A frequently asked question Tuesday from callers to KFEQ-AM went something like this:

“Who in my neighborhood has power? Please ask them to call in. I’d love to know.”

And you had to wonder, did the person who posed the question really feel any better when the next caller reported having lights and heat, and living only one street over?

Could the first person somehow bask — and share — in the warmth of his neighbor’s glowing lights, while his own place, complete with Christmas trimmings, began to look more and more like something from the real North Pole?

This went on much of the day. This, and the ritual of callers who suspected the worst from our water company. These callers posed their questions and spread their fear — “Have you heard that they’re going to shut down the water plant?” — long after a company spokesman had said, emphatically, no, the water plant would not shut down. Memories of the ’93 flood apparently do not die easily.

The fact is that few of our family members, neighbors, co-workers and acquaintances have escaped the impact of this exceptionally harsh wintry blast. We’re all in this together, sharing common experiences and concerns. When I think about it, I find that encouraging and comforting. Journalists have a term for these kinds of stories — they have “universal appeal” in much the same way that we all care about the price of gas, our mail service and the Chiefs.

In a time when sociologists write about “Bowling Alone” as a new cultural phenomenon, it makes me feel good to know there are still universals in this world. I’d rather not have to live without heat for two days, but I’d rather do that and have something in common with my neighbors, than not share anything of substance.

Speaking of sharing, it’s worth noting that the News-Press has been through a lot recently. A power outage in the summer threatened our publication schedule, then last month we sloshed our way through a newsroom flood that began with a broken pipe, and over the weekend, we badly missed our delivery deadlines because of a mechanical problem at our production facility. Now this.

We wish to extend sincere, public thanks to our staff members who have worked so hard in recent days to meet some very difficult deadlines and to overcome multiple obstacles, including the problems we’re addressing at the plant.

We also extend heartfelt thanks to our contract carriers who have performed their duties with such dedication in the face of nearly nightly challenges. Some of us on staff have helped throw papers the past few days, and we have seen firsthand how the carriers’ excellent record of service has served our subscribers so well and built such a sense of loyalty to the newspaper.

Fortunately, the lights came back on at the News-Press by late morning Tuesday. We were ready to move our news operations to Ken Newton’s basement and to print the paper in a nearby city. It didn’t come to that, but we would have done both of those things — and more — to meet our readers’ expectations. We wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, we’re all in this together.