Appreciation for local news during Newspaper Week

Published 12:30 pm Thursday, October 9, 2025

Do you ever have something on your mind, then you find out it is relevant to something that is happening in your life?

The plight of our local papers has been on my mind and in my heart. I decided to look up when National Newspaper Week is, and it is this week, Oct. 5 – 11th.

More and more I am getting inundated with true news, fake news, woke news, anti-woke news and gaslighting. But the sources aren't reliable. I know that

For the most part, this news is coming at me uninvited. It distracts me and causes confusion. Who was I going to phone? Whose message was I going to answer?

I am appreciating my local paper more with each passing week.

I read my paper online while having my morning coffee. Sure, I do Wordle, Connections and Sudoku – spin-offs from the New York Times. 

I also get a hard-copy of The Interior News delivered to my mailbox. It’s kind of nice to sit at the kitchen table and flip through the ads before I go shopping.

I am finding out more and more how our community newspaper is accountable to us. I was horrified when I got content wrong in two different columns. There, in bold print the following weeks were corrections. 

Horror at my mistake was replaced by relief. I know that I am representing the community I live in. The people that I write about have a special place in it.

I have read articles done by AI and I think, wow, I wish I could write like that! I enjoy the amazing visions that AI can produce.

I tested AI by checking out a subject I know well. I learned that my daughter also wrote songs about the prairies.  A warning bell came up; she is a mountain girl.

For my column, my source is the person that I am writing about. They are a celebrity in my mind. I’ll cruise through Google and Wikipedia to get additional information.

I imagine it's a bit of a double-edged sword trying to keep a newspaper thriving with today's media. Subscriptions and newstand sales encourage advertisers. Ad revenue determines how many pages can be printed. 

People tell me that the paper is getting smaller, and I want to go on a subscription campaign. I got my son a subscription for his birthday in July, and he thinks of me every week. He misses me, too, if the paper isn’t in his mailbox. 

And he lives next door. How lovingly cost-effective is that!

Getting the paper online is fun.  All of the photos are in colour, and there are often additional stories that can’t get into the printed version. With the online version, I can read the paper while waiting for an appointment or sitting in my car. I can catch up on the stories behind the headlines I have been scanning.  

Our local celebrity, Cheryl Hofweber, will perform her original song, Small Town News, at the Round Lake Coffee House on Nov 1. Sharing the stage with her that night will be Laura Diaz and John Hartman.

It’s time to have a good laugh at life. The Bulkley Valley Concert Association is bringing us a night of laughter.  

Deck, starring Lucas Myers, is coming to the Della Herman Theatre on Oct. 14 at 7 pm.

Myers, a dynamic, veteran actor, writer, director, and producer, will be combining his signature theatre craftsmanship with carpentry as he builds a backyard-deck, on stage. A metaphor for life becomes ‘theatrical gold.” 

The ‘8×10’ deck will be auctioned after the show, and all proceeds will be donated to a local charity. 

Bring your lunch on Monday at noon on October 20th to the Healthy Living Centre for a presentation of Reflexology’s Path to Health. Presenter, Gina Eder, will guide us on how this non-invasive treatment can promote balance, reduce stress and support overall wellness by using reflex points on our ears, face, hands and feet.  

This is no charge; it is one of a series of sessions on connecting to a healthy lifestyle. The centre is on Main Street, across from the Salvation Army. 

Quote of the week:  “Go forward, not with fear but with curiousity.” Matthew Perry, 2022.

If you have tips or items for this community column, please email sonja.lester.b.c@gmail.com or phone 250-847-4414.