By Kari Mar
La Conner Community News

A funny thing happened last week.

I asked a few simple questions about La Conner Community News — what we’re doing well, what we’re missing and what you’d like to see more of.

Then I poured myself a cup of coffee.

By the time I came back, people had started talking.

They told us to keep it local. They asked for more community events, more local businesses, more jobs, more public safety news and more ways to know what’s happening around town. One new resident wrote that the newspaper is helping them learn about their new community. Another simply wrote, “You are an inspiration!” (I may have blushed a little.)

One reader gave us a thoughtful critique, reminding us that La Conner is wonderfully diverse in age and interests and encouraging us to include even more stories for older residents. That’s exactly why we’re asking these questions. We don’t just want applause — we want perspective.

The early report card? An average rating of just over four out of five stars.

I’ll happily take that… and then ask how we get to five.

The best part wasn’t the numbers. It was a reminder that this newspaper belongs to all of us. Every suggestion makes us better. Every criticism helps us grow. Every story idea is another thread in the fabric of this community.

That spirit is what led to another piece of wonderful news this month: La Conner Community News has been named a finalist for the LION Publishers Sustainability Awards for Best New Business. It’s a national award recognizing innovative local news organizations across the country.

It’s an honor, but the recognition should go to you.

The paper exists because people subscribed before they knew whether we’d succeed. Because advertisers took a chance on us. Because donors believed local journalism was worth saving. Because readers tipped us off to stories, corrected us when we got something wrong, and stopped us to say, “Keep going.”

Awards don’t build newspapers. Communities do.

So if you haven’t filled out the survey yet, please do.

This newspaper is still young. That’s one of the joys of it. We haven’t calcified into “the way we’ve always done things.” We can still learn.

Thank you for reading.

Thank you for believing in local journalism.

And thank you for helping us write the next chapter — together.

Kari Mar is the editor and publisher of La Conner Community News.