Built here, strong here

For 130 years, the News Letter Journal has worked side by side with local businesses, organizations and residents to serve Weston County. Through good times and difficult ones, this newspaper has existed for one reason: to report on what matters locally and to reflect the values, work and people who call this place home.

That mission has not changed, but the environment in which we carry it out has. 

Like newspapers across the country, we are facing rising production and supply costs, including increases in newsprint and printing expenses. As a result, readers will see an increase in paper prices in the near future — a decision we do not make lightly and one
we have delayed as long as possible.

Even so, strong communities still depend on two things that have always mattered: a free, independent local press and locally owned
businesses. When readers support their newspaper, advertisers support local journalism, and
businesses invest in their community, the entire county benefits. That relationship is not
incidental; it is
foundational.

With that in mind, we are launching a yearlong initiative for 2026: Weston County: Built Here. Strong Here. Beginning this month, the News Letter Journal will publish a monthly Signature Page that highlights the people, principles and work that form the backbone of Weston County. Over the course of the year, the series will focus on themes such as responsibility and leadership, agriculture, first responders, families, skilled trades, local communities, heritage, energy workers, veterans, faith, charity and service.

This series is about more than recognition. It is about standing together. 

Participating businesses will appear side by side each month, demonstrating unity and shared commitment at a time when clarity and confidence matter. It is a reminder that Weston County works because its people and institutions support one another.

We know times are tight, and we are deeply grateful to our readers, advertisers and supporters who continue to invest in local journalism. Your support allows us to keep attending meetings, asking questions, telling local stories and preserving a record of this community.

The News Letter Journal and the businesses that partner with it are part of the foundation this county stands on. Month by month, we hope this series reflects that strength — and with your continued support, we will keep doing the hard work of reporting on what matters most in Weston County.

To put your signature on January’s page, please email editor@newslj.com.