EDITORIAL

The good news from 2020

Posted 12/31/20

It only seems appropriate that the last edition of the 2020 Warwick Beacon should be published on the very last day of the year - just a fitting, final flourish to wrap up a wholly indescribable year that has been host to a full swath of strangeness,

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EDITORIAL

The good news from 2020

Posted

It only seems appropriate that the last edition of the 2020 Warwick Beacon should be published on the very last day of the year – just a fitting, final flourish to wrap up a wholly indescribable year that has been host to a full swath of strangeness, ranging from the oddly coincidental to the morbidly unprecedented.

And as often as we have permeated this page with notes of gloom and doom representative of a time filled with so much uncertainty, fear and suffering, we hope that from time to time we have also given you reasons to pause, consider, reflect and ultimately believe in the power we wield as a strong community – a place that can lift one another up and bring out the best qualities that have helped us endure this dark moment in time.

That’s why, in this column, rather than look back and try to recap all the ways that 2020 beat us down and examine all the things this year took from us and will take from us going forward – we thought it might be nice to examine some of the nice things that happened throughout the year, recognize how we overcame the difficulties and look ahead to what good things may be coming down the road.

Despite 2020’s challenges, Warwick has remained a tight city full of people who are ready at any moment to stop what they’re doing and help out a neighbor, friend or total stranger. Throughout the year, assistance programs, charitable efforts and grants programs did not halt. The Warwick Animal Shelter and their colleagues in shelters across the state worked harder than ever to give people something furry and snuggly to dote upon and a reason to look back fondly upon this year. Police and fire personnel continued to keep the community safe, people ran personal marathons to raise money for first responders and students found creative ways to raise money for their schools.

And speaking of schools, although they received a less than cordial response from political leadership, our teachers and students tried to make the most out of an impossible situation – straddling a razor-thin line between maintaining an effective learning environment and keeping the population safe. We cannot say that education in 2020 was a rousing success, but we would also never decry the effort and good will of those charged with trying to tackle this year’s predicament.

Of course, we would be remiss not to mention the angelic work of our healthcare professionals, who have disregarded their own comfort, safety and personal lives to answer the call around the clock for others who have fallen ill. The effort from such individuals across the globe, and certainly right here in Warwick at Kent Hospital and our other smaller healthcare facilities, deserve the highest of praise. However, they need more than just praise and declarations of being “heroes.” They need a break. They need real, tangible support in the form of more funding and better pay. We would not have made it through this year without them.

We hope to look forward to a calmer, more normal political tone to be set over the next few years – both nationally and locally – as seats of power from City Hall to the State House to the White House have been refreshed with new leadership that can provide an opportunity for a new beginning and possibly a new era of cooperation, transparency and civility. Here in Warwick, we are thrilled to support a mayor who rallied and was truly chosen through a rare collective enthusiasm from the public. We have high hopes that business will be conducted with the sole goal of the betterment of Warwick in mind.

As for us, despite the challenges seen in our own industry throughout this most unusual of years, we too will endure. The mission for us has not changed one iota, and will not change as long as we remain putting words to page. We will continue to inform and share – the good and the bad – from the community centers, school gyms, Council Chambers and court rooms, right to your door.

Despite everything bad that has happened in 2020, we are grateful for the experience and perspective it has given us as writers and members of a community. We are grateful for the lessons we have learned and will take with us. We are grateful to have been able to record history during such a rare and unprecedented moment in time.

After all, 2020 may be ending, but its impacts and aftershocks will be felt for many years to come. We can’t wait to tell you all about it.

2020, editorial

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