Many people are finding themselves having to recreate their job positions or job descriptions and roles to help their company or employer get through these difficult days.

Even those of us with 40 years or more service pins at our jobs are finding new or different things to do each day before everything is done for the day.

This applies to a maximum level at the Butler Eagle. We, as have most businesses, have had furloughs and staff reductions. We have also lost man-hours to people with virus symptoms or with people needing to take care of others in their households.

Of course the newspaper has fewer pages these days as it is almost void of any advertising since walk-in traffic for businesses has been shut off by the governor’s edict to close.

But what we refer to as the “news hole” or number of column inches of locally produced news items has not decreased. These are the stories that keep you informed on Butler County.

Other area newspapers such as the Leader Times and the Post-Gazette have reduced publishing days and also greatly reduced where you can buy single-day issues of them.

The PG has pretty much disappeared even Sunday in Butler County and they stay away from everything but the most sensationalized news in local communities outside of Allegheny County.

It is left to each county newspaper to keep the actions of government, the school districts, the churches and the legal system visible to the residents.

Our staff has more than answered the call under less than easy or comfortable terms. Some days they even have a grouchy boss to deal with when he wants even more from them.

These people have been on top of everything regarding the impact of COVID-19. They stay well ahead of the state Health Department in getting out announcements about Butler County and our primary health care facilities.

They also work diligently to find some items of entertainment value to put on our pages so that you might have an occasional break from reading or listening to virus-related news.

Sports is pretty well eliminated, but our guys have used that valuable space to do many features on local people young and old, whether it be a young woman who should have been in Boston for the marathon or recapping the careers of former stars from the local schools.

It is a shame that so many things are having to be done in a less public way during this time. Weddings and funerals are probably what we find most sad.

It is a true shame that we can’t continue family traditional ways of celebrating or grieving, but the Eagle staff is here to try and keep some place of normality to your lives and the community’s history.

These people should be commended for the efforts they are putting forth in such a horrible time in their careers. Here is a salute to the job they are doing and a bit of praise from a grumpy, old newsman that recognizes how hard they are working but isn’t always the best at telling them.

— RV