A Fond Farewell
Goodbyes are never easy, or at least that’s what they say, and the goodbye I give this week holds true to that sentiment. This last year as HPR’s editor-in-chief has been both a privilege and an honor, and I relished every moment of it. Having said that, it is with great regret that I must announce that I am relinquishing my position as editor-in-chief to further my pursuit of journalism in the academic arena.
Rather than dwell on the negative side of this announcement, I offer a preemptive New Year toast to all that we accomplished this last year, both in the HPR and in the greater FM community.
We’ve shaken up the content this last year quite a bit. By now you’ve probably taken notice of our satire section, for one (my personal favorite). Former HPR copy editor Richard Schaan initially created this section, and has served it well for quite some time. We then added William Block to the satire roster, and between the two of them we are now more sarcastic than ever, which we thoroughly enjoy.
Andrew Haynie founded our new science section, giving us fantastic and intriguing updates on all things innovative and unusual. His attention to renewable energy technologies is particularly commendable. As I said in a past editorial, “We can either invest in a cleaner Earth, or we can invest everything we have in space colonization, because we’re standing on a sinking ship.” Thanks for fighting the good fight, Andrew.
Cindy Shawcross founded ¿Que Paso?, our dedicated space for Hispanic affairs and issues in our community. Thanks to Cindy for giving the Hispanic community a voice when it seemed like no one else would.
Thanks to all the writers who have stuck with us over the years, to those who have come and gone, and to those who are still with us. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge: Ed Raymond, Matt Beshear, Pamela Sund, Susie Ekberg, Lynn Gifford, Aaron Skjerseth, Alice Christianson, Deb Jenkins, Russell Quammen, Nikki Ness, Charlie Barber, Phaidra Yunker, Megan Eckman, Raul Gomez and Bryce Richardson.
And a special thanks to John and Raul for their guidance and support. It’s not every day that a publication puts such tremendous trust in a 23-year-old. And thanks to everyone else in the immediate HPR office crew. J Earl Miller, Tom Bixby, Liz Pearce, John Edmonds…we’ve had some damn good times.
We reached 15 years of existence this year—no small feat for an alternative weekly in this state. We increased FM circulation by 50 percent, and are still on the grow. We saw our publisher and graphic designer Raul Gomez’s works larger than life on the wall of the Plains Arts Museum, along with many other talented artists in our community.
We’ve taken on some intense and often controversial topics. We’ve covered human trafficking, gender identity, immigrations policy, socialism, religion and everything in between. We’ve challenged city government, and done our best to serve as the Fourth Estate. We’ve embraced local art and music, and done our best to make them thrive.
As a community we’ve accomplished all kinds of phenomenal feats. Naturally, the first that comes to mind is the flood. Only in Fargo-Moorhead could you find people who can look disaster in the eyes with a beer in hand and smiles on their faces.
We cleaned up downtown, and for several months it stayed that way. We look forward to a second annual downtown cleanup next spring.
There isn’t much our community can’t do, and for that we thank every person who makes Fargo-Moorhead what it is, and we thank all those who are working to make it even better. And finally, thanks to our readers. Your support and feedback are what make this paper truly great.
And on that note, I bid my final farewell as editor-in-chief. Again, it’s been an absolute delight and a pleasure. Stay classy, Fargo-Moorhead.
Happy January birthdays to the following people:
Meg Spielman-Peldo, Paul Johnson, Mitch Kadlec, Kitty Curfmann, Staci McClelland, Sarah Tijan, Sean Oihus, Jeanne Waffle, David Thordarson, Blake Severyn, Ben Evenson, Joyce Offutt, Dave Lampher, Nikki Olson, Dinah Goldenberg, Brent Janeicki, Sean Tronier, Joe Powers, Joy Hartje, Alfred Jason Lindell, Ed Griffin, Berrett Gall, Dan Weiler, Nicole Allmendinger, Tedi Jensen, Jan Webb, Kilee Kadrie-Weiler, Alicia Kline, Corey Blair, Marni Hill, Sherry Adams, Brady Bredell, Bob Strand, Kathy Thompson, Ed Schultz, Craig Thorfinnson, Tom Strand, Chad Bertsch, Mary Cutrufello, Kaia Kroke, Chris Lindgren, Abe Winter, John Peterson, Anne Krapu, Krista Sholy, Ben Evenson, Beth Garland, Leah Ellingson, Chad Bertsch, Shannon Pitzele, Sister Stella Olson, Linda Gunderson, Patrick Wilson, Ben Clayburgh, Tara Holt, Amber Noel Parsons, Raul Gomez.
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