Page 4 - Mid Valley Times 1-2-2020 E-edition

Thursday, January 2, 2020 | A4 | Mid Valley TiMes Editorial & Opinions
Serving the Readers of the Reedley Exponent, Dimuba Sentinel and Sanger Herald.
A Mid Valley Publishing Newspaper
Founded March 26, 1891, in a two-story building on the corner of 11th and F streets, by A.S. Jones
Fred Hall — Publisher
In my OPINION We remain committed to
our local coverage in 2020
Now, that the year 2019 is fully
in our rear-view mirror and 2020
spreads out before us as a great un-
known, this seems to be an appropri-
ate time to discuss the current state
of the newspaper business and the communications industry in general.
This report is being filed with you,
our readership, because you are, in
essence, our board of directors and
franchise holders supporting our very existence.
Media has chosen sides in what has become a bitter partisan political conflict and doesn't even hint at be- ing objective and fact-finding in their reporting. Given the shifting economic paradigm in the communications business that desertion of journalistic ethics is result- ing in the suicide of an entire industry with horrible ancillary damage.
Recognizing that our business is one that is under tre- mendous pressure to adapt to a new generation of news consumers, we embarked on a number of changes this past year designed to better serve our readers. Economic conditions pretty well mandate that the size of the aver- age community weekly publications be reduced to rough- ly 12 pages. The rule of thumb requires the end product be 50 percent advertising and 50 percent news hole.
We maintained all three office locations to guarantee thorough local coverage while combining the three pa- pers into one which was much larger and represented a greater value for the reader since subscription rates remained the same. One can still keep in touch with one's community for 50 cents or less. We don't believe that there is any greater value on the credible printed word available anywhere.
When the change was made to The Mid Valley Times, which incorporated all three previous nameplates, we increased the type size in an effort to support greater readability. A puzzle page was added to make your newspaper entertaining as well as informative. To- day's reader will notice there are now more color pho- tographs than ever to memorialize events and people from this community. The smallest editorial staff we've ever had works extremely hard to make sure that you, our reader, is kept abreast of city government, commu- nity, high school and sports coverage of our youngsters. That kind of coverage from a handful of reporters and editors represents a herculean task.
Throughout some extreme economic pressure our employees have remained loyal and redoubled their efforts to produce one of the best weeklies anywhere; readers in the community have remained loyal consum- ers of our product and advertisers, who have had to fight their own battles, have remained loyal in their support of a local newspaper. We can't begin to thank them enough. Advertising is the lifeblood of any media outlet, while the number of subscribers provides a rate base for that advertising. Those advertisers want to reach as many of you as possible with their message.
Shop locally any time you can and help keep the economy of our little towns in this fertile valley strong while it makes such an ideal place of all of us to live.
Truth is that one in every five newspapers operating in the United States 10 years ago has shuttered their operations while others have severely curtailed their printing with reduced circulation and fewer print days. Thousands of newspaper and media people have been forced to look elsewhere for work.
We believe that “when all the shooting is over and the smoke blows away” that small community papers — such as ours — have the greatest probability of contin- ued success because the need of small towns to remain informed and connected.
But, as always, that's only one man's opinion.
May God bless all of you and to everyone a glorious and blessed New Year!
Boxes and boxes...
Rick Curiel — Sanger Editor Jon Earnest — Reedley Editor Dick Sheppard — Editor Emeritus
QUOTE
“Think twice before you speak, and then you may be able to say something more insulting than if you spoke right out at once.”
— Evan Esar (1899-1995), Esar's Comic Dictionary
Boxes and boxes, upon box- es and more boxes,
By now you’ve probably had your fill of all these boxes. Small ones, big ones and
ones you might keep.
Some held the new sweat-
ers or the shoes for your feet. Not long ago they sat in
shiny paper and bows.
Today they lay in a landfill
or recycling plant, who knows? New clothes, a toy or two,
that new electronic,
But not one was your favor-
ite, how ironic?
