I TAKE NO PRIDE in sharing this, but at some point during the last two weeks the unread inbox of my email silently blinked to reveal that I have 10,000 unread messages. All I can say on my own behalf is that my failure to manage this digital deluge is nowhere near the record for the world’s worst email squirrel.

In my defense I swear that I never tweet nor do I hang out in the social media sphere. I don’t have the time. Most of my considerable online hours are spent sifting through sources that suggest stories about people or organizations in this county whose activities enrich or diminish the quality of our lives. And I have the privilege of working with a small group of talented people who tell you fact-based stories each week—stories you might otherwise have missed.

Many of you, our readers, have told us you approve of what we’re doing. We deeply appreciate your support, but I’m concerned that some of your suggestions or questions may be languishing in the cyber limbo known as my unread inbox. So here is some guidance on how best to reach us.

We have multiple email mailboxes. The people responsible for managing these inboxes prefer that I abstain from sniffing around on their turf. I do my best to comply. Here are other email inboxes where messages are not abandoned:

is for obituaries and related matters

is only for letters meant to be published as letters to the editor

is for matters relating to copies mailed to your home or business

is for anything to do with display or classified advertising

is the “everything else category”; it includes but is not limited to press releases, photographs and emergency announcements.

This list with its broad categories doesn’t mean you should ignore me at

It’s a way to reduce the chances that we might miss something we should publish. But do use my email to address problems or lodge complaints for the types of stuff that all small businesses need to know.

Yes, I know the best solution is to remove the person responsible for the problem to begin with. I promise I’ll keep that in mind too. In the meantime, if the matter is timely and the deadline nears there’s always the telephone. Our number is 518-392-1122. And if that doesn’t work, bring your concern to our office on Route 66 in Ghent, except on Wednesday or Thursday mornings. That’s when we assemble the pages and label each issue of the paper for distribution to post offices and newsstands. But be forewarned. Once again we’re back to wearing masks while we work at the office.