One of the most frustrating things I deal with at the Mountaineer is that we are only a weekly. The time frame of getting things in often feels late after the fact. Also, it creates issues for people who want their information in the paper but get it to me too late to make the deadline. The deadline is Friday by noon, except for those articles about weekend events. Why Friday? Because putting the paper together is like a six/eight-page jigsaw puzzle, which takes time. We send the paper out to the printers by 10:30 AM Monday so it can be printed by Tuesday morning. I pick up the paper on Tuesday morning so we can take it to the post office to be mailed to the rural routes Wednesday morning.

We have often printed in the paper the deadline, but let’s face it, no one reads it. I need reminders myself these days.

The hardest part for me is serving people who are hurting and grieving. The Mountaineer will not even put a death notice in the paper unless the family wants us to. Obituaries usually are emailed from the funeral homes, and if we don’t receive them by the deadline, they are not placed in the paper.

If I can help anyone during the difficult times of death, please get in touch with me, and I will do everything in my power to help. I often feel helpless during times of difficulty because of the rigidness of the deadline.