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Category: Abe Observes Abe Observes
Published: 04 June 2022 04 June 2022

By Abe Villarreal

I'm in the habit of checking my phone early in the morning and also right before bedtime just to see if I missed any important world happenings. Major conflicts are brewing in different corners of the globe. Virus infections bubble up here and there. Supply chain issues, politics, money, and other things I read about but don't fully understand.

I do that. I get up and read a little. Go to bed and read a little. It all seems so important, but as I read, it's hard to connect myself to what I'm learning and why it's important. That's why I still turn to the local newspaper.

Where I live, the daily doesn't exist anymore. Writers aren't rushing each day to meet deadlines. Printers aren't meeting the demands of the clock, at least not every night. Fingers aren't soaked in black ink. While computers and software programs do some of the major lifting, writers still write and readers still read.

I'm one of those readers of local news that likes it best when it's printed in the local newspaper. I like to pick up the paper, fold it open the way people have done for generations, left hand down, right hand up and arms in the air.

I like to give the front page a look over before deciding where I'm going to start first. I like to see that the weather is still printed in tiny letters with either a sun or clouds to let you know what to expect that day. I like to know that I will learn something new about the community around me and I will learn something I already know. That's the best part of reading the local paper. It tells you something about yourself and those closest to you. It reassures you of the sentiments you already have. You live in a nice neighborhood. The baker still wakes up before everyone else. The little league team is sponsored by the Dairy Queen. You already know all that and it makes you happy to read it.

Other times, you read it because you think you know about something only to learn that you didn't know that much about it. Headlines try to hook you into reading a story that a reporter spent his time finding, researching, interviewing, editing, and submitting. Something that he felt was important enough for you to know. Even if after reading it, it doesn't feel as monumental as war and peace.

Headlines like "County eases parking crunch at courthouse" sound like you are about to read something ordinary and almost unnecessary. Then there are ones like "Longtime educator receives certificate of education" that remind you that local news is about ordinary people doing ordinary things.

In many ways, what you read in the hometown paper is more relevant, more impactful, and even more special to who you are in your life, as a member of your family, in the town where you live. A story about the old mainstreet theater showing its final movie before closing means something.

When you read this kind of news, you learn about the movers and shakers in your community. You realize that people wake up each morning, your neighbors, the retirees down the street, to make a difference in the world around you.

The stories you read tell you about local charities and non-profits. People helping people. School board members donating time. City council leaders making tough choices.

You moved to your town, or you decided to stay there, because of the way it's run, the schools, the culture, the food, the people.

What you read on your phone to learn of happenings around the world is important. What you read in your local newspaper is essential to your everyday life.

Happy Reading.

Abe Villarreal writes about life and culture in America. He can be reached at abevillarreal@hotmail.com.