Why haven’t I heard about it? Why didn’t anybody tell me? Well, how was I supposed to know?

I’ve heard some variation of those lines dozens of times over the years and, for a guy who works for a newspaper, it’s akin to walking up to the owner of a local restaurant and asking them why there isn’t anywhere to eat in town.

My answer to those questions is usually to remind the individual that The Fountain Hills Times comes out on a weekly basis and, while I’d never argue that we’re perfect, I think we do a pretty good job of cramming in as much local news as humanly possible.

I mean, not only do the support of our readers and advertisers make it so that we can have a local paper that’s considered massive by most “small town” standards, but we pack it so full of news that the only major complaint against us in a recent contest is that we don’t leave enough white space on the page.

Oct. 2-8 is National Newspaper Week, which is why now felt like a pretty good time to talk a little inside baseball concerning the role of The Times. I realize I’m preaching to the choir here because, if you’re reading this, it’s likely you’re holding a copy of the newspaper in your hands and, for that, the entire staff thanks you.

We provide the news you can’t get anywhere else, whether it’s about local issues, high school sports, upcoming events, meeting updates or anything in between. We flesh things out with loads of letters from our readers, pictures of students’ projects and community events, as well as user-submitted photos of birthdays, anniversaries and the other events important in the lives of our readers.

We try to be the one-stop shop for all things Fountain Hills, which is why it can be a little disheartening to hear someone state they were unaware of something that’s been in these pages a number of times.

We sometimes hear “not everyone reads the paper,” but that’s a tricky obstacle to overcome. If you want to be informed about what’s going on in Fountain Hills but you do not take the paper, I’m not sure what your other options are. We can only meet you halfway and, if you get a subscription, “halfway” means we’re coming as close as your driveway on a weekly basis.

To stay informed, half of the responsibility falls on the individual. Times are changing, sure, but you’re not going to get the local news on the television and social media , while fantastic for gossip and pictures of cats, should by no means be considered a “news source.”

And while The Times posts a selection of stories on our own website and Facebook, the only way you’re going to get the full picture is to tuck in for a weekly read through these pages.

So the next time you’re discussing a local matter and someone asks why “nobody told them,” maybe remind them that The Times is doing the “telling,” they just have to be willing to do the listening.

Staying informed is a partnership, and it’s one we’re grateful to share with all of our readers.