The Northside News is not like most other newspapers. We’re small. We publish on a bimonthly basis — just long enough for breaking news to either sail past us or become woefully out of date very quickly. The articles published are written by volunteers and community members for their neighbors and colleagues. In the Northside News, a story about PFAS contamination in local waterways can run side-by-side with a photo of a beloved neighborhood cat in a homemade sweater (and it does, on pages 14 and 15).

The Northside News is a vehicle for neighborhood voices. It was created nearly 25 years ago by the Northside Planning Council as a way to keep residents connected and to support local organizing. This issue in particular highlights those voices and the strength of connected and organized communities. 

Writers tackled topics that are affecting their families and their neighborhoods. The North Star Awards celebrate and honor the work of building community that so often goes unrecognized. 

Our loose theme of health and wellness for the new year quickly unraveled into a thread that weaves through many of the articles, whether dealing with personal wellbeing or the reimagining of a healthy community. And within the work of imagining that community, like in conversations about what comes next for the former Oscar Mayer Property, or the design of a King Protea flower bursting through rubble, are the first steps toward building it. 

We are working on increasing our capacity to cover topics that would otherwise be overlooked or undercovered, and always welcome article ideas and submissions. 

Your support makes this newspaper possible. The Northside News is distributed to homes across the Northside for free every other month. Yes, please do consider sending us a volunteer subscription (forms located conveniently to the right of this column), if you are able. 

But better yet — send us a story.