Smorgasbord: Papers, 'I do's' and money

Normally, I don't have too many thoughts during a week, but this week was kind of busy so ...

A friend of mine called me the other day and said, "Tommy, I want you to know how unhappy we are that you no longer have the Super C instert in the paper. Shame on you for raising the price."

Ummm ... I didn't.

That got me to thinking, maybe I should tell folks what has transpired ... and that there isn't anyone to blame. Super C simply decided to try their app instead of inserting the paper. You can't blame anyone for trying something new. I didn't raise the price, and I'll be here when they decide to come back.

The only price increase we have done is raise the single-copy price at the newsstands by a quarter. Here's the reasoning behind that ... About 3 months ago we were informed by our printer that the price of paper had increased. Since they pay more, we were told our printing price would increase slight. The increase was about $15. We were also recently informed that the United State Postal Service would be increasing its rates for periodical mailings. I have been told that the increase will be about 10 percent.

So, to get a head of the changes, She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Made-Mad and I did some math. Not wanting to increase our subscription rates, we figured that the extra quarter from the roughly 300 over-the-counter sales we have every week cover an extra expense.

Since most weekly newspapers now sell over-the-counter for $1, we figured this would be the easiest change.

My friend then chastised me (playfully) that I had been promising to start an online radio broadcast for area sports teams, but that he was still waiting.

Here's the reason. As many of you know, we are in the midst of a pandemic which has made getting things kind of hard. We have everything in place to begin broadcasting except for some pricey broadcast headphones ... which are on back order from the supplier. As soon as they arrive, we can begin broadcasting.

He also wanted to know why I had not been around as much over the past month or so.

Here's the explanation I gave him for that. Over the last few weeks, we have battled two wildfires near our home. Those wildfires forced us to evacuate our house twice within a few days. Also in that same period, my mother passed away and my youngest son, Bobby, announced that he would be welcoming his first child ... so, in all honesty, my thoughts have been far from running any of the publications we have.

Another big reason is the presence of Sabrina in the office. She is very smart and, quite honestly, makes it possible for me to be in other places.

Another key thing is facing SWMNBMM and I this week ... though this is a much happier thing. Today (April 27) marks the 31st year that SWMNBMM and I married.

For those of you who are unaware, SWMNBMM and I met at the half of a football game. I was a young sports writer who was having trouble feeling his fingers from the cold. At the half, I purchased a cup of hot chocolate to stick my fingers in. She was a young girl determined to meet the sexiness that was me so she bumped into me and spilled her drink on me.

We talked afterward. She told me she was rich, and we were married by the end of the third quarter. I'm still waiting to see that money, though.

All in all, though, it is still the best move I've ever made.

We are planning a special get-away later this summer to celebrate our anniversary. My boss in Anson, Texas, rented us a room near the beach for four days at the end of July. So, be warned, we probably won't be here that week.

Tommy Wells is the editor of the Carnegie Herald.