A tombstone, a falcon, elected officials, fourth-generation Napans and new immigrants who can’t speak a word of English. This is just a partial list of the people, avian life and personal effects that I have been presented with in the lobby of the Register.

In way or another, all came or were brought here to pitch a story or find out how to reach the right person at the Register.

As enlightening as it can be for me to meet readers this way, we have more efficient methods of getting you the information you might need to tell us about a story, inquire about advertising or extend your subscription.

One such method is our guide to Napa Valley Publishing, Inc., which we recently updated. This four-page handout lists every conceivable route to reach editors and key circulation and advertising representatives, not only at the Register but at the St. Helena Star; Weekly Calistogan; American Canyon Eagle; Distinctive Properties and Distinctive Living Inside Napa Valley magazines; our Spanish-language publication, Hispanos Unidos; and all the associated Web sites.

The guide contains tips on how to write press releases and send us images for publication.

If you are interested in a copy, please drop by 1615 Second Street and ask for one at the front desk, or drop me a line at 256-2246 or bkisliuk@napanews.com.

Find your Napa Valley Register contacts here

As for the tombstone, it was hauled in by a fellow who had cleared an overgrown lot in Napa. He brought the tablet, clearly from the 19th century, in the back of his flatbed truck. We wrote an item seeking information about the marker, but came up empty. For more on tombstones, including amusing ones (“Here lies John Yeast — Pardon me for not rising”), check Ev Parker’s column in Monday’s Register.

The falcon rode in on the shoulder of a man who uses raptors to protect vineyards. The big, swift birds scare the starlings and eat some of the other critters that snack on ripe grapes. Turns out raptors also scare newspaper employees.

The immigrants and old-timers are among those who come in hoping their grievance with a boss, a neighbor or the government can be solved with a newspaper story. Most of the time it can’t, and some of my saddest moments here have been spent listening to someone who has a great cross to bear and no better hope to lift it than a miracle spurred by a news article.

The lawmakers often come to meet with the Register editorial board. A pleasant visit came last year, after we published our special section on the New Year’s Eve flood of 2005. Local lawmakers on a lobbying junket to Washington, D.C., wanted copies of the section to help convince federal officials to invest more money in the Napa River project.

Based on the funding in this year’s federal budget, I guess we should have provided more copies.

At any rate, we have plenty of copies of the guide available, and I encourage anyone and everyone who thinks they have business with us to get their hands on one.