Fellow community members,
We have received many questions, concerns, and messages during this uncertain time, and felt we owed the readers an update on the company.
Like nearly all businesses in Lincoln County, this pandemic and the measures taken to reduce its impact on the loss of life have had a major impact on The Lincoln County News. We decided early on we would do everything possible to continue to deliver the news of Lincoln County to its residents during this crisis. We have always been an integral part of this community and felt that now more than ever, delivering the local news is a necessity, providing a comforting consistency in an uncertain world.
During the past couple of weeks, we have received several letters, phone calls, and emails that have touched us deeply. There has been such an outpouring of gratitude for keeping the paper going. This is a testament to the dedicated, wonderful, and courageous employees who are responsible for bringing you the paper each week. Please continue to reach out to us; the good news and thanks help keep us motivated during this difficult time.
We have applied and received verbal authorization for the Payroll Protection Program, which will help the company continue to operate with our entire workforce during the next couple of months.
There are three items which we wanted to address: (1) the needs of the community; (2) what we are doing; and (3) what steps you can take to help us rebuild the community.
If you have any suggestions for stories or services we can provide during this time, please let us know. Help us bring you the information you want. As always, we welcome your ideas.
We have focused on ensuring people have access to information. Our website was updated to include coronavirus updates at the top and we have been putting all virus-related coverage here for free, so it is available to all who need it. Other important business-related items have been published as press releases, and we are endeavoring to continue to update you on changes of service, hours, and modes of operation during this time without charging for advertising. We feel it is the right thing to do, and we hope that by supporting businesses in need now, they will support us when this crisis is over.
The third item is the focus of many of the questions – what you can do to help us during this time. Our history and future are so tightly intertwined with this community that we rely on each other for prosperity. The best way to assist us at this time is to support our local businesses. Tell them you read about them in the newspaper, say you saw their ad on our pages, or explain that you read about their specials on our website. Provide feedback to them that you were informed by the newspaper and this will help us succeed going forward. Please support those who support us.
Spend local to live local. Local advertising makes local news possible and ensures the delivery of the paper every week. By everyone’s positive efforts, we will get through this together.
