It’s been a busy news week in Harvard. After a festive holiday season the town seems to be waking from a postprandial nap. The Press returned from its annual holiday hiatus to a full inbox and a glut of breaking news.
As we look ahead to the next six months, our work is clear. Budget season is just getting underway, and town departments and boards began lining up this week to present their fiscal 2020 spending and capital requests to the Finance Committee. Needs and wants are sure to exceed the dollars available from taxpayers, and some hard decisions lie ahead. Construction continues on the new elementary school, and new town center sidewalks and parking will bring change to our Common. And breaking news events, such as last week’s environmental protest on Depot Road, are never more than a tweet away.
These are just a few of the “hard” news items we’ll be following. They are the so-called broccoli of local journalism: Reading them is good for our small democracy by encouraging better oversight and decision making. But, of course, beyond Town Hall lies a community, alive with the people and events that give Harvard its unique character: our unsung heroes, the school plays, art and music events, the races, festivals and lectures, and the myriad community organizations from Scouts and the many town sports booster associations, to the League of Women Voters—to name just a few.
We’re a hyperlocal paper, and covering our government and community will be our primary job at the Press in the coming year. We welcome your suggestions. What have we overlooked? What can we do better? Send your suggestions to editor@harvardpress.net.
