Residents streamed into The Kewanee Voice office all day Thursday for the nonprofit newsroom’s Local News Day open house — part of a national initiative celebrating local journalism and the communities it serves.
Visitors enjoyed coffee and donuts donated by Scooter’s Coffee in Kewanee while chatting with members of the nonprofit news outlet’s board of directors: T.D. Welch, Paula Kapacinskas, Jean Berlinski and Jesse Humphrey. Publisher Mike Berry, Managing Editor Susan DeVilder, Office Manager Janie Metscaviz and Editorial Assistant Diane Mikenas were also on hand to greet guests.
Staff Reporter Elizabeth Jamison, the newest member of The Voice team, helped attendees enter a prize drawing featuring a grill and accessories donated by Walmart, a barbecue meat bundle from Save‑A‑Lot, a gift basket donated by Scooter’s Coffee and Kiwanis Pancake Day tickets courtesy of the Kewanee Kiwanis Club.
Winners drawn and announced at 2 p.m. included Kim Reynolds, who took home the grill, accessories and meat bundle; Jim Vereecke, who won a $120 meat bundle; Mary Ebert, recipient of a donated gift basket from Scooter’s Coffee; and Vanessa Fite, Mary Jagers and Vikki Jenkins, who each received Kiwanis Pancake Day tickets.
Local News Day is a new national day of action dedicated to strengthening the bond between communities and the trusted local outlets that serve them. The Kewanee Voice joined newsrooms across the country in marking the occasion.
The initiative is led by a coalition of journalists, nonprofit leaders and media innovators — including Montana Free Press, the American Journalism Project and Press Forward — united by a mission to reconnect people with reliable local reporting, empower newsrooms to grow and ensure that local journalism thrives for generations to come.
