Carriers delivered the news to us

My newspaper career began before I could drive.

I delivered the Macomb Daily each afternoon on my bicycle to subscribers in our suburban Detroit neighborhood.

Not sure how I became a paperboy. Sounds like something Mom volunteered me for.

---

While most of my friends were delivering the Detroit Free Press or Detroit News, I chose the Macomb Daily on purpose. It wasn’t the riveting editorial content. Two reasons mainly. Afternoon paper meant no early mornings. And in the same lazy category, the Macomb Daily didn’t publish on Sunday.

It was not easy work for a kid who avoided manual labor at all costs. But I learned plenty from that experience. Dealing with customers, keeping my bike off their lawns, avoiding sprinklers, collecting money, pulling a sled stacked with newspapers in the snowy winter, ducking into garages at the flash of summer lightning.

But even then, I realized the significance of what I was doing. I brought the news to doorsteps every weekday. Folks didn’t know the news, so I brought the newspaper, and everything was balanced.

I fell in love with newspapers before writing a single word.

A few weeks ago, the Chronicle announced it was eliminating the Sunday and Monday print editions, plus turning delivery of the other five editions over to the U.S. Postal Service starting April 2. Even though the entire newspaper is available daily online, I whined some about the inconvenience of it all.

Look. Owners of the Chronicle made a business decision. Publisher Trina Murphy spelled it out pretty well in a column last Sunday. I’m not going to quibble with it.

But we can’t just let carrier home delivery of the Chronicle end without a shout out to the men and women, boys and girls, who have brought the daily newspaper to customers for decades.

The day after the Chronicle announced its decision my newspaper carriers, Amanda and James Howell, left a heartfelt note in the mail slot where the newspaper goes. Here’s what it said:

“CCC goodbye.

“Hello, some of you know us. We have tried our hardest to get your paper delivered early. Sometimes we were late for press issues or car issues. I hope we gave you satisfactory service.

“I would like to thank everyone for not only your loyalty to the paper but thank you for the tips and gifts, they are always a nice surprise and a very much appreciated thing.

“We were just informed we will no longer have a job as of March 31, so you will now receive your paper via mail carrier with your mail. I am very sorry.

“Wish I could serve you longer. Thank you again. I wish everyone the best.”

That’s James in today’s selfie with me. I met them Wednesday in the very early morning dark outside Just Wright Citrus World Headquarters on the shores of Big Lake Henderson. 

I hadn’t met Amanda and James before Wednesday. It’s not like my paper route. They deliver the newspapers by vehicle in the middle of the night.

James has delivered the Chronicle for about five years; Amanda more than 15 years. It’s not a job to get rich. Newspaper carriers often drive older cars that need constant maintenance. 

But it is a way of life. Just as I felt a part of the Macomb Daily newspaper carriers take pride in knowing they’re participating in a tradition that’s dying.

The final shift is this Saturday night/Sunday morning to deliver the Sunday newspaper. After that carrier-delivered newspapers in Citrus County will cease to exist.

I’ve taken newspaper delivery for granted. I expect it there each morning. Starting Monday, it won’t be. I’ll adapt. We all will. 

I’m still that kid at heart with the newspaper route. A sincere thanks to Amanda and James Howell, and all the Chronicle carriers including those of years gone by. God bless each of you.

— Mike note: I’m taking an extended Easter weekend to get well rested for another round of political writing, so no blog Friday or Monday. We have much to discuss, but it’ll hold until next week.

Please have a safe and enjoyable Easter, friends.

Join the discussion on our Facebook page.

Enjoying the blog? Please consider supporting it at Venmo, PayPal, or Patreon.