Recently in this space I wrote about our “subscriber exclusive” content. These are some of the best stories from the Blue Mountain Eagle and our news partners that we put behind a hard paywall, meaning only our paying subscribers can see them on our website. The idea is to entice people who may have considered subscribing to take the plunge and sign up. Subscriptions are an increasingly important part of our revenue mix, and we have to grow them if we want to stay in business and continue to bring you news that matters to Grant County.

But as I told you in that post, there are some types of stories that we always make available to everyone, with no paywall to get past. These include local election results, stories about ongoing disasters such as floods or wildfires, and stories about dangerous disease outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week’s edition included three such stories, all on the front page: One about the measures that keep our elections secure, one about the three candidates running to fill Lynn Findley’s seat in the Oregon Senate and one about the candidates in four key Grant County races, for county judge, county commissioner, county treasurer and justice of the peace.

Here at the Blue Mountain Eagle, we understand that part of our responsibility as Grant County’s newspaper of record is to provide accurate, vetted information that voters need in order to make informed choices come election time. We believe this information is so important that we provide it free of charge on our website.

If you’d like to support our trusted community journalism by becoming a subscriber, you can see our latest offer by clicking on the “subscribe” button at the bottom of this e-newsletter. If you’re still not ready, we’ll keep looking for ways to persuade you. And in the meantime, we’ll keep providing some stories about elections, natural disasters and public health emergencies for everybody, for free, because it’s the right thing to do.

———

Having trouble accessing the Blue Mountain Eagle online? We can help. We want you to get full value out of your Eagle subscription, and that includes seamless access to our website and our cellphone app.

We know that navigating online platforms can be tricky, but our office manager, Alix Hand, is a whiz at this stuff, and she’s available two days a week to provide our subscribers with in-person assistance. Stop by our office at 195 N. Canyon Blvd. in John Day during business hours on Wednesday or Friday and let Alix help you get connected. For best results, bring your smartphone, laptop or tablet with you.

There’s also an online directory of help videos to show you how to activate your account, log in to the e-Edition and more at https://eomediagroup.com/docs. If you have problems, our customer service center is full of nice people who can help you — call them at 800-781-3214 or send an email to support@eomediagroup.com.

———

As always, if you have comments or questions about the Eagle, or want to pass along a story idea, send me an email at this address: editor@bmeagle.com.

— Bennett Hall, Editor