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THE TUMBLEWEED CLOSES AFTER 18+ YEARS OF PUBLISHING

by Bill Bennett

Is this article going to wax editorial? You bet! It is with great difficulty that Andy and I made the decision to close the Tombstone Tumbleweed. The paper has been publishing for 18+ years and has gone through a lot of changes and ups and downs. We are extremely grateful to our faithful advertisers and subscribers for their support and it saddens us that we are leaving.

I am most saddened because we are leaving Tombstone with the Tombstone News as the only weekly newspaper in town. Their editorializing of “news” makes it very difficult to figure out what are the facts they are allegedly reporting. Tombstone deserves a decent, honest newspaper able to deliver you content unclouded by opinion. But, try as we might, we were unable to make the Tumbleweed the newspaper it needs to be.

My four years with the Tumbleweed were a great way to re-acquaint myself with Tombstone and her residents. I appreciate my good fortune to have been a part of a newspaper that took an editorial stance to make a difference. Agree with his position or not, Chris Simcox was able to accomplish a great deal to get the subject of illegal immigration brought to the forefront. Now people on both sides of the issue have an opportunity to be heard and attempt to come up with a solution to a problem that plagues our country. And, I hope that my time as editor made a difference in how the readers perceived the news of Tombstone: not all rosy, but factual nonetheless.

Now, before the rumor mill gets started about us running off with the cash, all of our advertisers have been reimbursed for any unused ads. Our subscriptions are sold with the understanding that there is no refund; however, our subscribers will be contacted about transferring their subscriptions elsewhere.

For those of you who knew my parents, Shelby & Yvonne Bennett, you know that their integrity was very important to them. This is one of the many values they passed along to their children, and for me, at the end of the day, all you have left is your integrity. I made a promise when I took over the editor’s position of the Tumbleweed that I would work hard to make the paper a Tombstone paper. I think that we did that. We covered as much local news as our extremely small staff could handle. We helped sponsor many community events and even did one by ourselves. We kept you abreast of school news and honored a student of the week. We reported on city happenings and events and took opportunities to alert the citizens to important issues in the city government. Were we perfect? No. But then, is anybody?

There have been some terrific people who have passed through the Tumbleweed’s employ during my tenure; Jaye, Becky, Lucy, Ginger, Kate, Cindy; and I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity I had to get to know them. I do regret losing the business relationship with our current staff, because the “machine” worked extremely well. Andy & I wish you all the best and hope that our time as the editorial staff of the Tumbleweed has made a difference.