Dear Reader, 

I spent Thanksgiving thinking of the things that are most important to me — my family, friends and community. Especially my community. 

Lewiston is my home. I was born and raised here and, along with my husband, chose to live and raise our family here. My daily commute is two and a half miles and just 10 minutes to the Sun Journal office at 64 Lisbon St. I thoroughly enjoy those 10 minutes each day as I drive down Ash Street into downtown. The view encompasses all Lewiston has to offer. 

The events that took place in Lewiston on Oct. 25 are devastating beyond measure. My heart aches for the victims and those who lost loved ones as well as the survivors who are forever changed. Our community is forever changed. It is not surprising to me how resilient the people of Lewiston — and all of Maine are — and I am in awe of the outpouring of love and support for the victims’ families and for the survivors. 

We publish the Sun Journal always with the hope to inform, challenge and reflect the communities we serve. We produce our journalism in service to our communities, knowing that informed communities are stronger communities and that informed conversations bring context to complex issues and help people make good decisions. 

Our transition to becoming the Maine Trust for Local News has brought renewed energy to our mission.  Staff Writer Steve Collins recently commented that if Reade Brower, the former owner of our newspapers, wasn’t a responsible steward and wasn’t so determined to sell the newspapers to the next generation of trusted stewards, we may not have had the resources — photographers, editors, reporters, page designers and digital journalists — to cover the immediate story of the October shootings and the incredible outpouring of community love, support and listening in the days and weeks that followed, and for the months and years yet to come. 

Our commitment to ensuring that local journalism remains a fundamental part of life in our communities is our priority, and that means covering news about the many people you care about, about the businesses that keep our communities viable, about the programs and services available in our communities to support the people who live and work here, and to publish information you can trust to make good decisions for yourself, your families, for your neighbors and for your greater community. 

I am thankful for your support of our work through your subscription. Our journalism remains strong because of the active choice you’ve made to financially support it. If you are inclined to do more, Sun Journal holiday gift subscriptions are now available and early bird pricing is good through tomorrow at sunjournal.com/gift. 

Thank you for being a subscriber and supporting local journalism. It makes what we do possible. 

Wishing you and yours a peaceful holiday season. 

Jody Jalbert, publisher

Sun Journal and Western Maine Weeklies

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