DEAR SUN SPOTS: Thanks for all of the good work you do for the community. I would like to find the most recent article regarding Bates Mill #5 (approximately a week ago) and tried a search at the Sun Journal website with no luck.

The problem is when I search for “Bates Mill #5,” it brings up every story printed about the mill for the last 10 years but in no particular chronological order. Trying to find it that way could take forever. Is there an easier way? Thanks. — R.R., Auburn

ANSWER: Sunjournal.com uses, as do many if not most sites, Google search. The default search ranks according to “relevance” or how prominent a term is in a story and how often it appears, not date. 

At Google.com you can change the parameters to search by date, but Sun Journal Web editor Carl Natale said the chronological order feature is not available at sunjournal.com. Fortunately, you can use Google.com to achieve those results.

Carl offers this explanation:

Go to Google and search for “Bates Mill No. 5” site:sunjournal.com. Note the use of No. instead of #, which is the accepted journalistic style. Also, you will need to include the quotes as shown, or you will get results for Bates and Mill and No. and 5 as well as Bates Mill No. 5. 

Then click on “Search Tools.”

Then click on “Any time” and pick a time frame.

Then click on “Sorted by relevance” and change to “Sorted by time.”

If you want to see all the stories on Bates Mill No. 5 and not just those in the Sun Journal, you can leave out the “site sunjournal.com” and get the results from other news organizations as well.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Would you be able to find out why the Sun Journal delivery person in the Waterford area ties knots in the bags the paper is in? Since reading that they have to buy the bags, I have been returning them to be used again. But those knots are very hard to untie. No one has ever done this before. Why now? — No Name via email

ANSWER: Your driver is undoubtedly trying to make sure that the newspaper stays nice and dry in the bag. Many new drivers may not be aware of the option to reuse bags and the inconvenience of undoing the knots. Sun Spots has passed your comment along to supervisor Bill McCarthy, who emailed: 

“With the recent weather, especially with wind-driven precipitation, even bagging the paper may not insure its dryness, as some are delivered hours before customers retrieve them.

“I’m betting that since it takes more time to tie the bag, on calmer wet weather days the carrier will just bag and place in the tube. Kudos to the carrier for caring to take the additional time to insure satisfaction on the subscriber’s end.”

If the knots persist, you might try leaving the carrier a note. Sun Spots has been known to tape notes to her mailbox or paper tube.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Thank you to the very kind and thoughtful couple for sending over a delicious turtle cheesecake dessert at Fishbones in Lewiston on Saturday night, Jan. 4.

There were three of us at a nearby table and I was “eyeballing” your dessert. We were surprised when the waiter brought over a large piece of cheesecake — a gift from you — but you had already finished dinner and had departed the restaurant.

What a great way to start the New Year! I promise to spread the “good karma” and pass along the kind deed to someone else soon. Thanks again and have a wonderful New Year. — Jack, Steve and Jim, [email protected]

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to [email protected].