This one is hard.

I have put it off to the last possible minute and from the time I wrote the first sentence to the time of my typing this one, more than 30 minutes have elapsed. Writer’s block strikes all journalists, but this one isn’t as much of a block as it is accepting the finality of the words I type.

This is my final North News “Letter from the Editor.”

In January I will transition to my new role as managing editor of MinnPost. And while I’m truly excited about the move, making it was no easy decision. Being the editor-in-chief of North News has been an extreme honor.

During my tenure at North News we lived through some of the most pivotal events in world history. Hired during the height of COVID – amid a virtual lockdown – one would think that would have been the defining event of the past 18 months, but sadly not. Two weeks into the job I was faced with my first major decision – whether to cover an event that occurred outside the boundaries of North Minneapolis. It was the murder of George Floyd. I’m proud to say North News was a leader in coverage, informing our audience in real time of the events of the hour. Our reporting was shared throughout the nation, with outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post and others citing our work. David Pierini’s photos were some of the most powerful, haunting images captured during our time of turmoil and reckoning.

North News featured the works of peace activist KG Wilson and how he was trying to end the senseless violence in our community, and months later we were forced to cover Wilson’s own personal tragedy with the still unsolved killing of his 6-year-old granddaughter, Aniya Allen.

I remember the David Pierini came to my home to take this photo. I was, and remains, one of my most proud moments. Photo by David Pierini.

Again, I made the call to cover another police killing of an unarmed Black man just outside our geographic zone … this time the killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, killed by Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter. As the time of this writing, Potter is standing trial for the killing. Again, North News’ coverage stood at the forefront.

I continue to wrestle emotionally with the fact that it was that killing, along with Floyd’s, that led me to be interviewed by outlets such at MSNBC, The Independent and Vanity Fair. It actually offered my first introduction to MinnPost.

Of course, these past 18-months have seen plenty of joyous moments in North Minneapolis. We covered the tremendous growth occurring on the Northside. We highlighted several of our neighbors; some excelling in career, others scholastically. Some we recognized for their efforts to help their fellow human.

When I think of the back on all the stories we covered, one of my favorites was the June 25, 2021 story on youth flag football. More photo essay than tradition feature article, David beautifully captured the combination of unbridled joy and youthful exuberance. The photo of Jaylen Ruffin running with the biggest snaggletooth smile is the most heartwarming photo I’ve seen.

In looking back at my time at North News, the thing I’m most proud of is my work with the youth at North and Henry high schools. I can’t express how impressed I am with these talented, intelligent and caring teens. As readers, you get to see their works within our pages, but as an instructor and mentor, getting to know these students … getting to see them have meaningful interactions with them and seeing them grow as journalists and as people … that has been by far my greatest accomplishment. By far.

Thank you Adair Mosley, president and CEO of Pillsbury United Communities – the parent organization of North News – for entrusting me to tell our community’s stories. Thank you to David Pierini for making my job so much easier than it should have been. Thank you Thomas Toley for your wonderful design work and for your patience with my many late changes and extended deadlines.

Most important, thank you, the reader, for your continued support of me and this vitally important community resource. Moving forward, it will be your voice that helps determine the direction of North News. How do you envision the next evolution of the news source? Let us know. Contact Adair and Kenzie O’Keefe (former editor-in-chief, and who will lead the transition). Kenzie can be reached at kenzieo@pillsburyunited.org.

Only took me 12 hours to write these 741 words.