JOIN US IN OUR FIGHT TO SAVE COMMUNITY JOURNALISM

Dear Readers,

Whew! There is a LOT going on in Montclair these days and the Local’s journalists are working furiously to keep you informed about it all. 

We told you about the internal investigation and two lawsuits against the now-suspended Township Manager. The order to reinstate a school principal and community reaction. The great run of the Montclair High School girls field hockey and soccer teams. The long and testy exchanges at a Montclair Council meeting packed with residents. The happy folks filling the seats at all those Montclair Film Festival showings and events. Adorable trick-or-treaters out on a warm Halloween night and joyous Diwali celebrations. The Montclair High School football team having to forfeit victories and a playoff chance because of an administrative mistake (and we’re still digging into what happened). We explained the school bond issue and profiled the school board candidates so you could make informed choices. And on Election Day, we kept reporting into the wee hours to give you up-to-date results. 

Those are just a few of the only-in-Montclair stories that you get when you read the Local. 

Now imagine if they all went away. 

It’s a pretty scary prospect. Yet it could happen if we don’t meet our fundraising goal by the end of this year.

Our goal is $500,000, about two-thirds of our annual budget. And frankly, we are behind where we should be by this time.

Our team is small but we punch above our weight. Journalists work long hours, weekends and evenings on your behalf. You’ll see them at the meetings, the festivals, the games and around town. 

I am proud to be the Local’s Editor-in-Chief because I believe that kind of journalism helps bind communities together. Montclair is a very special place, but without the kind of journalism we give you, Montclair could be vulnerable to the same corrosive factors that plague communities without local news organizations. 

Don’t just take my word for it. 

Northwestern University researchers have long studied the connection between local news organizations and healthy communities. Here’s what they concluded in this year’s report The State of Local News: 

Everyone in Montclair has a stake in the future of the Local. 

Please show your support by giving generously. So we can keep bringing you the news of this wonderful community we call home. You can detach and mail the coupon on the next page with your check, or make your gift online at montclairlocal.news/donations.

Thank you, 

Carla Baranauckas 

Editor-in-Chief
Montclair Local