I have had a long stretch writing for Webb Weekly. I was looking forward to the November 11 issue this year as it would be my 700th article. And I was especially excited about the milestone next year, highlighting the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. However, I must sadly announce that none of these plans will be implemented from my end, as this will be my last article for Webb Weekly.

As Ernest Hemingway once said, “things happen gradually, then suddenly.” This is what happened to me.

I truly enjoyed interviewing local and state government officials for County Hall Corner and other individuals in my LION (Leaders in Our Neighborhood) articles in these past years. I respected everyone I interviewed as I knew these individuals often had tremendous responsibilities that affected our county in many, many ways. I loved the challenge of trying to explain their role and function in the simplest way possible.

However, for the past two and a half years, I have struggled to keep up the pace. Writing these columns required considerable in-person research, and more time beyond that for other research. Those 800-850-word articles, required every week, required at least ten to twelve hours minimum to produce.

Since October of 2023, I have battled a number of health problems that required a ton of doctor appointments and several operations. I thought I could keep up the pace, perhaps not as well as I have in the past, but I believed I still had enough gas in my tank to keep going. But, as I realized I had fewer and fewer hours in the day that I was productive, and then my precious wife Debbie also developed some medical concerns, ‘gradually’ became ‘suddenly.’ I recognized that it was time to throw in the towel.

I have submitted 688 articles for Webb Weekly over the past twelve years. Most of these were general articles, but there were also a few cover stories. I interviewed hundreds of people from diverse backgrounds, including local politicians, state and national politicians, county department heads, lawyers, judges, entrepreneurs, pastors, missionaries, teachers, police officers, firefighters, military recruiters, caregivers, artists, journalists, and many other professionals. I even interviewed two elementary school children (with their parents) who were doing some extraordinary things.

Putting together my columns was a fearful and wonderful exercise. Every article went through many, many drafts. I wanted the readers to know who I was writing about and what their position represented. Almost always, there was one particular facet or area that caused me to interview that person. That part was easy.

Yet, before I would submit my article, I went over and over them because there was always just one more aspect that I wanted to share, explain, or inform. After wrestling with myself, taking out a sentence that was good and exchanging it for a sentence that was better, squeezing every drop I could get away with, I would finally send in my article to fit into a half-page in the Webb Weekly.

Writing for Webb Weekly was work, but it has also been a labor of love. I especially appreciated my editor, Steph Noviello, who always took time to answer my questions when I texted her or stopped by the office. Occasionally, when Jim Webb was in the office, he would ask me, “Hey, Larry, how are you doing?” This would then lead to some great conversations.

When all is said and done, it has been an honor and a pleasure to write for Webb Weekly over the past decade and a half. I was given a special niche in a very unique weekly paper. I considered my contribution to be just a part of the tapestry of this very unique paper. Newspapers are dying all over the country, yet Webb Weekly continues to thrive.

And I think that the secret of the popularity is that it doesn’t tell us what is happening in Harrisburg or Washington, D.C., but rather it gives us practical information that we can use in our everyday lives in our own greater Lycoming County area.

So, I am going to continue looking forward to every week for my Webb Weekly.

And yes, I probably will have some regrets that I am not in there, but no doubts.