Editorial: New year’s wishes include reading words on paper

We are at the edge of a new year full of hopes for happiness and prosperity and health for all. We send wishes for the best for all of our advertisers and readers in 2022 – and even to those who no longer read anything on paper. But we wish they would.
A report that was part of the last district library board meeting packet was from Pew Research Center which stated that federal data show for many U.S. children, reading for fun has become less common. The shares of American 9- and 13-year-olds who say they read for fun on an almost daily basis have dropped from nearly a decade ago and are at the lowest levels since at least the mid-1980s.
One grandfather we know told us he encouraged his grandchildren to jump out of the car each Thursday and get a new, free Independent from the box in front of our office. Then the grandchildren would read the paper to him. The study showed those students who read for fun also scored higher on the NWEA reading tests. Makes sense.
Our wishes for 2022 include hopes that those of all ages in the Belleville area will read their Independents – on line or on paper — to become better-informed citizens and voters. The nice thing about a small, local paper is that you can always call up the editor or come into the office to discuss what was printed.
And, your thoughts are welcomed.