These boxes, unwrapped,
may be filling your home. That blender or tool set or
new garden gnome.
Yet, of all the boxes that
were under the tree,
It’s hard to deny the gifts
that were free.
Like a meal with loved ones
or catching up with the kin, Not the boxes that filled
your recycling bin.
Time is the greatest, of
which no box can hold.
Did you share it with others
outside in the cold?
Did you cut some cake or
make a toast?
Did you visit family or
friends near the coast?
These boxes can distract us
from all the real joys,
That cannot be found in all
the world’s toys.
The smiles and the laugh-
ter, a hug and embrace, These are the presents that
leave a real trace.
Health is another gift no
box can contain.
Thank goodness you’re up-
right and breathing, and dare I say sane.
In all of our sufferings, both physical and mental,
What a blessing it is to have health, vision and dental.
And on that note, because it’s not something to rob,
Be grateful, all of you, who have a great job.
For all jobs are great when they provide for you, yours and ours.
So labor with joy and put in those hours.
For time it escapes us like sands through an hourglass.
And when it comes to learn- ing, our world is our class.
So learn something new, each and every day.
Be careful with your ac- tions and with every word you say.
Because what you won’t find in even the finest boxes of gold
Are the real gifts you’ve col- lected when at last you are old.
For no box can contain the real treasures of earth.
Rick Curiel
Fred Hall
And for this reason, this season, we celebrate birth.
It is the birth of a new sea- son, a time to reflect.
It calls us to gather and to- gether genuflect.
For unto us a King was born, in humility and in a man- ger,
To give His life to pay a price, for one and for all, for kin and for stranger.
The boxes, though gifts, just pale in comparison
To the one true gift, the gift of a person.
That person, if chosen, now lives in you and me.
That gift has no box and is completely free.
So after you toast and gath- er to cheer,
Be sure to take this gift into the new year.
Rick Curiel is editor for The Times' Sanger office.
Sullivan happily awaits new library as she retires from longtime Reedley post
For the past 25 years, any- one who's set foot in the Reed- ley Library has seen the famil- iar face of Kathy Sullivan. But she no longer is a daily pres- ence in old square building on E Street.
After 30 years working with the Fresno County Pub- lic Library — the past 25 of them in Reedley — Sullivan is stepping down as librarian to spend more time with fam- ily and eventually do some traveling. But she's still close by to follow and finally savor the move of the library to a new site. The larger facility will be located between 10th and 11th streets, south of the Kings Canyon Unified School District complex between the train tracks and Rails to Trails Parkway.
Taking a few minutes to
talk with me during her retire- ment celebration on Dec. 27, Kathy shared about her stint with the Reedley library that remained surprisingly stable. "I survived all these years, and the reorganization [the county system underwent]," she said with a laugh."Somehow I was able to stay in Reedley."
All the while, there was the hope of a new building that was derailed by starts and stops with Fresno County. But at last, Fresno County ap- proved the building a new fa- cility, with the assistance of the Reedley Friends of the Li- brary purchase of land.
Kathy said she's enjoyed her long stint working in Reed- ley and the people she's gotten to know.
"Met a lot of people over the years. You learn something
new every day working in the library." she said.
Congratula- tions, Kathy, and enjoy your retirement.
•••
An obituary this week on
Page A3 shares the news of the recent death at age 92 of Reedley icon Bob Suderman. He was a charter member of the Reedley Rotary Club, and for years owned and operated Western Auto and later Bob's Cycle (now the site of Main- street Cafe). A notable part of the community's history, he will be missed. Condolences to his family.
Jon Earnest is editor for The Times' Reedley office.
Jon Earnest
Letters Policy
MID VALLEY TIMES invites letters from the public on any topic of local relevance. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity or brevity, and we reserve the right to NOT publish them if they could be deemed libelous or profane. Letters should
be 350 words or less, and bear the author's name, address, and phone number. Letters can be mailed, emailed, submitted via our website, or personally delivered to: Editor, Reedley Exponent, 1130 G St, Reedley CA 93654.
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