Editorial: Thank you for a great year

Although no presents were given, cake cut or vows renewed, an anniversary took place Saturday nonetheless. June 11 marked the one year anniversary of MorinvilleNews.com, an online daily news publication I started last summer when a local newspaper I was writing for decided to suspend publication.

Faced with the prospect of living in a town with only one local news source and voice, I decided to offer another news source to Morinville and area. But I decided to go a different route in delivering the news, delivering it daily and delivering it digitally. Starting with the slogan “Get the news while it’s still news,” MorinvilleNews.com launched, telling and showing Morinville and surrounding area what was going on – often within hours of it actually going on.

Over the past year we have covered controversy and even been accused of creating it. We’ve shown the highs and lows of a community on the brink of its next phase of life as it starts its second century of existence. We’ve co-organized an all-candidate’s forum, provided candidates with an opportunity to state their case and to answer residents’ questions during the campaign, and we have provided a medium where readers and residents could interact with one another on the stories of the day. In addition to reporting what is happening with Town Council, we recently began broadcasting those meetings live, as they happen, for those who want to be part of the process.

In total we have published just short of 900 stories in the last 365 days, stories covering Morinville and surrounding communities from all interests, angles and beats – sports, culture, politics, human interest – all the stories that make up a community.

But none of it would have been possible without our readers joining us for the ride or without our local businesses being willing to listen to an often-as-not crusty, middle-aged newsman in a fedora telling them an online news publication was exactly what Morinville and area needed.

Seven months ago, MorinvilleNews.com became a part of and partnered with Art of Conversation to bring focused local news to those Morinville residents who were not already taking advantage of what was being offered online. That publication and concept was a weekly news magazine focused solely on Morinville called Monday Morning News. But whether read on an iPhone, Blackberry, PC, laptop or counter top, our dedication has remained the same – providing local residents with local news in a timely and responsible manner.

It has often been said it takes a village to raise a child. I’d offer it takes a community to raise a community news publication. To that end, the residents of Morinville and surrounding area have raised this publication well over the first year of its existence.

You have kept us informed of the newsmakers and events we needed to cover and helped spread the word that Morinville had a new news source. For that MorinvilleNews.com and Monday Morning News are thankful.

We looked forward to entering our second year as Morinville enters its second century.

-Stephen Dafoe
Editor MorinvilleNews.com / Monday Morning News

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13 Comments

  1. My thanks go to you, Stephen. Though there are choices, yours is the only local news source I read, and I do so daily. I was quite taken aback that you are celebrating your first year – it feels as though you’ve been around much longer than that (and that’s a good thing). Your articles are consistently well-researched and well-written, and you take great pains to present both sides of any issue. You truly believe in reporting the news, not influencing or creating it.

    Though I am only dimly aware of the energy and motivation it must take to continue to provide Morinvillenews.com to local and surrounding residents, I truly hope that you find it rewarding enough to continue on for many more years to come!

  2. A job very well done. This is my first stop every morning.

    I will be here for the next year. I KNOW you will be too.

    Great job Stephen.

  3. love reading all about Morinville every morning online, thanks for keeping us updated about OUR Town Stephen it is a great newspaper thank you!

  4. Congratulations and thank you for the service you provide to Morinville.

  5. Congratulations and Happy Anniversary Stephen! Must say thank YOU for all your hard work and late hours, Great Job.
    Linda

  6. Thank You for a job well done. Your dedication is well recieved by

    all and valued by the Community.

  7. Congratulations on completing your first year in Morinville. You have been very supportive of youth basketball in the Morinville area and for that our 5 teams and 60 players thanks you.

    You and your paper have been a very positive place to both inform the people of Morinville of the Morinville Roadrunners success and help grow our association.

    Thanks again.

    Serge Froment

  8. Congrats on the first year annv., many more we hope.

    Thanks for not being one of those one sided media outlets. For those of us who bring a little controversy to the mix we thank you for you impartial reporting and professionalism.

  9. Wow…. It seems like only yesterday it started. A true need of our community is being delivered here and I look forward to reading many stories in the years to come!

    Great Work!

    Sheldon Fingler
    President Morinville & District Chamber of Commerce

  10. Congratulations Stephen on your 1st year anniversary. You have done such a great job promoting Morinville news and Business. Keep up the good job. Entheos Wellness Center.

  11. Congratulation, it is so nice to have a local paper again, keep up the good work, read you with my morning coffee. Thank you.

  12. Congratulations Stephen, I love that I can get Morinville News at my convenience. I look forward to ‘logging in’ for many years to come.

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