Starting today, for the first time since Hurricane Matthew visited the region on Oct. 8, readers of the Bladen Journal will have their newspaper routine rekindled.

After nearly three weeks of delivery quirks and challenges, those who receive their Bladen Journal in the mail should, in fact, find their local newspaper resting quietly in their mailboxes this afternoon. And those who prefer to visit the newsstands around the county to get their copy of the Bladen Journal should find a fresh stack of the newspaper awaiting them today.

It’s just one more step back toward normalcy for residents here since Matthew rocked our world with about 15 inches of rain and 65-plus mph winds in about an 18-hour period earlier this month.

On Tuesday, Oct. 11, the Bladen Journal never was able to publish a print edition because 1) there was no electricity in downtown Elizabethtown, where our press is located, and 2) that printing press at The Robesonian in Lumberton was left unusable because two feet of water filled the entire building.

But we were still working to get as much information on our website as we could — and we did have a E-edition online that day. Still, many people called to say they didn’t get a paper. Nobody did.

Over the next four usual publication dates — Friday, Oct. 14; Tuesday, Oct. 18; Friday, Oct. 21; and this past Tuesday — callers rung our phones off the hook or stopped in our office to say they didn’t get their Bladen Journal. Again, nobody did. That’s because we were having to print the newspaper in Mt. Airy and the delivery time — thanks to distance and road closures — was delayed by a day. So while the Bladen Journal was coming, it was coming 24 hours later than usual.

But today’s edition of the Bladen Journal has been put back on schedule, thanks to the fact that our press in Lumberton is back online — for which we breath a collective sigh of relief and give a world of thanks to those who worked feverishly to make that possible.

Our greatest chant of thank-you, however, is extended to you, our readers.

We know your routine was interrupted and took one crazy turn after another because of Hurricane Matthew. Everyone’s was, in a lot of ways. And even though getting the Bladen Journal to you on time became a serious challenge, having your hometown newspaper in your hands remained important to you. We appreciate that.

It’s good to be back on schedule and we hope that, beginning today, we have turned another corner in the recovery process since the storm.

Once again, thank you for your patience and understanding during a very difficult time.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Trade your expectation for appreciation and the world changes instantly.” (Tony Robbins)