I CAN’T TAKE CREDIT for the headline. This was a term our Managing Editor Lorna Luniewski coined when we started newspaper production again, and it sums up our publishing season perfectly. We got a late start, and we are wrapping up early. Such decisions have been necessary in order to keep operations sustainable in this most unusual of summers for all of us.Like a somber companion, COVID-19 was a presence never far away, and that was echoed in our news coverage: every masked face that stood before our cameras, our columns and news articles where the subject seeped in even when we were writing about something else, and the difficult decisions we had to make in the news room that would not have been a concern had circumstances been different.Still I can’t help but be proud. In reimagining how to do things, we broke out of old routines and produced some of our best work this summer. And I am not just talking about our team of contributors that rose to the occasion. Our newspaper is but a reflection of the 17 Fire Island communities and greater Long Island towns and hamlets that bravely faced unprecedented challenges every day.So I close out this season with a few personal words of thanks to our own unsung heroes at Fire Island News. Managing Editor Lorna Luniewski’s name may not be on any of the impressive haul of journalism awards we won this year, but her imprint is on all of them for it is her astute proofs and feedback that turned good enough news articles into great ones. Our Webmaster Rena Dalen of PalilaStudio.com who had our backs as the FIN website was increasingly relied upon due to the pandemic as well as growing year-round demands. Then of course there is Pamela Gurman of Fat Cat Graphics who juggles the copy, photos and ads while never forgetting that a book should not be judged by its cover – but that an attractive one makes us appealing on the newsstands!I urge you all to please read FIN Publisher Craig Low’s statement on the next page, where he continues our message on behalf of the publication.Stay safe, healthy and happy everyone.I CAN’T TAKE CREDIT for the headline. This was a term our Managing Editor Lorna Luniewski coined when we started newspaper production again, and it sums up our publishing season perfectly. We got a late start, and we are wrapping up early. Such decisions have been necessary in order to keep operations sustainable in this most unusual of summers for all of us.Like a somber companion, COVID-19 was a presence never far away, and that was echoed in our news coverage: every masked face that stood before our cameras, our columns and news articles where the subject seeped in even when we were writing about something else, and the difficult decisions we had to make in the news room that would not have been a concern had circumstances been different.Still I can’t help but be proud. In reimagining how to do things, we broke out of old routines and produced some of our best work this summer. And I am not just talking about our team of contributors that rose to the occasion. Our newspaper is but a reflection of the 17 Fire Island communities and greater Long Island towns and hamlets that bravely faced unprecedented challenges every day.So I close out this season with a few personal words of thanks to our own unsung heroes at Fire Island News. Managing Editor Lorna Luniewski’s name may not be on any of the impressive haul of journalism awards we won this year, but her imprint is on all of them for it is her astute proofs and feedback that turned good enough news articles into great ones. Our Webmaster Rena Dalen of PalilaStudio.com who had our backs as the FIN website was increasingly relied upon due to the pandemic as well as growing year-round demands. Then of course there is Pamela Gurman of Fat Cat Graphics who juggles the copy, photos and ads while never forgetting that a book should not be judged by its cover – but that an attractive one makes us appealing on the newsstands!I urge you all to please read FIN Publisher Craig Low’s statement on the next page, where he continues our message on behalf of the publication.Stay safe, healthy and happy everyone.
