Published in the El Paso Journal on April 8, 2026

A note on our move to a digital format

For nearly three decades, our family has had the privilege of bringing the newspaper to your homes. Every Wednesday, our community's stories traveled from our hands to yours: tucked into mailboxes, read at kitchen tables, shared across fences and at family gatherings. Printing the newspaper was more than a task; it was a tradition, a purpose and passion.

We recently made a decision that will affect every reader. This decision — to move away from the printed edition — is one we did not make lightly. In fact, we agonized over it. We know that some of our readers do not use technology and will not be able to access the news they need to know about the city and schools that are part of their community.

We want you to know: we see you, we hear you, and we understand that this change may feel like a loss.

But we also want to share honestly why we've chosen this new path.

The weight of tradition

A lot goes into you receiving the newspaper each Wednesday: days of intensive work including attending meetings, collecting information, writing stories and editing, laying out the paper, sending files to the printer, receiving printed bundles in our home garage in the earliest hours of the morning every Monday, sorting and preparing the newspapers for the post office. And finally bringing it to the post office every Tuesday morning. Then starting again for the next issue. Every week, 52 weeks a year.

It has been a labor of love — but also a labor that became increasingly heavy. Printing costs have risen sharply. Paper, ink, fuel, handling... every part of the process has climbed. And the physical side of production — lifting stacks, sorting trays, early hours — has taken a toll on our small team, especially with age and increasing health issues.

As a family-owned and operated newspaper, we've always shared the work as a family, too. But now, the generation that built this tradition is looking toward retirement. And the younger generation, eager to carry the paper forward, faces a hard reality: the old tools and old workflow are difficult to maintain. Our layout program, Quark, is so outdated and specialized that very few people outside of newspaper veterans know how to use it at all. Training someone new to master a program from another era, one with limited support, isn't just unrealistic, it jeopardizes the continuity of the paper itself. If the one person who knows the system is ever sick, injured, or unavailable, production simply stops.

We want to keep this newspaper alive, not just as a weekly obligation, but as a living part of our community's story.

Stepping into a future that still honors our past

And so, after long discussions and heartfelt reflection, we made the choice that will allow us to continue serving this community.

We are moving to a twice-weekly digital edition, delivered Sundays and Thursdays directly to your inbox.

This change will allow color pictures (something we could only offer a few times a year in print), greater accessibility (available on a devices most people already have), and smoother workflow for the next generation who will carry this paper forward. And, if you do not have a computer or smart phone, you will be able to access the news at the El Paso District Library.

Not an ending, but a turning of the page

Please know: we are not leaving behind what makes our newspaper special. The heart of this paper has never been the ink or the press. It has always been the people — the stories you share with us, the milestones you celebrate, the challenges we face together.

We love what we do, and we want to continue doing it in a way that is sustainable, meaningful, and true to the spirit of our town. Digital is not a departure from our mission; it is the only path that allows us to keep fulfilling it.

Thank you for reading us, trusting us, supporting us, and being part of this family tradition. Even as our format changes, our commitment to telling the stories of this community remains as strong as ever.

With sincere gratitude,

Kevin and Kim Kearney

and El Paso Journal staff