April 26, 2011 — Over the course of the last couple of weeks, we have been covering a meeting that was to take place at 6 p.m. today, Tuesday, April 26, at the Post Office at 65 North Lassen St.

The meeting was to solicit community feedback on whether or not the U.S. Postal Service should close the Eagle Station Post Office on Johnstonville Road, in order to consolidate the services within Susanville.

That meeting’s been cancelled.

Over the course of last week, the newspaper was in contact with a postal service spokesperson explaining how there were certain inaccuracies in the story that ran on the front page of the April 19 edition. The biggest issue was how people transferring their P.O. boxes might have to change their addresses if they were to move them to the Main Post Office. The spokesperson said if that were the case, it might mean the addition of new P.O. boxes at the Main Street station with the original box number, city address and zip code.

Shortly after learning this information. The paper received another phone call saying because the Postal Service wasn’t imminently planning to close Eagle Station, it saw no point in holding the community meeting at all. The spokesperson said it’s certainly a possibility the station’s status may be revaluated in the future, but for now no decisions will be made.

It’s the opinion of the newspaper that our line of questioning may have had a hand in leading to this conclusion. As we pressed further about the exact ramifications of how a post office closure might affect the community, it seemed like there were more questions than answers.

This is a perfect example of why it’s important for community newspapers like the Lassen County Times to serve as the community’s eyes and ears. The watchdog role has long been a function of journalism in the modern world.

It’s important for the community to know we will continue to provide not only the most in-depth coverage possible, but the news we feel serves the best interest of everyone living in Lassen County.