It seems like all the sports leagues and other entertainment sources have annual awards presentations that they show their audience to make sure they were paying attention during the year.

At the Eagle, we tried to change things up a little with some new ideas, some different writers, a change in some features but a continued emphasis on being mostly local.

The biggest failure would have to be the new and improved comic strip, “Mark Trail.” The syndication which produces the serial strip made a drastic change in the appearance and persona of the main character. His followers found it totally unacceptable, and we are in the process of finding a replacement strip.

The pandemic made us evaluate and modify some coverages. We more readily accept contributed photos from the public now as it isn’t always possible to safely put a photographer or reporter into situations where their exposure might be increased. We aren’t what most people would consider front-line workers, but we are the ones reporting on and photographing the actions of front-line workers.

We now put more of our locally created articles and photos on the website and other social media for people to see without subscriptions. We especially try to post all the COVID-19 stories in front of the paywall for free. We can’t give everything for free, because that is how we make money here to pay the bills and our industry is as challenged as any.

We ran a tremendously successful ribbon campaign to raise donations for the hospital and those front-line workers. Our employees and friends made and sold more than 1,500 ribbons for “We Got This Butler County,” with all the proceeds going to the hospital foundation.

We championed a fund drive to purchase and present a specialty bed for a local youth with special needs. His family was most grateful and appreciative that this effort was made for them.

In the face of the pandemic we created a religiously themed front page feature which brought various persons of the faith community onto our pages to bring words of comfort, peace and hope to the community. Reader response was overwhelming as the calls and letters we received reached never-before-achieved levels. The program ended when the faith community determined it was too much for them to continue along with their growing issues within their own organizations.

We also just concluded our Wear Your Mask initiative, which asked people from all walks of life to comment on why they wear masks in public even though it isn’t a law. We were able to get dozens of contributing writers and could have gotten many more. We were also turned down by a few people who felt it wasn’t truly representative of their own feelings or they were concerned with backlash from the other side. We very much respect their right to feel the way they do.

2020 was very much an overwhelming and exhaustive year for news companies. A pandemic, a high number of natural disasters such as flooding and hurricanes, riots and protests, a visit from a sitting U.S. president, political lawsuits on top of political lawsuits, charges of election fraud, early winter snow storms and virtual education for school districts. No wonder we are tired.

That is a recap of some of what the heavily reduced staff at your local newspaper has had to do this year. Did we get to everything? No, but it wasn’t because we didn’t try. We work hard every year, but this year was more demanding than most. We promise we will be here again as 2020 becomes 2021, and we will do our best to keep you informed. Thank you for inviting us into your home every day, and may God bless you and yours. And please wear your mask.

— RV