The 'Official County Newspaper'

We did it! The Pinedale Roundup's 33-year reign as Sublette County's official county newspaper ended Monday when the county commissioners accepted our lower bid for county legal advertising and named the Sublette County Journal the official county newspaper through December 31.

Believe me, there have been many, many naysayers who said another newspaper in Sublette County would never be viable. They believed the Roundup was too old, to established, too big, and to powerful to be challenged.

In the spring of 1999, when I was considering taking the newspaper weekly, I remember calling old Roundup publisher Ric Samulski at his winter home in New Mexico. Ric wasn't very positive and he wasn't alone.

But we had our supporters.

Jud Faler was very encouraging, and agreed to give us the Faler's flyer if we went weekly. His support was key. As was that of Courtney Davis, John Mackey, Clint Gilchrist, Dawn Svalberg, Kenda Tanner, Vernon and Virginia Delgado, Betty Fear, and many, many other business people, advertisers, and subscribers too numerous to name. Thank you all.

My staff has been wonderful. Joyce Bohm, Sue Sommers, Jennifer Binning, Cris Paravicini, Helena Linn, Bobbi Wade, Bucky Neely, John Kitchen, Dana Williams, Paul Postma, Kim Brokling, Betty Cheeney, Alan and Steven Svalberg, and the many contributors we've had over the years.

As I type this column, six of us are crammed into our little, two-room office in the back of Office Outlet. The phone's ringing off the hook, the five-year old computers are throwing fits, the boss got two hours sleep last night and is cranky, and it's hot and stuffy in here. Yet, no one is complaining.

These are tough people, not only because of the tight working conditions, but also because of their demanding boss. They are also wonderful people, many of whom consider this little newspaper their own, and protect and nurture it. It's the people who make the news. These people.

Of course we have more work to do. Becoming the "official county newspaper" was a goal, but not the end all. First and most important, we want to be a good newspaper. We're still learning.

For now, I just want to say thank you for believing in us.

You won't regret it.