I have some bad news.
Thursday is the last day you’ll see comics and the weather map in the Summit Daily News. I know many of our readers enjoy advice column Dear Abby and reading their daily horoscopes, but the decision is a financial one.
It will save the paper about $8,500 annually in subscription costs. That’s money we can spend here in Summit County.
Making the decision between spending the money on national subscriptions or here in our local newsroom was an easy one. The savings allowed us to give raises to our newsroom staff members and increase the starting salaries of our new employees.
Going forward, we’ll rely on the National Weather Service for forecasts — including highs, lows and the chance of precipitation — which will continue to be printed on the front page of the paper. In addition, readers will find the seasonal river and snow reports in the Reporter Notebook section of the paper.
Our puzzle fans need not worry: Crossword and sudoku still can be found on the second-to-last page of the paper.
Along with the changes in print come changes in our newsroom, with four journalists joining our team.
Welcoming new staff
Since I started as editor in late May, we’ve had lots of staff changes at the paper. Reporter Eli Pace was hired as the editor of the Sky-Hi News, our sister paper in Grand County; photographer Hugh Carey moved to the Denver area, where he’s working as a freelancer for The Associated Press and The Denver Post; assistant editor Susan Gilmore relocated to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where she’ll be closer to family; and copy editor Lexi Rodgers left to explore freelance opportunities, though she still helps us out from time to time.
All those job openings have created oportunities for young journalists to join our team here in Summit County. Here’s who’s starting in the coming weeks:
Taylor Sienkiewicz: reporter
Taylor is coming to us from Denver, where she worked for Peterson’s, an educational services company, and ran the podcast “You Have a Cool Job.” She also freelanced for 303 Magazine and interned at the Denver Business Journal. She’s originally from north of Sacramento, California. She moved to Denver about six years ago to attend University of Denver, where she earned her bachelor’s in journalism.
In her new role, Taylor will be covering business, real estate, the ski industry, and the town governments of Breckenridge and Silverthorne. Contact her at 970-668-4624 or tsienkiewicz@summitdaily.com.
Elizabeth Copan: photographer
Liz is relocating from Monument, where she ran her own freelancing business. She has worked for the Colorado Springs Gazette, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the royal family in the United Arab Emirates and the U.S. Olympic Training Center & Museum. She is originally from Northeast Ohio, where she earned her bachelor’s in fine arts from the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Contact her at 970-668-4630 or ecopan@summitdaily.com.
August Hunninghake: copy editor, page designer
Gus graduated in May from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s in journalism. While in school, he worked for the Daily Kansan, where he reported on a variety of topics and co-hosted a weekly podcast. He’s relocating from Colorado Springs to start his journalism career here in Summit County.
Contact him starting Monday, Aug. 19, at ahunninghake@summitdaily.com.
Steven Josephson: assistant editor
Steven is relocating from Detroit with his wife, Corey, and their 8-month-old daughter, Georgie. He currently works as a page designer and copy editor for Digital First Media. He holds degrees in graphic design, art and elementary education. Steven was born in Chicago and raised on the Front Range, so he is looking forward to returning to Colorado.
Contact him starting Sept. 3 at sjosephson@summitdaily.com.
If you have questions about changes at the paper, feel free to call me at 970-668-4618 or email nmiller@summitdaily.com.