What an exciting week last week was, cul­minating with the distribution of the inaugural issue of the Crescenta Valley Weekly. It was a crazy night as we prepared that first issue as reporter Mary, designer Luci and I crowded around Mary’s kitchen table working. And a late night, too – or should I say early morning as we didn’t get the paper “off the floor” and to the printer’s until 2 a.m.

We were all pretty exhausted but understandably excited knowing that, for better or worse, the Crescenta Valley Weekly would be on the streets in just a few hours.

We were a little apprehensive about how the foothill community would receive our paper. We knew that it was a valiant effort, but would our errors be read with a forgiving eye?

By day’s end on Friday we had our answer.

The foothill community offered a huge warm welcome to the Crescenta Valley Weekly. Phone calls and e-mails confirmed what we knew – our community wanted its own paper. And thankfully the idea that we were the ones publishing it was equally welcome.

As we prepare for the second issue, the fires have moved on but the devastation they left behind has not. In this issue you’ll learn what our community is doing to clean up. We’ll offer advice on how to deal safely with the ash that is coating our houses, our property and even our pets.

In our Special Coverage section on pages 12 and 13, you will see some photos of what our forest looks like now. It’s a far cry from the lush landscape that we looked upon prior to the Station fire.

The long range effects of the fire include possible landslides should we have a wet winter. I have also heard that those homes on the uppermost streets in our community nearest to the burn areas are now coping with boulders cascading down into their yards. We also need to be cautious of any displaced wildlife due to the blaze.

So, here we go again. We’re optimistic that our paper will be even better this week and that any delivery kinks have been addressed. For those wishing to subscribe, an order form can be found on page 22 – something we overlooked last week.

We are all grateful for the many people in public safety who came from all parts of Southern California to help us with the fire. We at the Crescenta Valley Weekly are equally grateful for the warm reception extended to us.

Robin Goldsworthy is the publisher of the Crescenta Valley Weekly. She can be reached at cvweekly@gmail.com or (818) 248-2740.