Every so often, we come across a story which is just plain fun to report, write and share with readers.  

A good example came last week, when a source tipped off the Chieftain’s Josh Rindfleisch that a national travel publication, Travel + Leisure, had selected Joseph as one of the nation’s most beautiful small towns. Rindfleisch quickly connected with the Travel Oregon staff member who had worked with the Travel + Leisure writer and checked with local officials to see what they had to say about the distinction.

When we posted the story on our website last week, it quickly became one of the week’s most-read online stories. (It’s that relatively rare occasion when a “good-news” story lands near the top of that list. Perhaps we can have a discussion another time about why so-called “good news” rarely shows up on that list. I have theories.)

Like most of our stories, the story about Joseph appeared first on our website, wallowa.com. The story will appear in Wednesday’s print edition. Since we only publish the print edition once a week, it rarely makes sense anymore (if it ever did) to keep a story off our website until it appears in print.

I work with Chieftain staff members to try to keep a steady flow of news moving to the website — and that includes stories from our Statehouse reporters in Salem, which we try to post daily, as available. (A number of those stories never appear in print because they get dated or because I want to primarily emphasize local and regional news in the print edition.)

Looking ahead to next Wednesday’s print edition: The Chieftain’s Bill Bradshaw will have a story — in time for Valentine’s Day — about Norm and Dorothy Pratt, an Enterprise couple who will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary later this year. They’ll share some of their secrets for a long-running romance. In last week’s newsletter, I mentioned Ann Bloom’s story about how pet owners can help ease the coming explosion of kittens and puppies. That story was ready to go last week, but was held for space. It should appear in Wednesday’s print edition — and will appear online Monday or Tuesday.

It’s all part of the Chieftain’s efforts, both in print and online, to keep you informed about the latest happenings throughout Wallowa County. As always, if you have a news tip to share or want to ask a question about our news coverage, I can be reached at this email address: editor@wallowa.com.  

And, finally, let me take this opportunity to thank our subscribers: We simply would be unable to do this vital work without your support.