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Matt Paxton
Thanks Aren’t Just For Thanksgiving
I know Thanksgiving is the traditional time to show appreciation for all that we have, but I don’t think it should be limited to just one day. Perhaps the coming holidays and the end of the year spurred me to think about thanking actual people who are making a difference in our community and particularly for the newspaper.
I write often about the U.S. Postal Service, sometimes critical of its policies and particularly its rate-setting, but that’s all coming from the “Puzzle Palace” at USPS headquarters in Washington. Locally, I can’t say enough good about our postmasters, clerks and carriers in the eleven Rockbridge area post offices we work with. These men and women are dedicated and hard-working, and truly care that you get your News-Gazette on time. We ask a lot of them, especially the week of Thanksgiving, when they deliver over 18,000 copies of the paper to every address in the county and cities – all on one day! Week in and week out, the service is close to 100% on-time and accurate to addresses within the county.
This time, from mid-November into the first part of January is what the Postal Services calls Peak. It’s their busiest time of the year, as witnessed by the mail carriers’ vehicles filled to overflowing with packages. I hope you’ll thank them for their hard work. I can assure you, if your mail or package gets to your local post office, they’re going to make every effort to get it to you promptly.
Thanks also to the many members of the community who help us every year with our Rockbridge Christmas Baskets program. For a donation to Christmas Baskets through The News-Gazette, this program raised over $10,000 last year and is on track to equal or better that this year. Most of these generous folks are our subscribers, who get to renew their subscription, and have that money and a bit extra, go to the Christmas Baskets program. Many donors give more than the $70 requested donation. Thank you to our many partners in supporting this worthy local charity.
I also want to thank our subscribers who have added a contribution to supporting community journalism when they renew their subscription to The News-Gazette. Over 140 people have contributed so far this year. This money helps us keep our newsroom staffed and our reporters and editors at work, covering local government, sports, events, churches, organizations – about everything that’s happening in the Rockbridge area.
The traditional advertising- based business model for local journalism is changing, and is less and less able to keep local newspapers out there reporting local news. As we work to keep the newspaper viable and find a sustainable path to financial security while maintaining local ownership, philanthropy from local sources and grants from more regional or national entities, will become a part of our financial base.
Thank you also, to our loyal advertisers, who see The News-Gazette as a viable local medium to reach their customers. We work hard every day to keep your trust and to make the paper and our website a “must read” in Rockbridge County. We appreciate your business.
The News-Gazette’s staff of reporters, editors, designers, advertising and administrative people are some of the hardest-working and dedicated folks I’ve had the pleasure to work with in my 45 years here at the paper. Thank you for your dedication and your skill.
There are so many people I could thank in other areas, both on a personal level and professionally, and I’m sorry if I have not mentioned all of them. The folks I’ve talked about have helped The News-Gazette have a successful year. With their help and that of all our readers, advertisers and staff, we will have as good or better 2025.
