Thank you, readers

Hello, readers.

First of all, I want to wish each of you a Happy New Year, and thank you for reading the Chronicle. This year, more than ever, has shown the importance of community newspapers and our mission to bring you the latest in local news would not even begin to be possible without your support.

With that said, the last issue of 2020 also marks my last as editor for the Hampton Chronicle. I have taken a new position as a managing editor for a group of community-oriented newspapers in eastern Nebraska.

One of the biggest challenges of beginning a new journalism job in a new community is starting from scratch. Sources, story ideas, recurring events (once those are things again) are all brand new.

As a journalist in a new community, it can be difficult curating a list of who to contact when and where to go for various matters but I can safely say I didn’t have that problem here.

From my very first issue of the Chronicle, way back in November of 2017, you were willing to pick up the phone for a last-second interview or provide me with a photo I didn’t have a chance to get.

As my knowledge of the community and the surrounding area grew, so did my connections with so many of you. Whether it was a text or email with a tip or simply just a “hello” at the grocery store, I always felt welcome and supported. Some of you even trusted me with leadership positions within the community.

That level of support led me to become more involved here than any community in which I’ve lived since moving away from home.

I always joke that as someone who is so typically shy by nature, I picked the wrong profession. Asking hard questions, volunteering and putting myself in various social settings is not something I’m inherently inclined to do but the acceptance of the community helped me find that getting involved is one of the most rewarding things I could’ve done here.

When I moved here right at the tail end of 2017, I really didn’t know much about Hampton other than this is where my new job would be. Now, as I say goodbye to as many to you as I possibly can, I realize that it has become a second home to me. That’s a feeling that can only be made by the people who make up the community and Franklin County has an abundance of those individuals.

I’ll miss working for and working with you all and can’t express how grateful I am for the kind words and the willingness to accept me into your community both professionally and personally.

Thank you, as always, for reading.