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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 20, 2018)
16 Wednesday, June 20, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon The people behind The Nugget... Every Tuesday night, a hardworking crew unloads some 7,500 newspapers from a Ford van, stack the bundles in the lobby at The Nugget, and get to work. They are the inserting crew — the people who put the Ray’s Food Place and Bi-Mart and other inserts into the papers readers receive in their mailbox or pick up around town on Wednesday. A total of 6,900 papers receive inserts. The crew labels them for various postal routes or for the around town papers, bundle them back up and reload the Nugget van for the run to the post office on Tuesday night. It usually takes about 2-1/2 hours to get the job done. The inserters are paid a flat piecework amount per insert, so the quicker they work, the better the hourly rate becomes. But they are efficient more out of pride in their work than out of any financial incentive. “It’s hard work,” says Nugget Editor in Chief Jim Cornelius, who also delivers the papers. “There’s a lot of lifting and carrying involved, and they keep up a good pace, which I appreciate a lot, ’cause it keeps me from being out too late on Tuesday night.” The core crew consists of Debbie Slater, Totsy Swartz, Sally Blust, Kelly Webb and Denice Cristiano. Occasional substitutes or additions come in as needed, depending on scheduling and the number of inserts in a given week. Most of the crew has been at it for years. Slater, the defacto crew chief, says she’s been insert- ing “for a long, long time. It must be 20 years, I guess.” She’s an invaluable con- tributor, according to Teresa Mahnken, who schedules the crew. “What would we do with- out you if you weren’t here?” she said to Slater. What would keep some- one coming back week in and week out to sling newspapers? I love the people. I like the physical-ness of the work. It keeps me young — that’s it! — Sally Blust “I like the work; I like the company,” Slater said. “We have a good time. I don’t know what to do on a Tuesday night.” The camaraderie of the crew is the common theme amongst all the inserters: Inserting Crew They simply enjoy each oth- er’s company. “It’s fun,” said Sally Blust, who’s been inserting for more than 10 years. “I love the people. I like the physical-ness of the work. It keeps me young — that’s it!” The work may be physical and the pace is quick — but that doesn’t interfere with the chatter. It is well understood that, between them, the insert- ing crew “knows everything” that is going on in Sisters. And they talk about it. “ We g o s s i p , ” Slater cheerfully acknowledged. “What’s said at The Nugget stays at The Nugget.” “That’s not actually a prin- ciple that fits very well with a newspaper,” Cornelius joked. “Maybe that’s why they clam up when I come in… “Seriously,” he said, “this is an important job, and the people who do it have to be reliable. It’s a remarkable crew, a great group of people, and we’re very fortunate that they come in and just get it done week after week.” The crew is supportive of each o t h e r, both on the floor and in their outside lives. Webb suffered severe injuries in a motorcy- cle accident and got through that and other hard times with the support of her friends. And despite her injuries, she returned as soon as she could to rejoin them at work. PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS The Nugget inserting crew gets it done each week. The all-for-one-one-for-all camaraderie plays out every week. “Nobody’s done till we’re all done,” Slater said. Now you can help The Nugget continue its journalistic mission The Nugget Readers like you can join our loyal advertisers in bringing The Nugget to Sisters — for free — every week! Thank you for supporting us! Make a fi nancial contribution to keep professional community journalism thriving in Sisters... ܂ $50/year Supporting Subscription ܂ $100/year Sustaining Subscription ܂ $________ Other Contribution Three easy ways to support community journalism: • Complete the form below and mail today • Call 541-549-9941 and pay by credit card • Go to NuggetNews.com to contribute online Name __________________________________________________________________ Address _________________ City ______________ State ____ Zip _________ Visit NuggetNews.com, stop by the offi ce at 442 E. Main Ave. (Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri), call us at 541-549-9941, or drop a check in the mail. Phone ______________ Email ___________________________________________ ܂ Check enclosed ܂ Please charge my credit card Visa/MasterCard __________________________ Exp. __ /__ Security Code ___ Mail to: The Nugget, PO Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759 PHOTO BY GARY MILLER
