Happy Anniversary … to the CV Weekly!

At the Kiwanis Club of Glendale (of which I’m a proud member) to acknowledge anniversaries of fellow club members every month we sing a snippet of the “Happy Anniversary” song from The Flintstones cartoon. (As an aside, we probably sing only a snippet because we don’t sound that good!)

Well, this month – in fact, today – CV Weekly celebrates being around for (gulp) 17 years.

Hard to believe but it was 17 years ago that the newspaper I used to work for (the Crescenta Valley Sun) was shuttered and I was left without a job – and our community was left without a newspaper! To me, that was unacceptable. 

So I went home and (as I’m sure many of you have heard before) I told Steve, “We need to start a newspaper.” He replied that we had enough money for a new kitchen or a newspaper – which was it going to be? (I still have the ugliest kitchen in La Crescenta!)

One of the most important decisions I had to make was what was going to be on our first cover.

Then the Station Fire happened. 

The Station Fire was the largest wildfire of the 2009 California wildfire season, which is why we’re so sensitive about fire danger up here in the foothills. I’ve been told that had we had wind, like Altadena did during the Eaton Fire, we could’ve been wiped out.

But I digress.

During the Station Fire my husband worked as a volunteer with the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station. He ended up taking the cover photo – a firefighter holding his helmet while a homeowner’s gazebo burned around him. It was a compelling photo that perfectly illustrated the enormity of the Station Fire.

I believe no one covers the Crescenta Valley and the surrounding areas better than the CV Weekly. It tickles me to hear that the paper is “everywhere” and that reporter Mary O’Keefe can be found everywhere.

It is true – Mary loves to tell a story – the messier the better! I consider myself very blessed to have her by my side.

Charly Shelton, like Mary, has been with CV Weekly since the beginning. He writes a lot of leisure and also covers news.

My office manager Rachelle is known by many. Rachelle is the CV Weekly’s first line of defense, answering the phone (and most questions) as they come in. She’s a wealth of information.

A newspaper survives on advertising. I consider my sales people top in their field and appreciate the hard work they put into every single issue.

Ditto with my layout guys! Steve and Matt make sure the paper looks sharp every week.

Finally, I’ve learned so much from our proofer Anne McNeill. Her eagle eyes spot inconsistencies I’ve never noticed.

Here’s to 17 years – and maybe 17 more…?