Say goodnight, Gracie
By Trish Reynolds, Editor
For those of you too young to remember, "say goodnight Gracie" was the signature line at the end of the Burns and Allen show in the 50s. Presumably Gracie would have happily kept on going indefinitely if George hadn't told her to say goodnight…which she did, every week. Unfortunately, it is time for The Weekly News to say goodnight. We won't be back in your mailbox next week.
When I started as editor for The Weekly News I made the decision to feature the best of what was right in the community rather than focus on what was wrong. There are lots of places to read about the police reports, the traffic accidents, the robberies, assaults and other hard news…The Weekly wasn't one of them. Not that all of our news was happy, of course, but we always tried to show the best of neighbors helping each other to get through even in the most difficult of times. Stories about people like Michael Billington and Benjamin Jurgensen made us cry, but they made us proud too, proud at how our community could come together in hope and in grief.
The many stories and photos from Heath Village and Washington Township recreation offered us vignettes of the richness of senior life in our area. The local schools and scouting organizations gave us peeks at our future citizens. We visited block parties, carnivals and parades, sharing glimpses of people in our towns being themselves at their best.
The Weekly was very pleased to have supported the All Veterans Memorial project from Charlie and Eric’s first idea to its brilliant completion. We are also proud of the work we did on behalf of the ARC of Warren and the United Way. Some of the stories we filed about Camp Merry Heart were among our favorites.
Lions, and Lionesses, Kiwanians, Rotarians and Knights showed us time and again how much a few dedicated individuals can accomplish for the benefit of all. We were glad to share some of those accomplishments with our readers.
We were happy to bring you stories of the rich cultural events available in our area from Centenary Stage, Pax Amicus Castle and the Children’s Theatre of the Growing Stage. From jazz to ballet to kid’s fare to adult comedy and everything in between, our little corner of Northwestern New Jersey is rich in culture and sophistication.
At The Weekly News we also offered in depth coverage to our diverse faith communities. From ice Menorahs to live creches, disaster fundraising and food pantries and of course those inspirational sing alongs at the Gazebo, covering the spiritual community has been interesting and uplifting.
I would also like to think that there are some happy tails out there from stories we have run over the years for our animal friends. CATS, PAL, PAWS and Noah's Ark and all the wonderful people who give of their time do so much for our best friends, and we hope that our community will continue to support them.
We have tried to bring you a true Community newspaper giving space to stories and ideas that might not have found extensive coverage elsewhere. I feel truly blessed to have found myself in a position where I was able perhaps to make some small difference.
Say goodnight, Gracie.
Goodnight.
