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These days, if you want to scare yourself to death, turn on the TV or look at a cell phone. The responses around the country are enough to make everyone want to crawl into a hole and pull it in after themselves.
This newspaper will not take part in fear mongering or politicizing the current crisis. Our job is to keep the information you need flowing in as timely a manner as possible. We have every intention of continuing to do that job as difficult as it may become. We are anticipating the cancellation of some of the meetings we attend and report on. If those are still being held, we will report. If they are online, we will inform and report that as well, allowing residents to watch themselves or read our coverage.
We will continue to provide lists of closures and cancellations of public interest. When this is past and things begin opening again, that information will find its way to our pages as well.
We will seek and print information on open and staffed medical facilities. This could save time and travel in the unlikely event the medical system is overwhelmed and some offices close or are short on staff or medication.
We will do our utmost to maintain an updated recount of needed social services, such as food pantries, USDA feeding programs and locations, changes in supplemental nutrition programs – food stamps – during the crisis. We will run down the hours or changes in delivery services, mail routes and utility services. We will disclose resources for residents who need help maintaining basic services.
We will be here, standing in the gap, providing local information residents need, until the emergency passes. We are prepared to work remotely or on site as long as it takes.
This is nothing new for your local, hometown news coverage. We have been here since before statehood, through riots, dustbowls, Depression, tornado seasons, wildfires and drought. We will keep providing the necessary information for the public to make informed decisions.
And as they are held, we’ll keep reporting about Proms and weddings, charity benefits and fundraisers, fairs and football seasons, because we are part of this community and it is our duty, our calling, our advocation. In short, it’s what we do, crisis or calm.
Connie Burcham can be reached at Editor@WatongaRepublican.com