There were a lot of reasons for me to decide to start up a Community Newspaper. I like local news and the more local the better. The best news is those tidbits and stories we witness or hear first hand. The coffee shop, brewpub, back fence sort of news; you all get what I mean. We love it don’t we? It isn’t the big stories we seek anymore because those get beat into our heads. Those stories are 90 second sound bites and like they say in the news game ‘if it don’t bleed it don’t read”. That is not what we are about.
As a local boy and a big-time fan of Hillsboro, the more local a story is the better. At least as far as I am concerned. So reason #1 to get involved at this level and try to run a paper is to tell the local stories and bolster the community and the people of our city.
The #2 reason ties into #1. Humbly I must tell you it is my belief that our town has been unduly influenced by outside interests and that these interests are not in the best interest of the people of Hillsboro. Our story is a powerful one but when our voices and our community are drowned out by the din of an orchestra not played by us – well then we lose us! So that has to change. Websites like NextDoor and Facebook have proven that people live locally and want to communicate locally. If that resonates with you then please join us and bring your news and your stores to the Hillsboro Herald. We promise you we will do the best we can for you to tell it.
And lastly is reason #3. I grew up in one of the most crucial times of the Hillsboro experience; from the 1960s to the 1980s. A relatively small amount of growth happened in those years. But by 1985 things began to change and change rapidly. Up until that time and most of my life, Hillsboro had a guardian watching over it. Not a thing happened in this town or the surrounding areas that escaped the eyes of and the voice of the Hillsboro Argus. The Argus was not only the newspaper but it was the town. It was such a great paper run by such a great staff of editors and writers that awards piled up over the years. As citizens, we had it so good that we did not always really appreciate what we had, how good the paper really was. Only when the last issue was published in 2017 and the papers quit coming did we realize that.
The Hillsboro Argus had offices around downtown Hillsboro but stayed in his one for a long time before moving to their permanent home on 3rd Street near Washington where Sequoia Art Gallery is now. Photo Courtesy of the Earle McClain Collection.
The paper was published from 1894 to 2017 and for 90 of those years, the McKinney family ran it. The paper had several editors over the years but the McKinneys were always the heartbeat it seemed. Wikipedia has a great history on the Argus so please refer to their work which we support! Read More here
The Argus remained as a weekly publication until November 1, 1953, when it became a twice-weekly newspaper.[7] From 1917 to 1955 the paper was located on Main Street in Hillsboro between Second and Third streets. In 1955, it moved to a building it bought on Third Street between Main and Washington.[7] The Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association awarded the paper the award for best sports coverage in 1988.[9] In 1989, it was selected as the best non-daily newspaper in the United States for papers with a circulation in excess of 10,000 by the National Newspaper Association.[8]
The Argus’ former offices, in use from 1955 to 2014
In October 1999, the Argus was sold by the McKinney family to Advance Publications, Inc. after the family had held ownership interests in the paper since 1904 and had been sole owners since 1909.[8] Advance also owns the region’s daily newspaper, The Oregonian. Until 2012, the two papers’ operations were completely separate, and the papers competed for stories and advertising revenue, but in January 2012 The Oregonian took over the management of the Argus.[10]
We can never be the Hillsboro Argus, that is not possible. But we can work to emulate them and to channel the spirit of the work they did. If we achieve a little bit of that we accomplished our goal. Anything more is a bonus- local Gold!
Let me close by asking you who are reading this to consider getting involved. We can not tell the story of our town without more of you. From a retired school teacher to an airline mechanic to a Ph.D. working to develop the world’s fastest computer chip – all voices are needed and welcomed. Students too- we will be giving our youngest citizens a place to show what they think and feel- they are after all the future of our town.
Thank you! I guessed that may felt like me- so we started writing in November and we have passed 100 stories. I like to dig in on stories and I like to question things that can be better- at the same time I am the first to celebrate this place I have called home for 5 decades. It seems like yesterday really. So Thank you for the kind words and I hope you send in some news tips and story ideas too!
Yeah!!! A local paper/website . I am entertained by your articles. I am going to tell all my friends.
Albert –
Thank you! I guessed that may felt like me- so we started writing in November and we have passed 100 stories. I like to dig in on stories and I like to question things that can be better- at the same time I am the first to celebrate this place I have called home for 5 decades. It seems like yesterday really. So Thank you for the kind words and I hope you send in some news tips and story ideas too!
All the best;
Dirk