In 1976 a few of us got the idea to start a newspaper. We were young, new to the city, and in love with our neighborhood. It would be a volunteer effort, informative but fun, and fun to produce. We would cover local news, “…where the biggies leave off,” at the time the Star and the Tribune. And so, we did.
Forty-six years later, some of us are still here. More important, so is Hill & Lake Press.
As technology changed, so did the paper. What had been a group effort—spending a few nights per month sitting around a dining room table pasting typewritten articles into semi-straight columns and pressing waxy letters into hilarious (to us) headlines—became an increasingly solo activity. One person could lay out the paper on a computer and send it to the printer electronically. For the last two decades, that heroic person was Jean Deatrick.
Last February, when Jean decided it was time to pass the editorial baton, Craig Wilson agreed to take it on. With the backing of a newly formed board of directors, Craig has overseen the shoring up of the paper’s underpinnings while filling the pages with in depth articles and eye-pleasing graphics. The most recent issue included a glorious eight page tribute to the retirement of photographer Dorothy Childers, who, after 34 years at the paper, is joining Jean in retirement.
Craig and the board also decided to increase the circulation of the paper from 6,000 issues to 9,000. This included having the paper mailed directly to 8,000 residents—both single-family dwellings and apartments—so it is no longer tossed in the general direction of your front door or left to molder in foyers of apartment buildings.
The result is this paper you are holding. While it is free to you, it is not free to produce. We rely on ad revenue but also on the generosity of our readers.
So, in the spirit of the season, we hope you will consider making a gift of any size to Hill & Lake Press via check or credit card by following the instructions provided or visit us at www.hilllakepress.org. With your help, we will still be picking up “…where the biggies leave off” for another 46 years.
