Welcome to 2026! A new year is upon us, and with each new year comes the tradition of making resolutions and setting goals, both personal and professional, for the next 365 days. Even if we fail to keep all our resolutions or achieve all our goals, the most important thing is that we did our best under the circumstances to become better people in the effort.
We at The Hutchinson Tribune have our own list of resolutions and goals that we hope to be able to look back at on Dec. 31, 2026, and see that we have either achieved them or made significant progress in doing so.
Our No. 1 resolution is to become the No. 1 source of local news for Hutchinson and the rest of the cities in our readership area. We’re the new kid on the block, but that doesn’t mean we can’t become that by the end of this year. Our ownership group has a plan and proven track record of success in making that happen in other communities like Newton. We expect that to happen in Hutchinson as well. Our goal is to be the only newspaper in town by the end of the year.
Our second resolution is for our entire staff to develop solid relationships with not just community leaders but others who make Hutchinson such a great place to live and work. We expect our staff from News Editor Charles Melton to Assistant News Editor Adam Stewart to our great young reporters Brendan Ulmer and Charissa Graves to beat the streets and really get to know Hutchinson intimately every day. Emails and phone calls are great, but they pale in comparison to the relationships that are built face-to-face. If our staff isn’t in the office, we’ll be sure to have a phone number you can call to reach one of our staff so they can help you out.
Our third resolution is to enhance our coverage of local schools, community organizations, and small businesses that are the heartbeat of Hutchinson, because without them, Hutchinson would be a town that lacks any character and charm. As you’ve read in the past couple of issues of The Tribune, our local schools have some outstanding students and teachers who are doing incredible things. We hope to highlight those and tell those stories. Civic organizations like Soroptimist actively work in the community, providing opportunities for students to make their dreams come true and helping non-profit organizations serve those less fortunate in our community. Oftentimes, those efforts go unnoticed and don’t receive the level of recognition they deserve. We aim to change that. The small business community from Carrie’s Beer Garden to Bubba’s Burgers to the Firehouse Cafe and a litany of others provides unique dining and shopping opportunities for local residents and visitors alike. Their stories are ones that you will see in our printed pages, in our daily newsletter, and on our website throughout this year.
Our fourth resolution is to serve as the community’s government watchdog by providing fair and accurate coverage of local government. Our staff won’t just be attending meetings; it will take a deep dive into the issues facing our community and lay out all the facts of a particular issue. The City of Hutchinson’s proposed sales tax increase that will be on the ballot in March, and the impacts of the new flood insurance map that will impact all of Reno County, are two issues that immediately come to mind. We have no doubts that there will be others this year, and rest assured that we will do our best to provide you, our readers, the most complete and comprehensive coverage possible on those issues. Trust that we will also hold all governing bodies accountable in our reporting because that’s one of the foundational pillars of solid journalism that has stood the test of time. In doing so, our hope is that we will continue to maintain cordial relationships with all public officials, even during those times when our relationship with them seems adversarial.
Finally, in 2026, we want you to get to know us as more than bylines on our pages, on our webpage, and in our newsletter. At the end of this month, we’re going to be hosting two open houses, so keep an eye out for the details on those. Those are just the first steps towards that goal. Hopefully, by March, we’ll be hosting regular opportunities for you to come and just share story ideas and your thoughts and comments on how we’re doing overall. News Editor Charles Melton has something in the works for you to meet with him once a month, and he’ll be making an announcement with the details on that in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.
In closing, thank you for your support of The Tribune as it started getting off the ground in 2025. We hope you’ll stick with us as we take off and soar over the next 365 days. Hopefully, on Jan. 1, 2027, we’re reviewing this editorial and able to say that we achieved all our resolutions and met all of our goals.
The Hutchinson Tribune Editorial Board