From the editor: We’ve been deeply touched by support from readers. And we’re not going anywhere.

These past few weeks have been a challenge unlike anything many of us have ever seen. Thousands of Alaskans are out of work. Many businesses are in trouble or barely hanging on, and many are preparing to reopen after weeks of being shuttered. Kids home from school, families strained, an invisible threat of disease hangs in the air.

We all want things back to normal.

The past few days finally felt like spring in Anchorage. A lot of people were out in Anchorage parks and on the trails over the weekend. Soon it’ll be summer in this place we love. But there’s no question the coming weeks and months will be different. Alaska is facing some big challenges as we move into the next phase of the pandemic.

Here at the ADN, we’re continuing to work to bring you timely news and information. We’re working from our homes and taking extra care when we’re out in the community. And we’re taking steps to make sure we continue to be here for you, to strengthen our coverage and our ability to serve the community. We’re not going away.

We are grateful for the support from our readers. We’ve seen a sustained surge of subscriptions over the past couple of months, along with continuing high readership.

As the economy hit the rocks last month, here and across the country, we saw a drop in advertising and event revenue. We continue to make most of our coronavirus coverage free to all online. Readers asked about other ways to support the ADN beyond subscriptions. We tried something new: We gave readers the opportunity to support our continuing coronavirus coverage with tax deductible donations through a new 501(c)(3) ADN local news fund.

In two weeks, more than 400 individuals, families and businesses generated more than $41,000 in support for the ADN newsroom. We’ve all been deeply touched by this generosity during a rough time — and equally moved by the notes of support from readers with their donations.

Like many local businesses, the Daily News applied for a federally backed Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan through the U.S. Small Business Administration. The application was recently approved, and that infusion this past week allowed us to reverse temporary, staffwide pay and hour cuts, along with several layoffs involving our marketing and events staffs. It gives us a solid runway to get through the next couple months and to continue making our company strong for the long haul. The donation fund will help us bolster our journalism in covering the pandemic’s impacts in Alaska. We remain committed to our independence and producing journalism Alaskans trust.

We’re working on a number of other initiatives to support our journalism. We’re continuing and expanding our partnerships, such as the work with ProPublica over the past two years that has produced deep reporting on sexual violence and gaps in law enforcement in Alaska. That work continues. We’ll soon have our first Report for America fellow in our newsroom, which will bolster local reporting and will be aimed directly at coverage of health care and public health. More partnerships are being built.

We’ve heard directly from hundreds of Alaskans in recent weeks — in emails, from the forms we’ve been using below the articles, in letters to the editor, on social media, phone calls. We’re hearing your ideas for coverage, your questions, your feedback, your suggestions for improvement. You’re sharing your stories and helping us report. Those messages are fuel for us. Please keep them coming.

This is an extraordinarily tough time for businesses across Alaska. But we’re as committed as ever to being here for you — to provide timely, trusted information, to ask tough questions, to give you information you need to navigate through the rough days. And not just during the current emergency, but after it has passed.

As always, thanks for reading, thanks for subscribing and thanks for your continued support. Please stay safe and healthy.

We’d love to hear your ideas and feedback. Email me or use the form below. If you’re reading on a phone and can’t see the form, click here.