Bringing a lifetime of local news home at last

One of my absolute favorite places in the world is the beach, and Cherry Grove is a personal favorite. I spent time there every single summer of my childhood. The rest of the time I was right here in Lexington where I grew up.

I love journalism as much as I love the beach. From the time I was three years old, I knew I wanted to be a newspaper reporter. And I have never once thought I might have made a mistake.

I graduated from Wake Forest in 1986 and three days later moved to Connecticut, where I spent 26 years being a reporter and then an editor. During my tenure, I was twice the first woman to cover the crime beat that was my forte. And I loved every minute of it - the stress, the deadlines, the crazy hours, all of it. And I have always been immensely grateful to every single person that allowed me to tell their story.

I have also always been a huge believer in local news. Larger papers, television stations, even radio stations can, and do, tell the regional, state, and national stories, But each town needs its own local news source.

Here in Lexington, Joe Sink at the Dispatch gave me my first byline when he agreed to take a call-in story from a 15-year-old kid when I attended a gallery opening of Bob Timberlake’s in New York City. I was hooked from day one, and I will forever be grateful to Joe for that chance.

I thought perhaps when my husband and I retired in 2011 and we moved south to be closer to my parents, who have always lived in Lexington, that I might have completed my career. I was wrong. I just spend 18 months working for the Salisbury Post, where I was editor. No sooner did I retire from that, I connected with Davidson Local publisher Antionette Kerr. I have watched the local online startup grow its name and reputation, and I realized I wanted more than anything to bring my career all the way home. I wanted to help give people in Davidson County a local, invested news source. So when Antionette offered me the post of managing editor, I jumped.

I know I am starting ahead because I am standing on the years of work Antionette and her founding partner, Kassaundra Lockhart, put in, and I hope they both know I recognize the value of their efforts. I am determined to build on what they have started, sharing my passion for local news and an informed community.

I look forward to this partnership with you, and am counting on you to reach out with story ideas, thoughts, questions, ideas, because this publication is about and for you. Together with the staff already in place, I believe Davidson Local is one of the best resources around. I hope you will help us continue that journey.

And if I have to wait a little longer to get back to the beach, it’s okay. It’s worth it.