EDITORIAL

By Zulma Prieto

This is not goodbye. We will be out there for you in a different way. El Puente newspaper will stop its printed editions on the last issue of November, more precisely on November 19, 2019.
The first edition came out in March 1992. We have run for close to 28 years, and we have done it with dedication and love.
Personally, I am very grateful to God, who led us to have this way of helping the people, but also meeting wonderful people from all origins. We have had the pleasure of working with excellent local individuals, people who touched our lives and the lives of others by offering of their time and talents for the well-being of the area.
We also worked with people who we never met in person, from Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Chile and several other places both within US and throughout the world.
Why did the newspaper start? El Puente started as an answer to a local need of information in the Spanish language. In 1992, Indiana was the only state that did not have a Spanish language newspaper. El Puente was the first.
It was not easy, especially at the beginning, yet, we were always surrounded by kindred spirits who wanted a better place for immigrants in this area.
From the beginning, Jimmer, Yizzar and Zuleyja Prieto, along with Tito and Rachel Guedea, and me, withstood all the ups and downs in all these years. Others also worked for El Puente, as direct workers, among them, Jason Gingerich, Alex Naula, Axel Hernandez. Also a lot of people supported the newspaper by sending their photos, stories and comments. Some of the Latino businesses placed ads to help support this effort, along with some of the general businesses. I don’t have enough space to name all the people who have contributed to this effort, but as its name indicates, El Puente, ‘The Bridge’, was an effort of many and it will continue to be a common effort.
Times have changed, and we need to move according to the times to a digital era. We would like to offer reliable news and information that will help all of us making informed decisions about the present and the future.
Several years ago we created new web pages that will speak to broader interests, not only geographically but also of special interests. To that effect we are offering you now the following webs:

www.webelpuente.com
www.elpuentenews.com
www.latinosinthemidwest.com
www.elpuentecultural.com
www.a2ztranslations.com
www.elpuentellc.com

I am inviting you to browse one, or all of the webpages and let us know how we can improve and offer you better products.
The Latino presence has increased in United States and we must offer them the best products of the times. We are committed to having reliable work of high quality that will meet the needs of a sector of the population that now more than ever belongs here and is making its mark.
We are proud of the strong work and high dreams of the younger generation, and the solid home education and values the older ones have provided.
We will address not only the Latinos, but a multiracial, multicultural society that is interested in creating diverse relations and work that benefits all sectors of society.
1992 was the starting point of a bridge to print media for Latinos. 2020 is a bridge to new horizons.