It's been a tough couple of weeks...

As our readers may have noticed, we've been having a few problems lately -- mostly having to do with lateness. Relations with our printing company are pretty strained right now because of this, but they're the only printing company we've got and we have to stick with them for the time being. 

I take full responsibility for all of this, and hope our readers will bear with us until we can come to some sort of agreement that suits us and our printers. Needless to say, we can't hold out much longer calling ourselves a Thursday paper and coming out on Friday or later. The economic downturn has hurt both us and our printers, and the belt-tightening they've had to do recently means we can no longer follow the printing schedule we'd grown accustomed to. I don't know what that will mean for us yet -- earlier deadlines for news and advertising submissions are probably imminent. I've been pretty lax on taking material that comes in on Wednesday mornings for the current week's paper. That's definitely going to come to an end. 

If you have news or advertising to submit to us, and you want to make sure it goes in on a certain date, please have it in our hands by close of business Monday, week of publication. I'm afraid this is the only way we can begin to rein in this streak of lateness and be able to print on Wednesday afternoons again. 

I know this has been an annoyance to our readers, and a problem for our advertisers. But it's been affecting me very deeply. To know that the paper's going to be late AGAIN this week and not be able to do anything about it is a pretty powerless feeling. To have to spend all day Thursday and Friday fielding phone calls from irate subscribers is no fun, either. 

Please, bear with us. Our only aim is to bring Perry County the local news coverage its people deserve. That may sound cheesy, but it's not meant to be. I really mean it. The opportunity to make a difference here in this county that has given me so much means the world to me. It's not always easy, and it's not always fun. But it matters. 

When the angry phone calls about late papers start flooding in, at the very least I can take solace in knowing it matters to you, as well. 

Thank you, and I hope to see you again next week. On time. 

J.A.