Sunday, we ran an in-depth report on the local economy.

According to some local bankers and business leaders, any hopes of coming out of our current recession are not looking good. You can still read about it at covnews.com.

In spite of this, we still have high expectations for Newton County, because of what has been done by governments and local business to survive. It will make us stronger and more vibrant as a city and a county when we do emerge from this economic mess.

There is one thing that you can do to help us survive these tough economic times: Support local merchants.

The money you spend needs to stay in Newton County.

When you buy from one local merchant, that merchant in turn takes your hard-earned money and turns it into salaries and other goods. Your dollar spent multiplies many times.

Covington has a beautiful downtown. Movie and TV producers from around the country recognize this and use our downtown for productions. Our Main Street program is one of the strongest in the state, and our storefronts are nearly full, quite the contrast to what you may find elsewhere.

Currently, downtown merchants are staging many Oktoberfest activities, especially on weekends. See what’s happening at our Website, covnews.com, or the Main Street Covington Website, downtowncovington.org.

So, why not load up the car or take a stroll to Covington’s historic downtown to enjoy the park and spend a dollar or two?

Together, we can surprise all of the experts and Covington and Newton County can emerge from this recession running full speed into the future.