Having trouble reaching MendoLocal.News? Here's what to try

Some readers have told us they can't open our website. Instead of our stories, they see a browser warning such as "This site can't provide a secure connection" in Chrome or "Secure Connection Failed" in Firefox.

We've been looking into it. Our site is up, its security certificate is valid, and we have found no evidence that the site has been compromised. Most readers are reaching us normally.

Screenshots readers have shared show their browsers trying to reach us at an address that begins with http://, the older, unencrypted version of a web address.

We haven't pinned down how a good link on our end ends up as a bad one for a reader, but we are working on it. What we know so far points to something between the affected reader's device and our site, such as a home network setting, security software or a VPN. Malware that exists on a reader's device or home network is a possibility, but not very likely. The steps below are listed from quickest to most involved.

Separately, we have lost access to our Facebook page, Mendo Local News, and are working to get it back. Nothing new is being posted there for now.

Steps to try

1. Type the address in full. Enter https://www.mendolocal.news in your browser's address bar
2. Try your phone with Wi-Fi turned off. If the site loads over cellular data, the problem is in your home or office network, not your device. Steps 3 through 5 are the ones most likely to help.
3. Restart your modem and router.Unplug them for 30 seconds, plug them back in, and try again once you're back online.
4. Pause any VPN or proxy. Turn it off briefly, reload the site, then turn it back on. If that fixes it, your VPN provider's support team can tell you how to allow our site.
5. Check security software and content filters. Antivirus programs with "web protection," parental controls and filters built into some routers can block secure sites by mistake. Look for a blocked-sites or allowed-sites list and add mendolocal.news. Work, school and public networks often run filters you can't change, so try from home.
6. Update your browser and your device. Install any pending updates for your browser and operating system, then restart.
7. Try a private window or a different browser. If that works, clear your usual browser's cache and try again.
   
   If you switch off security software or a VPN to test, switch it back on afterward. And if your browser offers a way to continue past a security warning, please don't use it. Our site should load without one.

Still stuck? Tell us what you're seeing

If none of that works, email us at editor@mendolocal.news. The more of these details you can include, the faster we can track it down:

• Your device (phone, tablet, laptop or desktop) and whether it's a Mac, Windows PC, iPhone or Android.
• The browser you use.
• The exact wording of the error, or a screenshot of it, including the full web address and whether it begins with http:// or https://.
• Whether you were on home Wi-Fi, a work or public network, or cellular data, and who your internet provider is.
• Any VPN, antivirus or filtering software you use.
• Whether it happens on every page or only certain ones.
• The date and time you last saw it.
• Which of the steps above you tried, and whether the site loaded on your phone with Wi-Fi off.
  
  Thank you for your patience, and for letting us know.