By MAGGIE MCMURRAY
Moapa Valley Progress
The Moapa Valley Progress was honored last week by Assemblyman James Oscarson and his Constituent Liaison Bren McClean during a brief ceremony held at the newspaper’s office on Thursday.
Oscarson, who attended the ceremony via video feed, praised current Progress editor, Vernon Robison, and newspaper founder, John Z. Robison, for their combined efforts over the years in publishing the community newspaper.
Oscarson also lauded the contribution that the Progress has made in Moapa Valley over the 30 years it has been in publication.
This past September marked the 30th anniversary of the newspaper, making it the longest running continuous publication in the northeastern Clark County. The Progress is delivered free of charge every Wednesday to all Moapa Valley residents.
The event was a surprise to Vernon Robison, who was not aware ahead of time that it would be occurring. A small reception was organized by Progress staff to accompany the ceremony.
“The Progress has made a significant contribution to the community, in some ways making the Moapa Valley what it is today,” Oscarson said. “I truly believe that, in many ways, it wouldn’t be the same community without the Progress.”
McClean read the proclamation, which contained a short history of the newspaper and recognized its continued service and outstanding coverage of valley events, as well as congratulations from Oscarson and his office.
McClean also expressed appreciation for the dedication of both founder John Z. Robison and current editor Vernon Robison. John, who now resides in St. George, Utah, could not attend the ceremony due to health issues.
“It was a nice surprise,” said Vernon Robison of the ceremony. “I truly appreciate Assemblyman Oscarson for his kind words.”
But Robison also pointed out that the Progress would not be possible without its staff. “We are so lucky to have such top-notch local people working on the newspaper,” he said. “I am so grateful to our untiring staff of excellent writers, our office staff and our distribution workers.”
“Of course, I can never give enough thanks to our loyal advertisers, the local business owners who have supported us and kept us open and operating all these years,” Robison said.
