This week I want to begin my column by wishing everyone the happiest of holidays from The Times staff and a Merry Christmas from Diane and me.

It has been some year at The Times office, just as it has been at most other small businesses around the state and country. There are a few more empty desks because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

I never thought I’d see so many people working out of their homes, still getting their work done and producing a quality community newspaper each week. And it’s looking like that will be the new normal.

My hat is off to all of our employees. You make it happen each week by covering the town meetings, taking classified ads, conducting interviews with new businesses, keeping up with the clubs’ activities and the sheriff’s log and reporting about action of the many weekly high school sports teams.

We appreciate the subscribers who continue to get their copies of The Times every Wednesday.

The advertising has dropped off but we’ve seen an upturn lately and I feel this trend will continue into 2021 as more businesses recover from the attack on our economy caused by the COVID-19 virus.

Publisher Brent Cruikshank recently came up with a new revenue idea that has been received very well by the local business community.

It’s called Deals in the Hills. It is a quarterly publication which will be mailed to every home in Fountain Hills.

I want to thank General Manager Kip Kirkendoll for doing such a fine job of keeping our doors open during this year of Covid-19.

Businesses here in the Las Vegas area have been particularly hard hit. With their tourism-based economy, some 18.5 percent of the available work force have lost their jobs. Most are restaurant and casino employees. Many of the casinos have reopened, but lost revenue for many of them is in the millions of dollars.

When we have a little extra cash, we try our luck at the Red Rock Casino. It’s the closest to our house and they have good food in their restaurants at reasonable prices.

They also tightly enforce the mask rules and they take everyone’s temperature when they first enter the casino. Every other slot machine is turned off for social distancing purposes and there are casino workers who are constantly sanitizing the machines after usage.

At least two of the big-name casinos on the strip have been shut down for violations.

I told you that I was going to give you some more history of Fountain Hills, but I’m about out of space, so I’ll have to delay it a week.