By Charles Melton
Melton’s Musings
If you had told me back in 1993 that more than 30 years later I would be sitting in the Hutchinson Tribune office as the news editor, I would have laughed so hard that I might have had a heart attack. But here I sit writing my introductory column to the community after leaving Brookville, Kan., and telling anyone who would listen that I was never coming back.
I was the small-town kid with dreams bigger than the Kansas skies who wanted to make a name for himself and prove that his name belonged with the best of the best anywhere. Everywhere from Waco, Texas, to Bremerton, Wash., to Poulsbo, Wash., back to Bremerton, Wash., to Fort Irwin, Calif., to Phoenix, Ariz., to Fort Benning, Ga., to New Orleans, and finally to Washington, D.C., I did just that. From community newspapers to public affairs offices and finally to the Office of the Executive Secretariat for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, I made a name for myself. Now, I’m back close to where it all began.
Until the 2024 Presidential election, I planned on staying in the D.C area until I reached 30 years of federal civil service, then retiring and heading south to somewhere out in West Texas. But changes in administration often mean big changes in D.C., especially for Cabinet-level administrative offices like the Office of the Executive Secretariat. For me, that meant taking the second Deferred Retirement Program offer and officially retiring from federal civil service on Sept. 27 at the young age of 51.
After walking out of the Department of Agriculture’s headquarters building right across the street from the Washington Monument for the final time on April 11, I really didn’t have a clue as to what was next. Staying in the D.C. area was the initial plan, until it wasn’t. A part of me loved everything about D.C., including the relationships and reputation I’d built, and I just knew that someone was going to come through with an offer that would keep me in D.C., until they didn’t. Then came the email stating that I had officially retired from federal civil service, and everything changed, especially my mindset.
That’s why when I saw the ad for a position at the Hutchinson Tribune online, I decided to take a shot at returning to my community newspaper roots and go back to doing what I fell in love with during my high school days at Ell-Saline Junior-Senior High School under the tutelage of my high school journalism teacher, Linda Loder. I missed being part of a small town and telling the stories of all the great things that make places like Hutchinson great places to live. I even missed sitting through city council meetings that I thought would never end. Quite simply, I missed the real world after almost three years in the D.C. bubble.
Thankfully, Jackson, Joey and Lindsey all decided to make my wish come true as they offered me the news editor position at the Hutchinson Tribune, which I started Monday morning. I love the passion and vision they have for community newspapers as they perfectly align with mine, because the most enjoyable years of my professional career have been spent on community newspaper staffs. The 17-plus years of federal civil service were just a detour that thankfully led me back to where my heart has always been.
It’s been less than a week since I returned to the real world, and I’m still adjusting to the slower pace, quiet and sense of community that comes from living in a small town. I’m loving it though. In the coming days, weeks, months and even years, I look forward to getting out and doing my part to make the Hutchinson Tribune among the best community newspapers anywhere. Community matters, and community newspapers play an important role in developing and maintaining a sense of community, especially in times like these. I’m thankful for the opportunity to be part of that.
If you have any story ideas or just want to share your thoughts on what makes Hutchinson great, don’t hesitate to email me at charles@hutchtribune.com or drop by the Tribune office on Main Street in downtown Hutchinson. I’d love to hear them and just chat for a while. Like Dorothy said in “The Wizard of Oz,” “There’s no place like home.” I’m home now. Thirty years and countless adventures later, but I’m home.
Charles Melton is the News Editor of The Hutchinson Tribune. He can be reached at charles@hutchtribune.com