A year to remember in the Mon Valley

2025 WAS A YEAR that we at the Mon Valley Independent will never forget. Since opening in May 2016, we have stayed true to our promise to bring our readers the news that matters most in their communities.

As we prepare to mark our 10th anniversary in the new year, we will continue to honor our promise to serve you, our loyal reader, as a fiercely independent government watchdog, a compelling storyteller, a conversation facilitator and a caring community partner.

Local newspapers are the lifeblood of a healthy and well-functioning democracy, because if trusted and well-trained reporters and their venerable editors are not watching, local government operates in the darkness. Information that affects our daily lives, then, comes in the form of completely vetted public relations material. That sounds like China, no place for an informed and engaged citizenry to thrive.

Real local journalism delivers news to its community, it doesn’t pander to anyone and certainly not to any source, be that any individual or organization. Just imagine if one of our reporters asked a council member to proofread a story before publication. We don’t and we wouldn’t.

We like to say that if we hear criticisms from readers on opposite sides of the same issue, then we’ve done a good job.

There’s a reason that community newspapers have survived for so long in this nation. They are a unifying force that promotes a sense of oneness and gives residents a way to communicate with one another.

They provide a daily common experience that brings together diverse people from throughout the region.

In many ways, 2025 was just a year like any other — filled with triumph and tragedy, victory and defeat, joy and loss.

We were happy to be here to chronicle it all for you, and we plan to do so for many years to come.

And if you find yourself returning an ugly Christmas sweater, consider using that money as a gift subscription, because a print or digital subscription is the best way for individuals to support local journalism and their hometown papers.