From the Editor: Happy New Year, and thank you for supporting community journalism in Virginia Beach

BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE

PUNGO — I am humbled and grateful that our little newspaper made it through its first year providing southern Virginia Beach and Knotts Island, N.C., with all-original, all-local reporting, writing and photography. Without advertisers and readers like you, we could not have launched and we won’t survive.

Several advertisers took a chance on an unknown community paper. Thank you to Pungo Realty, Lago Mar Pizza, the Original Shopwise Meat Market, Picasso Salon and Spa, Flanagan Farm, Siebert Realty, and my friends and fellow journalists Chris Mele and Meg McGuire. 

Thank you to the businesses, institutions, and houses of worship that let us distribute.

I’m especially grateful to Allen Morse, Bob Voros and Cortney Doucette for their love and support. Janet Yarbrough Meyer and Veni Fields made important early editorial contributions to the paper, and Frank Meyer and Bobbie Jo Rodgers helped pay bills. 

Tony Clark and all at Tidewater Publications helped keep us looking good. Dr. Bill Ruehlmann and Allen Goldstein provided mentorship. Councilmember Barbara Henley and state Del. Barry Knight have shown patience and kindness. 

A number of community organizations have helped bring this paper along. The Senior Resource Center Inc., the Knotts Island Ruritan Club, the First Precinct Citizens Advisory Committee, Landstown Community Civic League, and the city Department of Agriculture have been especially kind.

Jeff Maisey of Veer Magazine and Brenda Andrews of The New Journal & Guide provide inspiration and courage by their example.

I’m also grateful for all in the English and Communication and Theatre Arts departments at Old Dominion University. I’m thankful for my students. They have put up with and inspired me. Thanks especially to Amy Poulter and Josh Whitener. I hope they will forgive me my use of first person. 

We return on Friday, Jan. 8.

Happy holidays. Happy New Year. See you soon.

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