Yes, it’s true—the print edition of ALIVE is finally back. Still, I cannot deny that the past two years were difficult. Indeed, to say they were “difficult” may be a gross understatement, as far too many jobs, businesses, and lives were lost. COVID 19 was a nasty bug that tested all of us in unimaginable ways, so to finally see it evolve into what may well be just a mild cold virus is more than a welcomed change.
Since our last print issue in March 2020, we heard the question, “When will the printed ALIVE be back?” hundreds of times. Our answer changed right along with the virus, from “We don’t know if it will ever return,” or, “We have no idea,” to, “We hope eventually, someday,” to, “Hopefully next year,” to, “Sometime in 2022.”
Sometime in 2022 is now. We survived and are happy to be back.
In some ways, being “out of print” for a while provided an opportunity to reevaluate our operations and make a few changes that we hope you will find positive, if not exciting. Don’t worry though—the values, character, and quality of ALIVE hasn’t changed. At our core, we are still the same ALIVE Magazine, with full-throated opinion pieces and content you won’t find in other local magazines.
What’s new? Our most notable change is that several prominent editorial contributors have joined our ranks. You may recognize a few. We have Chuck Norris (yes, the Chuck Norris) writing about wellness, Lt. Colonel Oliver North and David Goetsch, as well as Dennis Prager, John Stossel, Susan Estrich, and Star Parker, who all write about newsworthy, controversial, and political topics.
Our content will include regular science-related articles by physicist Dr. Brian Miller, and neuroscientist Seth Czerepak, as well as a practical advice column by Mary Hunt, advice for younger readers by Dr. Robert Wallace, and our Passing Lane column now penned by nationally recognized automotive expert, Eric Peters.
What hasn’t changed? Our foundation of terrific writers. You can still count on being entertained by Mike Copeland and you’ll still learn about hidden movie gems from Carolyn Hastings. Your garden will continue to thrive if you follow the sage wisdom of our “Dirt Gardener,” Buzz Bertolero, as will your investment portfolio if you heed the advice of Blackhawk Wealth Management founder, John Gardner. And when you’re ready to relax or entertain, you can still count on Elizabeth Kate’s “Spirited Encounters” column to guide you.
And as before, from time to time, you will still enjoy feature articles by your favorites, like Charles Jarret, George Kapus, Joe Redmond, Anita Venezia, Antonia Venezia, and Shane Wallace.
Another thing that has not changed is our unique design layout, with editorial content pages that do not include advertising. While we want you to look at the ads in ALIVE and support the local businesses and professional practices that make our magazine possible, we also want your experience of reading ALIVE to be the best it can be, so”no clutter” is still our motto.
So, with that I say, “Thank you for being so patient, and thank you for continually asking us when we would ‘be back.’” ALIVE is back because you wanted it to return, and we had no intention of letting you down.
I hope you kept your eye on life’s silver linings these past two years, and that you enjoy this special “2.0” edition of ALIVE Magazine.