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So long, Airdrie City View

As my last day at the Airdrie City View quickly approaches, I can’t help but think back to the first time I wrote a goodbye column. Almost four years ago, I was wrapping up a stint as summer intern here at the paper.

As my last day at the Airdrie City View quickly approaches, I can’t help but think back to the first time I wrote a goodbye column.

Almost four years ago, I was wrapping up a stint as summer intern here at the paper. A packed newsroom meant that each desk was occupied, and so I took up residency next to the fax machine.

I would make my calls for interviews on the machine for convenience’ sake. However, when sources would ask, “Is this a good number for me to call you back on?” I would have to answer, “Not this number. I am calling you on a fax machine.”

But in that first goodbye column, headed back to school, I wrote, “It’s been a pleasure and maybe I’ll see you in a year or two.”

That served as among the most prescient things I’ve written in this column space (nearly guaranteeing a Hillary Clinton victory over Donald Trump ranks lower near the bottom).

It was a real thrill to come back to write and edit for the City View for the second time. It’s an interesting and compelling time in the news business no matter if you’re focusing local or international, as I’m sure you’ll agree.

And though the entire world was transfixed on the American election, with that (mercifully) behind us, let’s not forget to reengage on local issues here in Airdrie. Over the next year, there will be no shortage of interesting and pivotal decisions made that will fundamentally shape the coming decades in the city.

Between downtown redevelopment, new plans for local healthcare and a municipal election all on the docket, Airdrie’s 2017 is shaping up to be incredibly engaging. Though I’ll be living in Calgary, like the nerd I am, I’ll be constantly checking the City View for updates.

As Facebook and Twitter take over as the primary news dissemination platforms of the modern age – with decidedly mixed results – I find myself more and more appreciative of small community newspapers.

The stories in a community like Airdrie are of no less value than those coming out of Toronto or Washington, and just because we have more access doesn’t mean we should be less engaged on local issues.

And you can be absolutely sure you won’t see a photo spread of local dogs dressed in holiday outfits anywhere else (don’t miss that important spread on page 30).

So long, Airdrie. It’s been a pleasure and maybe I’ll see you in a year or two.


Airdrie Today Staff

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