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“There’s no place like home,” a popular reference to a movie with a tornado putting a girl and her little dog too on an unknown path looking for her way back home. A story that is eerily familiar to Suffolk News-Herald staff. Those of us who were here in 2020 experienced what it was like to be put on an unknown path by a tornado.

During tropical storm Isaias, the historic building on Saratoga Street where Suffolk News-Herald had resided for decades was hit hard by a tornado, displacing our entire operation in the blink of an eye. Desks covered in ceiling tiles, gaping holes in the roof in the back of the building, and front windows blown completely out and clear across the street — the building was devastated. Our home away from home, where we spend eight hours or more out of everyday life, was destroyed.

Where would we go? What would happen next? These were all big unknowns for us but one thing was clear: readers of the Suffolk News-Herald would still receive their papers that week. Through all of this, we never missed a paper. The press stops for no one, not even a tornado. Thankfully, with the help of some friends within the community, we quickly found a new temporary home at 157 N. Main Street to set up shop and resume normal office functions. It’s a special feeling knowing that the community that you serve will come to your aid. We are grateful to all those who stepped up in our hour of need. Truly, thank you.

These walls have housed Suffolk News-Herald’s staff for the last four years, and they have seen it all. This is where we have met new friends, a few of whom have stopped by to visit us by accident on their way to Workforce Development. We’ve worked here with you, the people of this great city, on matters important to you. We’ve held people accountable here, after all, your community newspaper is your watchdog. We’ve won multiple Virginia Press Association awards over multiple years while at this office. Most important of all, we’ve produced here. We’ve produced, without interruption, the quality local journalism that this community deserves. We are grateful for all these walls have provided. 

However, it is time to find our way back to more permanent roots, and today, we are excited to announce that the Suffolk News-Herald has found a new home at the O’Connor suite located at 110 Finney Ave., in the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts. We’re thrilled to have an opportunity to move our operations to such a historic site in Suffolk. Though we will not be on Main Street anymore, we are still nestled in the hustle and bustle of Downtown Suffolk. We will still be available for walk-ins at any time during office hours. Simply pull into the parking lot behind The Center and park near the wooded area. If you look toward the back of the building you’ll see a red loading door and a pergola to the left of it. Walk down the short path, next to the lovely bushes to the open patio on the right. There you will find our new offices’ double doors and there we will be — ready to serve you and continue to provide you with top notch local journalism and marketing solutions, as we have been since 1873. Suffolk News-Herald, staff, readers, clients, followers — welcome home.