Veins of community across the desk

I've often considered myself lucky to have this job, although it isn't always fun!

A line from the Paul Newman/Sally Field movie Absence of Malice always comes back to me. Field is asking her city editor if he ever thought of doing something else as she questions her own decision to be a reporter. He says he has thought about doing something else, but when she asks will he ever do anything else, he says "Nope."

And he follows with why: "Something different every day, you don't have to lie a lot, and sometimes, you get the bad guy."

"Something different every day" rings true for me.

Yesterday, members of the community were mad about racial overtones in a column we published. Today, I get a thank you note for helping with a job fair for kids with disabilities. Yesterday, the newsroom was stressed dealing with shortage of staffing during a busy week. Oops. Today they're still stressed. But that will pass

Reading a letter from a reader one day highlights the problem of homelessness among women and children and how one of their shelters, Theresa House, will have to close if it cannot find enough funding. Another letter highlights the fact a group of local community leaders have joined together to help parents get their kids ready for kindergarten.

Crime logs tell the story of kids in trouble. Honor roll lists tell the story of kids with success.

If anything, the editor of the local newspaper, and people who work in the newsroom, get a broad view of our community. I think we can do something with that knowledge. Hopefully, we're imparting a bit of what it means every day, and most importantly, offering solutions or highlighting people who've found solutions.

This daily duty of tracking the life of the community will sustain the business we are in. The importance of those stories come across my desk every day, and remind me that we have an important role, a worthwhile purpose. For that, I'm grateful.