Commentary by Wayne Lee
This is the final printed edition of this esteemed publication (for the foreseeable future) which is a bittersweet occasion for an old dinosaur like me. We will move forward in the digital world, but my life, up until this point, has been exclusively expressed in printed form. It’s how I was trained since I started writing for my high school paper.
Thers’s a feeling of a physical paper in your hand you can carry and share with others. We will still have a printable newsletter format, and you can share digitally as well with links in emails or on social media. Which is one of several reasons why we have reached this point on our 50th anniversary.
Circumstances have brought us, and many other newspapers large and small, to this place in our history as the combination of increasing costs, decreasing revenue and the ever-expanding universe of social media have all combined to force many newspapers across the nation to go digital in order to continue to bring news, especially local news, to readers.
My journey of contributing to the collective history of this publication began with an audition, so to speak, as I was tasked with covering an Eagle Point City Council meeting. It was my first attempt at journalism since working for a small paper in Clear Lake, Calif. I submitted my story, which was printed in the May 16, 2019, issue and have been a regular contributor ever since. It must mean I got it right.
A little over a year later I was asked to write a weekly column and Wayne’s World was born (or hatched might be a better description). It debuted on Oct. 28, 2020, and has become a regular feature among the many interesting columns we run each week.
I also made high school sports a priority. I’ve always felt a high school and its community are uniquely intertwined and that includes everything from after school activities such as drama productions to vocational arts, agricultural opportunities, student government and more.
I firmly believe a reliable news source is necessary for an informed community to grow and thrive. This esteemed publication has been that source for the past half century and we continue striving to bring you a publication that is both informative and entertaining.
We’re pretty much a two-person operation – myself and the person whose column is right below mine – with the assistance of a few volunteers. Christy is the brains of the operation having been associated with this publication long before I ever came on board. I guess that makes me the “pretty face” of your local news. And yes, I laughed out loud reading that as well.
So, here’s to another 50 years of bringing you all things local! It will now be online rather than in your mailbox. Who knows? In another 50 years we could be streaming directly into a tech-enhanced brain, eliminating the need to actually read. Very Orwellian indeed. Maybe it’s a good thing I won’t be around long enough to see that happen because I still enjoy turning the pages of a good book ever since my days as a child under the covers of my bed with a flashlight when I was supposed to be sleeping, reading Hardy Boys mysteries.
I’m sure they must be online somewhere.
