A group of South Berwick residents has launched an online newspaper to provide information and news about the town.
The South Berwick Reporter posted its first four stories on its own Facebook page this week, in advance of creating a website. The Reporter, being produced by volunteers, will cover South Berwick Planning Board, Town Council and School Board meetings in addition to other matters as resources allow.
Council and Planning Board meetings are being covered by Karen Eger, former town librarian; Zelda Kenney, former Foster’s Daily Democrat reporter; and Susie Burke, local musician and writer. School Board meetings will rotate for the time being.
Cartoonist John Klossner, whose work has appeared in the New Yorker and Wall Street Journal, among other publications, will provide a monthly cartoon.
Editing work is being done by Amy Miller and Nora Irvine, also former Foster’s news staff, as well as Patti Mitchem, who edited the Great Works Regional Land Trust newsletter for years. John Rudolph, longtime radio news producer, will also be on the editorial staff.
The first published stories reported on a new cell tower on Powder House Hill; potential water rationing in town this summer; an historic cemetery; local police standards certification; and Great Works Regional Land Trust’s effort to preserve a 70-acre parcel of land on the Salmon Falls River Estuary.
The South Berwick Reporter joins efforts across the country to provide news coverage in areas considered “news deserts.” As newspapers nationwide either close or are gobbled up by larger franchises, coverage in many areas, including South Berwick, has become essentially non-existent.
The South Berwick Reporter team hopes to expand its coverage as more staff and funding become available.
