There are no sacred cows in the ES newsroom. Anything and everything is fair game. With one exception, a topic which is so feared, that even whispering the word is considered taboo 10 1/2 months out of the year.

Progress.

For our readers and advertisers, this annual publication is something to look forward to, as it promises unparalleled coverage of our local businesses, communities and issues. It is a chance to get a look at the inner workings of our governments, at the manufacturing floors of local industry and the many things which makes Chenango County home to all of us.

For those of us who shed our blood, sweat, tears slaving over the 10-section publication, it is nothing short of hell. By the time Progress hits newsstands in January, our staff will be reduced from the jovial crew we are today to a mere shadow of our former selves. The glow of health and hope will have abandoned us, replaced by a sallow look which can only achieved by combining sleep deprivation, malnutrition, high volumes of stress and excessive quantities of caffeine. Let’s just say it won’t be pretty.