For many years, I wrote a weekly mayor’s column for the Wellman Advance, but I haven’t written anything since the Advance stopped publishing as a standalone newspaper. 

I am going to get back into the routine of submitting a short article a couple of times a month to The News to help keep our residents up to date on what the city of Wellman is doing and things of interest happening around our town.

I want to start by thanking the Slechtas for their willingness to jump back into the newspaper business and to make the commitment that our communities will be served by a local newspaper. 

I am sure this has not been easy for them, but I am encouraged to see the changes that are already taking place. 

The Slechtas recently met with a group of Wellman business people, including myself, where they discussed providing more coverage of local activities. 

One of the difficulties with this is that they need to rely on local people letting them know what is happening in our town in order for them to report on it. 

The city will be helping to pass on any potential news stories we are made aware of, and I encourage other residents to notify them of any newsworthy stories or events you may know of.

The most newsworthy topic recently has been what will happen to the start of school. 

The Mid-Prairie school board held two very long meetings with a lot of public input to determine how school will be opening to start the year. 

I can only imagine how difficult this decision was for board members trying to take into account all the factors regarding students, parents, teachers, staff, as well as the communities involved. 

All of the individuals at the meetings were given time to speak their piece, and even though this is a polarizing subject, everyone was respectful of each other. 

I was very impressed with how the school board handled this process, and regardless of which way you feel about their decision, we should all be proud of the individuals on the board. 

We need to remember that these are volunteers that all care deeply about the school district, and this had to be one of the most difficult decisions they have had to make. 

These are unique times, to say the least, and it will take a lot of patience and perseverance along with the entire Mid-Prairie community working together for the good of the students to help make this school year a success.