We are almost a month into life here at the somewhat downsized GetReligion.org, with me working roughly half of the time — like in the blog’s first decade.

We are publishing less material and, frankly, there are times when it is agonizing to have to let some subjects and news articles pass without commentary (either positive or negative). We really do appreciate all of the story tips from readers. Keep them coming, even if we are not able to post about them.

We are still trying to figure out how to handle some items of business, especially without the regular work of Bobby Ross, Jr., and his Friday Five collective. His new “Weekend Plug-In” feature for Religion UnPlugged helps. But there are still times when we all think, “Oh, I’ll send that to Bobby for the Friday Five,” and then we have to say, “Oh, right.”

Not all of this material is light-hearted. Take, for example, this serious life-on-the-beat update from patriarch Richard Ostling — focusing on the health of his colleague Rachel Zoll, with whom he shared religion-beat duties for years at the Associated Press.

So here is the note from Ostling:

Along the beat: Our highly respected colleague, former AP Religion Writer Rachel Zoll,  is still being treated for brain cancer. 

People who follow the religion beat closely will remember that she was suddenly stricken on Martin Luther King Day two years ago. However, this encouraging New Year's update was posted by her sister Cheryl:

"In general things have been status quo with Rachel. She's been having MRI scans about every 3 months, and, since her second surgery in late 2018, I am happy to report that there has been no new tumor growth. Her doctor (and we) are of course very pleased! The tumor could return at any time, or it could lay low for quite a while, as it has been. If you've spoken to Rachel, you'll know she continues to struggle with language, but she is otherwise as active as possible. She's enjoyed talking to people on the phone and some limited visits, and we get out every day. Your notes and calls mean a lot to her! We look forward to continuing to connect through the winter."

Notes to Rachel can be mailed to her at her sister Cheryl's home: 38 Cosby Avenue, Amherst MA 01002.