NNBW Editor column: The answer is blowing in the wind

Come gather ‘round people, wherever you roam. And admit that the waters around you have grown.

Indeed, as Bob Dylan sang so famously back in 1964, the times surely are a-changin'.

It's hard to fathom that only 11 weeks ago, we relaunched the NNBW. That Feb. 5 edition seems like an eternity ago. 

For perspective, that same day, the Senate acquitted President Trump of impeachment. As the days droned on, Democratic candidates for the 2020 election began dropping like flies, eventually setting the stage for a Trump-versus-Biden showdown this November.

You would have figured a presidential impeachment, backdropped by the fragmented merry-go-round that is America's Democratic party, would have been enough major news for an entire year, let alone a few months.

But then came mid-March, when the COVID pandemic sank its chaotic claws deep into the fabric of our society, and we're now stuck in the middle of an ever-evolving situation that's put lives in danger, our economy on hold and our future in an uncertain light.

To say the “times are a-changin” might be the understatement of the decade. Yet, indeed change is afoot, and as our publisher Peter Bernhard wrote recently, our industry has not been spared from economic uncertainty.

So with “change” as a theme, I want to shed a bit more light on that, as well as share a few things on the docket for us heading into May:

• This week, NNBW Reporter Kaleb M. Roedel — a masterful wordsmith who's as hard a worker as anyone I've ever known — is on furlough. And once Kaleb returns next week, I'll be on furlough. Furloughs aren't fun or ideal, but are necessary as we weed through the challenges of decreased ad revenue. As cliché as it sounds, I simply say, “it is what it is.”
• With that, there are certain things we just can't spend time on. One is our weekly Business Leads section in the print edition. You won't see one in this week's edition when it comes out April 22, nor next week's on April 29. We do plan to bring those back in mid-May, however.
• Also, you may have noticed that we've not published any People briefs in recent weeks. The reason is twofold: We've needed to focus efforts instead on COVID coverage online; and, not surprisingly, the past month hasn't exactly been a hotbed for new hires and promotions. But, just like Leads, we plan to start re-publishing People briefs in mid-May.
• Lastly, if you have press releases, story ideas, questions, etc., you can still email us at editor@nnbw.com — just bear with us on response times the next few weeks. We appreciate in advance your patience!

Oh, and one more thing. As Peter wrote last week, it's more important than ever to support local journalism. We're graciously accepting donations. Please call a Customer Service Representative at 775-882-2515 to learn more.

As we brace for an uncertain future, I look back again to the poetic Dylan, who only a year removed from letting us know about change, sang for us some famous words of ambiguity: How does it feel, how does it feel? To be on your own, with no direction home? A complete unknown, like a rolling stone…

Hang in there, Northern Nevada. Sooner or later, we'll roll through the punches and get through this together.

Kevin MacMillan is editor of the Northern Nevada Business Weekly. Reach him at kmacmillan@nevadanewsgroup.com.