Yesterday you might have noticed this extra weight when you picked up The Evening Sun and if you peered inside you’d find two additional sections of newspaper and 12 extra pages of Progress Chenango.

Since about Dec. 14, this has been a constant toil of the writing and advertising staff. Then from about Jan. 16 to the 25th our Editor Jeff Genung can be found at just about any time, day or night, weekends or weekdays trapped inside his office putting all our efforts together.

I know that by the time I’m done I’ve burned through the midnight oil at least a couple of times and coming back on the first “Progress-free” Monday always leaves me feeling like I’m not keeping busy enough when simply preoccupied with my routine work.

Yet for all the groans the creators may have, the final product now sitting in our stands is some of our finest work. Up until the deadline is due, I personally enjoyed Progress. From my point of view I get personal interviews with nearly all the master artists sculpting our Chenango County landscape. We meet with major businesses, talking to both the CEOs and blue-collared employees, we meet with directors and the volunteers who hold our non-profit organizations together, we meet with professionals actively working in their local fields – from the neighboring dairy farmer to the supreme court judge. In the last month I’ve spoken with hundreds of individuals across all spectrums of occupation and opinion with each conversation revolving around where this all might be going and where it’s recently been. This referring to our community, its jobs, its health, its good wills and weeping woes.

Where do you see your (business, agency, organization) in six months? What were your major triumphs of 2009 –new expansions, products, employees? What was your major challenge in the last year and how are you looking ahead to next year’s?

Of course in addition to these type of questions, you’ll usually find a history of the group in the article along with a brief explanation of what our local organizations actually do. How many people reading this can actually tell me what the professionals at Sheffield/Kerry Bio-Science in Norwich are doing? Do you know all that Chenango County Catholic Charities exactly does for the community? Would you like to know how our volunteer services are faring in light of reduced interest or if drugs and crime in our community are really rising? All these issues and a many more can be found in the 10 sections of Progress now hitting the newsstand.