Speaking Personally: Bon voyage to our summer intern

It’s hard to believe our summer intern’s ten-week stint in our newsroom will be over by the time this paper is in your hands. Rising Mizzou sophomore Grace Long has been nothing short of a blessing to our publication this summer, though her time with us has been tainted by some unnecessary election season dramatics. 

 

The very bright student who showed up in May has had a crash course in community journalism: the good, the bad, and the ugly. She is going back to school this month having experienced the jarring ascension of becoming a public figure in a small town. She’s written front-page articles, even lead stories. She has sat through hours-long municipal meetings. She has read nearly every issue of Howell County News from 2001 to present. 

 

And through it all, she’s been a delight – a sunshine-y and energetic presence who has applied curiosity, enthusiasm, and considerable skill to every task she’s been given. 

 

Thank you, Grace. Come back to Howell County any time. 

 

Her big project this summer has been something we could never have accomplished without her help. This month, Howell County News will celebrate 25 years in print. 

 

To celebrate, we are distributing a 25th anniversary magazine in the August 19 issue. Thanks to Grace’s limitless fervor for the written word, the magazine will feature content from every year of HCN to date. She and I have carefully curated some of the most charming and memorable moments from the life of the newspaper, and I cannot wait to share it with you all. 

 

The magazine will be inserted in the August 19 issue and will be available independently free of charge in several locations around the county. Of course, there will be extra copies at the news office. Make sure you don’t miss it. 

 

In the grand scheme of things, 25 years is not so long for the life of a newspaper, but any small business surviving a quarter century is something to celebrate. From the beginning, Howell County News has been independently owned, at times an underdog, and I’m very proud to say is currently in close competition for being the most-circulated paid paper in the county. 

 

While a certain number of awards and other accolades to our name helps confirm we’re doing okay by industry standards, the steadily rising number of subscribers confirms we’re doing okay by Howell County standards. That’s what really matters, after all. 

 

Here’s to 25 more years in print. Keep reading, Howell County. We’ll keep telling your stories.