Sorry about the tardiness last week, sometimes things come up

Welp, we were late in just about every way last week. The April Fools edition of the Phillips County News got to town late, got to post offices late and for some, got into your hands two or three days late.

Sorry about that, couldn’t have been avoided.

Our printer in Glasgow, Stan, had a health issue and was laid up in the hospital on the day the PCN was to be printed ... at least he was supposed to be. Stan went into the ER on Saturday morning and doctors in Glasgow discovered that Stan has a spot on his oesophagus. That news made it to us on Monday morning when we were told we would be sending our pages to Havre to be printed. But -- and if you have ever met Stan, you know he is one tough SOB -- I found out Wednesday morning that Stan had ditched the doctors and was back at work (most likely driving the gals in his print shop bonkers) and would be able to print out paper this week.

I talked to him on Thursday and he said he was feeling fine. He said the doctors had asked him during his brief hospital stay how he was feeling and if he had recently had any problem swallowing. He told the doctors he felt fine, was ready to go and that no, he hadn’t noticed any trouble swallowing (but Stan did admit that once the doctors mentioned the swallowing bit that in no time flat he was having trouble swallowing...strange how that works, eh?)

Then came word last night (Friday) that the doctors have moved up his operation date and that on Monday he will be going off to the hospital to have the spot -- a small tumor -- removed. Sounds as if my good friend Stan will be out of commission for the next six weeks and not able to print the PCN -- which he has had a hand in printing for at least the last 20 or so years.

If they tell Stan he will be on the DL for six weeks, it is my guess that he will be back at work in six days -- tough old goat that he is -- but I hope that he takes the time to get better and heal up all the way. In my first year here on the Hi-Line, Stan has been my biggest supporter and he’s always there to let me bend his ear about any and everything (often times not work related.) My prayers go out to Stan and his family and I know he will make a speedy recovery.

What Stan being laid up means to the readers of the PCN for the foreseeable future is color on some pages. This week we are doing everything we can to assure that the paper is not late, but only time will tell.

What that means for the future of the PCN is still unclear. It could mean that we have color from now on (good news) and it could also mean that we might have to change deadlines, when the paper is comes out each week and maybe even an increase in the weekly cost -- color ain’t free, Gang.

Of course, none of those things are set in concrete. I just wanted to let you, dear readers, know the skinny on what goes on at the PCN these days.

Thanks for reading and aloha.