echo is all about. This was the case in court with Timothy Edgley's report on a man jailed for attacking his housemate.
When a reporter attends court they know they have to get all the detail mentioned down in shorthand in their notepads - it's not repeated (or recorded in an immediately accessible way) and you cannot rewind or pause.
You may later read a police press release about this story, but you'll only get the full story from a reporter who has been in court.
Timothy reports how Darren Cleaver assaulted his victim - chopping off her finger after a row over noise in their shared house.
Cleaver slashed his own stomach open before sending pictures of this to his wife in the particularly gruesome and terrifying incident.
When jailing Cleaver the judge said: "There is a significant risk, of serious harm, of you behaving in this way in future."
Restaurant boss must pay
Talking of court, Lorelei Reddin's story on well-known restaurant boss Kuti Miah having to pay out nearly £20,000 is an example of something that may never have been reported.
Her tenacity after Mr Miah's name was spotted on a county court list means that we have been able to fully tell you the story of how he is in a legal battle with a builder owed thousands - which could in all tot up to more than £1m.
If criminal courts are blink and you miss it, then civil courts are even harder to report on. We don't get told what each case is about, basic details about the parties appearing and often have to remind those involved that the public and press are entitled to attend such cases.
We weren't at Mr Miah's court case - nor was he - but Lorelei's skill meant we have been able to find out a lot - and we'll continue to bring you the latest on this legal battle as it goes on.
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