Letter from the Editor: Saying goodbye and giving thanks

Well, this is really the first time I’ve had to write one of these, so let’s see how it goes.

This week will be my last with The Journal. I have recently accepted a position with a news organization in southwestern Washington, which will allow me to be closer to family in an area that has been a second home for me throughout my childhood.

News about The Journal’s next editor will be forthcoming in the near future. But I want to spend time now on thanking our readers and eastern Adams County for welcoming me, a stranger, into their communities as I embarked on my first job in the journalism industry after graduating from college.

The people I’ve gotten to know over the past year and a half have been nothing but kind and helpful as I sought to learn as much as I could about the community so I could report on the issues that our readers care about the most. The passion that members of local organizations, businesses and governmental entities have for their community is truly admirable.

That passion is what made this job so enjoyable, whether it be seeing all of the hard work that had to happen to put on the Wheat Land Communities’ Fair and the 50th Ritzville Rodeo, the farming community joining together to support a neighbor in a time of need, or local officials working for years--decades, even--to bring new projects and businesses to the area.

There’s a long list of people I’d like to thank, and I can guarantee that there are some people I’ll forget by accident, which I’d like to apologize in advance for.

At Ritzville City Hall, thanks to Mayor Gary Cook, Clerk-Treasurer Julie Flyckt and Deputy Clerk-Treasurer Michelle Asmussen for being accessible and answering any questions I had about an issue or topic that was being discussed at city council meetings.

At the Ritzville Police Department, thanks to Chief Dave McCormick for alerting The Journal to emergency situations, as well as helping clarify police reports to make sure our reporting was accurate.

At East Adams Rural Healthcare, thanks to CEO Corey Fedie and the board of commissioners for being accommodating with their time and helping to explain and go into detail on any number of confusing topics in the world of healthcare.

At Lind-Ritzville Schools, thanks to superintendent Don Vanderholm for being gracious to share his time to discuss important issues facing the district. Also, thanks to LRMS secretary Karissa Labes, RGS secretary Jamie Nichols and LRHS teacher/advisor Donna Koch for their help identifying students in photos and providing information on school events.

On the athletics side of things, thanks to athletic director and football head coach Greg Whitmore, volleyball head coach Cari Galbreath, cheerleading head coach Connie Miller, wrestling and baseball head coach Jason Hilzer, boys basketball head coach Dustan Arlt, girls basketball head coach Steve Wellsandt and softball head coach Todd O’Brien for always taking time out of their schedules to chat with The Journal about their teams.

Thanks to L.R. Keith and Charles Jingling for keeping me informed on all things regarding trains, whether it be at the Railroad Depot Museum or the possibility of bringing Amtrak service back to the area. I’m looking forward to seeing from afar how some of these key issues play out.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t thank Melody Bartlett and Jeremy Burnham for being great coworkers and making each day a pleasure. I’m going to miss you two.

And lastly, thanks to you, the subscribers of The Journal, for supporting and paying for local journalism. The industry is--and has been--undergoing drastic changes, but there will always be an appetite for local news coverage that keeps people in communities informed about what is happening in their backyard.

Local journalists are necessary in ensuring that our democracy can function in a fair and transparent way at the local level, and that officials, organizations and businesses in our communities are being kept in check. It’s why “the press” is the only profession that our Founders enshrined specific protections for when crafting the U.S. Constitution. I’m looking forward to joining your ranks as a subscriber so I can continue to keep up with eastern Adams County news.

My last day with The Journal will be this Friday, Jan. 31. Then, I’ll be loading up my bags and heading out on a new adventure. I can only hope that my next experience will be as good as this one.