A little bit about a lot of things:

• We take the opportunity this week to salute the “administrative professionals” who help keep the wheels of local businesses turning smoothly......the unsung heroes who are so very critical to helping business function.

Most of the businesses in our communities are small to medium-sized.....and to operate smoothly (actually, to operate at all) requires a team effort with everybody contributing.

In small businesses, people up and down Main Street will tell you, each and every employee is important – and the value of a good administrative assistant, in particular, can’t be overstated.

Those folks used to be called “secretaries,” and I didn’t really think there was anything wrong with that.

But in this era of “multi-tasking,” “networking” and other business buzzwords, it is perhaps fitting that they jazz up the job title a little bit.

Who do you really think runs most offices, after all?

In some offices, managers and owners have clearly-defined administrative professional staffs.

In others, like ours, responsibilities are generally shared – which is why any one of several people might answer the phone when a customer calls, help a reader with a subscription or take the information for a news story.

Holly Cope and Roseann Gregory are at the forefront when it comes to answering calls, greeting customers, taking classified ads and helping patrons with whatever they need.

They also try to discourage me from answering the phones, knowing that I’m more likely to disconnect a call rather than transfer it successfully, and are always quick to step in to take over whenever I try to take a classified ad or a subscription.

They’re very cheerful about it, too, leaving unspoken the thought that if they want it done right.....they’d better not let me do it!

Everybody here pitches in, though, with the common goal of helping each other and – most importantly - serving our customers.

That’s a common thread shared by all the staffs of successful businesses (and that extends to city halls and schools as well).

And on this day, we salute them for the work they do day in and day out through the year!!!

• Police departments in each of our communities are in a state of transition.

Newman welcomed its new chief of police, Adam McGill, earlier this week. He is a veteran of law enforcement in Stanislaus County, and we wish him well in carrying forward the progress made during the past year under the leadership of interim chief Randy Ulibarri.

Chief McGill will have some big shoes to fill, but under Ulibarri’s year at the helm (doesn’t he know retired guys aren’t supposed to keep showing up for work?) the foundation has been set for Newman Police Department to flourish into the future.

Gustine’s police department is in transition as well, following the announcement several weeks ago that Kris Anderson would not be returning as chief in the wake of his DUI arrest.

Another chapter in that sad saga was closed last week, when Anderson entered a plea of no contest to the charge.

The challenge facing officials in Gustine is substantial. Their next chief of police must be sensitive to the needs of both the community and the police department itself.

That is no easy balancing act.

• So.......the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors, as expected, gave its blessing Tuesday to continue planning for the West Park project at Crows Landing.

We do give credit to West Park developer Gerry Kamilos for the extensive work he and his team have done over the past 14 months, but fundamental concerns remain about how a project with so little local support can move forward.

I have serious doubts that any of the supervisors who voted for West Park Tuesday would want to live in the shadow of the massive inland port and business park, which Supervisor Jim DeMartini maintains is the largest facility of its kind in the state of California.

But then again, they don’t have to, do they?

• Visiting queens, folklore dancers, religious observances and bodo de leites....those familiar sights return to the West Side this weekend when the Crows Landing Pentecost Association hosts its festa.

If it seems like festa season starts early this year.....well, it does.

Apparently the festa schedule is tied to Easter, which this year fell unusually early.

Newman’s festa is in another two weeks.

The colorful celebrations are a long-standing tradition among the area’s sizable Portuguese population, and are certainly an entrenched part of the area’s heritage.

Sopas, anyone?

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