Carmen Vaughan holds up portrait photos of her daughters, taken when they were young girls, at the park where they used to play in Long Creek.

Newspapers benefit the communities we serve in a wide variety of ways. We provide accurate, in-depth reporting on issues of community interest. We foster a sense of identity by writing about local people and events. We help local residents celebrate our common achievements and mourn our common losses.

All of those are important functions of a local newspaper. But nothing quite says “community benefit” like cold, hard cash, amiright?

That’s why I want to take the time to highlight some of my colleague Kim Kell’s work on the advertising side of the operation. Every October, Kim puts together a full page of advertising to promote a worthy cause. This year, Kim worked with local businesses and nonprofits on a page calling attention to the pressing social issue of domestic violence prevention. Twenty-four businesses and organizations stepped up to sponsor the page. Every year, the newspaper donates half the proceeds from the page to a local charity. This year’s recipient was Heart of Grant County, which received $1,215 to support its vital work. That’s just one more way the Blue Mountain Eagle makes a difference in the community.

Just in time for Veterans Day, this week’s edition will feature a story on the special friendship that developed between two local vets who share the same name, the same birthday and the same legacy of military service. We’ll also have stories on Painted Sky Center for the Arts acquiring its own building, cutbacks at the local DMV office and the Grant Union volleyball team’s postseason run, as well as a complete listing of upcoming Christmas bazaars around the county.

In case you missed it, last week’s paper featured a powerful story by Neil Nisperos on a convicted child molester who could be released from prison early because his conviction was based in part on a non-unanimous jury verdict — and the devastating impact that’s having on the family he victimized. We also had stories on a spooky house in Prairie City, a fundraiser for a young man with a rare heart condition, a recall campaign targeting John Day’s mayor, a traveling Halloween costume contest and more.           

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If you haven’t done so already, please take a moment to register your subscription for digital access to the Blue Mountain Eagle. Call 800-781-3214 to talk to one of our customer service staff, who will be happy to walk you through the process. It’s easy, takes just a few moments to get set up and allows you to take advantage of our e-edition, app and website delivery along with your print subscription.

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As always, if you have comments or questions about the Eagle, or want to pass along a story idea, send me an email at this address: editor@bmeagle.com.

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Finally, if you’d like to help support our independent local journalism, please consider subscribing to the newspaper. And if you’re already a subscriber, please accept our heartfelt thanks — we can’t do this work without you!

— Bennett Hall, Editor