Historic times call for historic measures

RAY QUIROGA PUBLISHER publisher@sbnewspaper.com

Longtime readers of our newspapers will notice some slight differences this week and in the foreseeable future. For the first time in our history, we’ve combined the editorial and advertising content of our two publications, the San Benito News and the Port Isabel-South Padre Press; so we sincerely hope you enjoy reading about some of your neighboring communities, at least for the immediate future.

Of course, like many of our fellow businesses these days, we had to slap on our thinking caps as we ironed out methods to keep our doors open during this unprecedented time in history. Unless you were around in 1918 when the Spanish Flu wreaked havoc on the world, most of us had little way of anticipating all the effects COVID-19 would have on our day-to-day lives.

For us, the irony is that you, our readers, need accurate and well-reported information now more than ever. COVID-19, however, knocked the majority of our advertisers out of commission, at least temporarily. With that in mind, I would like to personally express my gratitude to all our advertisers and our readers. I would like to also remind our readers to support our advertisers whenever and as much as possible.

To make your experience easier, I’d like to remind you that we’re available on-line and if you’re currently a subscriber, you can sign up to receive the electronic version of our publications (the e-edition) for free as part of your subscription. If you’re not a current subscriber, you can sign-up online. E-edition subscribers have the option of being notified of a new edition through email.

I’d also like to remind everyone that while we’ve decided to close our offices to the public, our employees are still working inside. Payments, letters, and other business can be dropped off by inserting your correspondences in an envelope outside our office doors. However, we do prefer that you mail payments and other correspondences. Our email addresses, office phone numbers and physical addresses can be found within the staff box located at the bottom of page 4.

It is during these times that I have come to further appreciate the fact that many people in our business community are leaders at heart. Whether they’ve decided to remain open, alter their business methods, or shutter their operations for the time being, by choice or by decree, our business leaders have shown a level of leadership, creativity and resilience not seen in our time.

On Saturday, I celebrated my 46th birthday. As I do every weekend morning, I awoke well before the sun arose for a morning run. As I stepped outside to begin my jaunt, I noticed a steady drizzle and heard thunder on the horizon. I questioned whether or not to go for that run, but I eventually decided to follow through and the entire time it drizzled and the threat of a downpour seemed to be imminent. With every step along the way, I feared I would get caught in a deluge. By the end of my run, I realized that the clouds and light mist made for a pleasantly cool as well as memorable birthday jog. As I took my final stride, I thanked God for granting me a beautiful morning for a run and another year of life. It was at that moment that the clouds opened up and a downpour came. In these days of uncertainty, I was reminded that we are here today, and we must seize the day, but we must also keep the faith. Procrastination is the enemy because tomorrow is promised to no one. So until the next, stay safe, stay home and follow the county and your community’s guidelines during these trying times.