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Some of the events Marlo Barnhart watched unfold in the newsroom over 41 years at The Herald-Mail Co. now fill the pages of history books. On her second day as a college intern, in June 1968, U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated, not quite five years after his brother, President John F. Kennedy, was killed by an assassin's bullet. "I got to see a newsroom in full chaos mode," Barnhart said. On another presidential note, she clearly recalls the day Richard Nixon resigned in August 1974.

The Washington Post has taken a lot of heat, particularly from The Washington Post, for a planned series of "salons" that offered special interests an audience with all manner of grand Washingtonian poobahs -- for a fee of up to $25,000. The forums would allow paying participants the chance to, in an off-the-record format, "build crucial relationships with Washington Post news executives in a neutral and informal setting" and promised "spirited but civil dialogue. " And that's not to mention the lobster bisque.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- James M. Schurz, a newsman whose family's nationwide media group includes The Herald-Mail, died Wednesday morning at home, his family said. He was 76. Schurz, who lived near Williamsport, had lung cancer, said his wife, Mary Ann. Schurz's news career included about 18 years with The Herald-Mail. He was editor for about 12 years, including about 11 when he also was publisher. In 1986, he became a senior vice president of Schurz Communications Inc. (SCI)

The more things change, the more they stay the same. That proverb is dead on in some cases, dead wrong in others. Take my line of work. Newspapers have spread their wings and expanded way beyond newsprint and ink to Web pages, e-alerts, blogs, Facebook, Twitter and -- in The Herald-Mail's case -- cable television in collaboration with Antietam Cable. Things are changing in the newspaper industry, and some things will never be the same. But in other respects, things are staying the same.

LINTHICUM, Md. -- The Herald-Mail won 24 awards Friday in the 2008 Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association editorial contest. The newspaper received 11 first-place awards and 13 second-place awards. One first-place winner, by staff writer Arnold Platou, also was chosen Best in Show, the top overall prize in the Growth and Development category, out of newspapers in all six circulation divisions. "The staff did another great job," said John League, editor and publisher of The Herald-Mail.

MAY 6, 1914-MARCH 30, 2009 QUINCY, Pa. - Edna S. Eby Heller, 94, a resident of Quincy Village, and formerly of Williamsburg, Va., died Monday, March 30, 2009, at the nursing home. Born May 6, 1914, in Lancaster, Pa., she was the daughter of the late Frank and Fanny Stehman Eby. Her husband, Landis R. Heller Jr., died Dec. 26, 2003. They were married Oct. 6, 1935. She was a 1931 graduate of Lititz (Pa.) High School. She was an author of five Pennsylvania Dutch cookbooks, including "The Art of Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking.

Due to mechanical problems, delivery of this morning's Herald-Mail newspaper has been delayed by several hours. The press run has been completed and papers are being delivered to customers as quickly as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience, and appreciate your patience.

The digital world has afforded the newspaper industry many new toys to play with and many new ways to distribute the information we gather. Thirty years ago, when I started as a reporter, all you needed was ample curiosity, some writing skill, a notebook, pen or pencil, and a typewriter. To land a job, you usually had to take a spelling, writing and editing test, and have a clip book demonstrating some level of talent and experience. The skills needed back then won't get you an interview at many media companies these days.

As 2008 faded into history, it is possible that we breathed a collective sigh of relief to see the end of a year that brought such economic turmoil. While there is no guarantee that the country's problems will be solved in 2009, it is nevertheless a time for taking stock, for new beginnings. It's a time when people make resolutions about things they hope to accomplish in the coming year. I have some resolutions -- or maybe they're wishes -- for the coming year that I'd like to share with you. My top job-related wish is that we at The Herald-Mail continue to provide stories that inform, entertain, amuse and sometimes surprise you. We strive each day to put out a top-notch paper, and I believe we do that more days than not. I would like us not only to continue to do that, but to exceed our own expectations so that you, our readers, are proud to call us your newspaper.

During my travels in Hagerstown and elsewhere, I get a lot of questions from people about the headlines forecasting doom and gloom for the newspaper industry. As a result, I thought I'd use this space to make a bit of a report to our readers. Newspapers, like nearly all businesses, flourish in good economic times, and are challenged when times get tough. This has been a tough year for many businesses in Washington County as the economy has posed major challenges to revenue growth and bottom lines.