To our readers,

First and foremost, welcome to our new website! Normally, we’d roll it out with greater pomp and circumstance, but we have more important things to address. 

If you haven’t noticed, there’s a pandemic going on. 

This is new territory for us, not only as students and journalists, but as people. Our friends and peers are dispersed around the country and the globe. The friends and family we do have nearby are separated from us by a distance of no less than six feet. Our classes have moved online, fundamentally changing the nature of our education. But all this pales compared to the simple fact that most, if not all, of us have someone in our lives whose life or livelihood is threatened by COVID-19. 

Despite these unprecedented circumstances, our mission as a newspaper remains unchanged: to tell relevant, equitable and interesting stories that inform and connect the Grinnell community. For the rest of the semester we are committed to bringing you not only the news surrounding COVID-19, but also the news we bring every semester — of College policies and their impacts, of the City of Grinnell and its citizens, of students and their achievements, of Grinnellians living their lives. 

We won’t be able to publish our weekly print edition, but we will continue to report and produce stories online—both on our website and on social media. We invite you to join us in reading and writing stories that remind us of our shared, resilient and vibrant community by sending in a tip, submitting a Letter to the Editor or sharing your story. Your voice is now more important than ever.

Whatever happens, we intend to continue carrying the news. 

Stay safe,

Zoe Fruchter and Seth Taylor

Acting co-Editors in Chief of The S&B