A View of the Valley

by Linda Schwanke I’m happy to announced that this week the Home News is rolling out our new website at www.homenewsrv.com The website, which has been in the works for ages but was derailed like so many other things by the pandemic, has been a team effort that has been both fascinating and frustrating to work on. Fascinating because learning new things is nearly always an adventure. Frustrating because learning new things can be a different kind of adventure. But everything has come together in time for the holidays. Now you can read the Home News anytime, anywhere, on your phone, computer, tablet or in print. There is a charge for the e-subscriptions, just as there is for print subscriptions although it costs less, because the work we do at the Home News has value. We invite you to subscribe, either in print or online or even both, to read all the news of the Valley. All our comings and goings and day-to-day events that make this area so special. As I helped put the finishing touches on the website, I thought of all the amazing people I’ve worked with in this industry over the years. Newspapers seem to attract a lot of different kinds characters and we’ve certainly had our share of interesting people on staff. The list of editors is pretty short because Home News editors tend to stick with it for years and years and we’ve been lucky to have had excellent editors. When my family bought the paper, a woman named Kim Brown was the editor for a brief period. From 1945 to 1980, Vernon Hill and his daughter Lee were very, very good editors. Before them, the Purdy family kept the Home News going for 65 years. There were others before them. While I’m too much of a mom myself to want to say that I have a favorite former editor, I do have one - my mom. Nothing against the other people who followed mom as editors until I took on the job. They were great. They just weren’t my mom. Each editor brought something new and unique to the table and I’ve been fortunate to work with them. Mom, and all the editors, taught me the craft of newspapering and I’m grateful. In mom’s case, she had a feel for the news that was exceptional. With mom what I learned is much like her gravy – she taught me how to make it, but mine isn’t the same. Just as good but different. (Dad used to say my pasties were better than mom’s but he only said that after she was gone.) I think mom would be happy that we’ve been able share the Home News online and keep up with our changing world. Many changes have taken place over the years with the Home News but one thing stays the same. We’re here to serve you every way possible. We live our lives side-by-side with you. Raising our children, grandchildren, shopping, gardening, laughing, loving, crying, day in and day out. All of the Home News editors have made sure that the pages of our paper reflect the very special character of the Valley, the good, the bad, the not so great, sometimes even ugly.  The new website may have problems. Like gravy, it may be lumpy, but it can be fixed. Like pasties, though, it will be great and we’ll fix issues if they come up as we roll along. Stay in touch. My number is 574-3159. Email me at homenewseditor@newspubinc.com or write to me at the Home News, P.O. Box 39, Spring Green WI 53588.  The news deadline is 12 noon on Mondays.  For the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, the display advertising deadline will be 1 p.m. on Tuesdays, December 22 and 29. The classified ad deadline will be 12 noon Wednesdays, December 23 and 30. News deadlines will remain the same. Get in touch with Gwen for sports or features at homenewssports@newspubinc.com. If you need a display ad, Dave Pronold can be reached at homenewssales@newspubinc.com or by calling him on his cell at 588-4777. Display ads, or ads that are in boxes, are due by 1 p.m. on Wednesdays. The classified ad deadline is noon Thursdays the week prior to publication for both the Buyer’s Guide and Home News. Classified rates are $13 for the first 10 words, then 30¢ per word for each additional word. Call (608) 767-3655 or email classifieds@newspubinc.com  Legal notices are due by 2 p.m. on Fridays, email them to legals@newspubinc.com Call the NewsPub central office at (608) 767-3655 for subscriptions and all other information Monday through Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon, although afternoon hours can vary. Closed Fridays.