Over the holiday weekend, my family and I took a little trip to the Book Mill in Montague, Massachusetts. It’s a wonderful place to spend an afternoon, and while browsing the shelves, we came across a copy of The Montague Reporter.

The Montague Reporter is proof that small, independent newspapers still have an important place in our communities. Founded in 2002, the nonprofit weekly serves several Western Massachusetts towns with local news, arts, and features, helping keep residents informed and connected to the places they call home.

Looking through this small paper made me think about our own publication, The Shirley Local.

While we are not a nonprofit newspaper, there are certainly days when it feels as though we are functioning as one! We are incredibly grateful to all of you who continue to support us, advertise with us, purchase the paper, and participate in what we are trying to build here in Shirley.

My father has consistently said we should charge $2 instead of $3 for a single copy purchased at our office. I have completely disagreed with him. But after seeing The Montague Reporter, I thought, sure, let’s reconsider it. Why not? So, our team will discuss it, and we’ll let you know what we decide.

I was also impressed by the classifieds and other community contributions throughout the paper. There were notes from community members, letters, and other pieces that gave people a chance to have their voices heard.

That reminded me that we should be doing more of that, too.

So, I would like to invite all of you to reach out to us with your thoughts, comments, ideas, and news about what is happening in your part of Shirley. Send us a letter. Tell us about something interesting happening in your neighborhood. Share an idea or an issue you think deserves attention. As we are able to process these submissions, we will publish them as space permits.

The volunteer team behind The Shirley Local is proof right here in our own community that a free press matters and that real, local community news not only still exists but can still be published in a format we can hold, read, share, and enjoy.

As always, thank you for reading, contributing to, and participating in The Shirley Local. This is your local paper, too.

— By Tamar Russell Brown, Publisher