Report Inappropriate Comments

As a 35-year newspaper person, I appreciate this. I spent COVID as the lone reporter for my twice-weekly publication, that before 2011 had 10 people and before 2018 had five. I went from newsroom manager to guy with a camera and a notepad hitting everything from protests in 2020 to the 2021 mega fires in the Sierra to Women in History and craft fairs. If you can get through the hard parts, you also get to tell remarkable stories about real people. That's what keeps me engaged 35 years later. The great thing about writing the news is that there's always another story, always something where maybe you can help someone. Key to that is never taking to heart either too much praise or too much criticism. Because next issue, it'll be something else. To those ink-stained wretches, like me, who are still plugging away, don't despair. There are readers who rely on you. You are needed and what you do has value. Good luck … to all of us.