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In response to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Central Oklahoma Publications is taking steps to safeguard its employees and operations while performing the vital task of keeping the public informed.
To accomplish this the difficult decision has been made to temporarily combine three publications.
Although all three titles— Watonga Republican, Hinton Record, and Geary Star— will be printed on the cover each week, the paper of record for public notices during this period will be Watonga Republican. Blaine County public notices will not be affected, except that all affidavits of publication will come from Watonga Republican. During this time, we will not be able to publish public notices from Caddo County, but we would be happy to help arrange publication in another Caddo County legal newspaper. After the end of this pandemic crisis, Hinton and Geary will resume publishing and continue to have the authority to publish public notices.
So, what will this mean for our readers? It may mean a change in the day the paper arrives. The number of pages may be curtailed. It would be callous to expect advertisers to continue to publicize events or items for sale that may not be available. Those businesses are looking for ways to economize and survive this unprecedented event and their loyalty will bring them back to our pages when brighter days dawn.
The paper will find ways to continue to cover the important events in the community, such as city council, school board and county commission meetings. Expect to see continual updates and recommendations from health care providers and officials.
Furthermore, there will be updates posted to the paper websites, which will not consolidate. Those will be provided on each day the newspaper offices are open. Those updates will be available free of charge simply by going to the website. As much specific information for each location as possible will be provided.
Because the sports programs at all schools have been suspended until school resumes, there may be a shift in our sports pages. Anticipate seeing historical recaps of sports from back ‘in the day’ and perhaps sports features on graduates, Oklahoma greats and previously unexplored stories behind the stories.
Because the situation is rapidly evolving, this is uncharted territory for our operation. If there is a topic you wish to see addressed, information you need or a need that has gone unnoticed in our communities, please, as always, reach out via social media, telephone or email. This is an especially good time for good news, stories of our citizens with landmark anniversaries or birthdays, awards and celebrations, even if the celebrating is done in virtual time.
It is our ability to adapt to changing environments that make Oklahoma strong and resilient. We ask our readers to walk with us as we make those changes and adapt to what is for the time being, the new normal.
Connie Burcham can be reached at Editor@WatongaRepublican.com