Have you been reading The Kewanee Voice? An upcoming event will give the public a chance to learn more about the local journalists and the people behind the scenes who are working to build and strengthen Kewanee’s online news publication.

The League of Women Voters of the Kewanee Area will host a meeting with speakers from The Kewanee Voice on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at Country Morning Coffee (across from the library). The program will start at 4:45 pm and is open to the public.

Towns from across the country have seen a decline in local news in their newspapers. The Kewanee Voice is filling that void. Local newspapers perform an important role in not only informing the public, but also in acting as a check-and-balance on government.

The event will provide a window into why filling the news void is important. The Kewanee Voice operates as a non-profit and has a board of directors, correspondents and columnists. The mission statement of the non-profit news site is to provide news and information to enrich the lives of the people in the Kewanee area. Committed to the community, The Kewanee Voice offers a voice for the people, promotes events, recognizes achievements and presents information in a fair and accurate manner. The news organization desires to be an independent, trusted source of local information and content that is useful and valuable to the readers they serve.

The speakers will be Managing Editor Susan DeVilder, Board Chair Sherry “TD” Welch, and Board Co-Chair Paula Kapacinskas. They will provide information on the founding of the paper and the needs for such a news source. They will also provide insight into how they are operated and funded, before opening the program up for audience questions.

Bios for the event’s speakers can be found online at wwww.kewaneevoice.com under the About Us-Our Team and Meet the Board sections.

Before the program from 4:15 to 4:45 pm, members of the LWV and the public may attend a social time and a short meeting including announcements and to plan for future meetings and activities.

Attendees are asked to bring ideas including speaker and topic ideas and the League welcomes suggestions from the public. Attendees wishing to order drinks or baked goods from Country Morning Coffee, are asked to arrive between 3:45 and 4 pm. Coffee bags to take home can be purchased until 4:15 pm., and the public is invited to attend one or both parts of the meeting.

Free bottles of water and sandwiches will be provided, but attendees may also bring in their own food and drinks for the meeting.

For more information about the League of Women Voters, contact President Carla Hillman at hillmanc@bhc.edu or (309) 854-2992.