This issue of the Monroe Monitor is the last of the year, and the last of an era.
The paper is returning to the management of Pacific Publishing, which is consolidating personnel, and which has laid off long-time Monroe Monitor employee Kathie Savelesky. This is her last issue, as well.
That is a serious loss to this paper and this community.
Kathie has been the kind of team member that is worth far more than anyone could pay her. She came to us after years of working at the Sultan School District, and she took to newspaper work with a passion. From the day she came on board, she was a staunch and committed team member. She did things like volunteer to hand out newspapers at the Sultan Shindig and Gold Dust Days, because she loved the paper and was proud of it.
She also was heroic at screening my calls. Newspaper editors get some phone calls they'd rather not, such as calls from people accusing us of one kind of political bias or the other, people furious that they were named when charged with a crime or parents irate that their child's achievements didn't receive sufficient notice in the paper. Kathie intercepted those calls and quite often got them sorted out before they got to me.
Eventually she tried her hand at writing a guest editorial, and it was so good I encouraged her to write often. Her column "From the Front DeskGÇ¥ was a frequent feature of the paper thereafter.
As the economy struggled in the wake of the financial crises of 2008, our staff dwindled. Kathie took on more work without complaint. She also served as a liaison between the community and the paper, running the newspaper's Facebook page and engaging with people on the website, as well as finding stories and sources.
When I left the post of editor of the paper in August to return to the University of Washington to pursue a Ph.D. in communication, I expected to be replaced. I wasn't; the company simply never hired another editor. Kathie and Chris carried on alone, Kathie serving as editor on top of her managerial duties, and Chris writing a staggering amount of copy each week.
The two of them, along with ad salesman Scott Freshman, kept this 115-year-old legacy newspaper afloat. After next week, it will float with a new crew on deck. So I am glad that I decided to help out with this issue, as I'm on winter break.
One last time, the team of the three of us will produce this newspaper together.
Then Chris will carry on with the new management team, I'll head back to school, and Kathie says she may take a nice long road trip.
I will miss my teammates, but I know we will all be lifelong friends.
See Kathie's last "From the Front Desk" at http://www.monroemonitor.com/2014/12/30/front-desk-new-year-new-life/
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