Editor's Note

The Comebacks

Welcome to this week's Tucson Weekly.

While life here in the wonderfully dry Old Pueblo goes on, our minds are still with our friends and allies along the Gulf Coast. And there is some good news to report.

Our four sister papers--i.e. papers owned by our parent company, Wick Communications--in the disaster area are slowly getting back on their feet. The paper in LaPlace, La., published an edition on Saturday, Sept. 3, and a combined edition of the other three Wick papers in nearby areas hit hard--Covington, Bogalusa and Slidell--was slated to be published on Tuesday, Sept. 6. It's a start.

Meanwhile, Wick Communications is matching all donations that its employees make to a fund created to help employees who need assistance with housing and other needs. And the company is continuing to pay the staffers at the affected papers, I am very proud to report.

As for our friends at the Gambit Weekly, the alternative newsweekly there ... well, the future's unclear. Clancy and Margo DuBos, the paper's owners, say they plan to publish again, but they're not sure when. Check out a piece from Michael Tisserand, a friend who's the editor of the Gambit Weekly, in this issue. Meanwhile, the Association of Alternative Weeklies has set up a fund to assist Gambit employees in need.

It's been wonderful to see all sorts of groups, organizations and businesses step up to help their counterparts in New Orleans and the other areas stricken by Hurricane Katrina.

Meanwhile, to the folks who have come to Tucson from the affected areas ... welcome.