This is part of the series “By the way, NKY” by reporter Julia Fair. Here’s what’s going on in Northern Kentucky.
So I have some news.
Friday is my last day at the Cincinnati Enquirer. I’m moving home to Cleveland, Ohio.
Do not worry. The Enquirer’s coverage of Northern Kentucky will not stop. You are hiring for my replacement and details are online.
A little over two years ago, I finished a day at work in Virginia covering local government for The News Leader. My father called and told me about the Report For America program, which sends journalists to hidden areas.
“Just go to their website and see if there’s a job near Cleveland,” he said.
I grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland and have only been back a few weeks since graduating from high school. My father called because he knew I wanted to move closer to Ohio to be close to the family and my future husband.
“Okay, I’ll check it out, but don’t get too excited,” I told him.
Enter The Enquirer who was looking for a reporter for the Northern Kentucky Government Watchdogs. I would be four hours from Cleveland instead of seven.
I got the job (something I dreamed of in college) and made a life here. I lived in two apartments. Travel hundreds of miles across Kentucky. Talked to hundreds of people with dozens of perspectives. Got engaged.
Community members helped me cover this region of over 300,000 people. If we talked on the phone (whether it was a complaint or a story tip), you’ve probably heard me say, “We can’t have community journalism without the community.”
Without you, it would have been impossible for us to educate everyone about some of the most pressing issues in northern Kentucky.Thank you to everyone who called me with tips and donated money to support my work. Please continue to subscribe to Cincinnati.com to strengthen our coverage.
Together we brought up on a family judge charged with misconduct charges and eventually fired from a chemical company along the Ohio River, questionable maneuvers how a local prosecutor tried to oust his sex offender neighbor by telling the city to build a park nearby and much more.
But I’ve also written about community experts explaining why NASCAR would leave the city of Sparta would damage the local economy, like COVID-19 complaints closing restaurants, why Northern Kentucky’s largest city has concerns about the project Brent Spence Bridge had, why it is so difficult to fund this project, why a family cemetery had to be relocated for a road upgrade, and much more.
Can you say that I’m strolling back in time
Since you’ve read this far, I’ll tell you where I go next.
At the end of August I will start my new job in my hometown, where I can serve the community that has shaped me. I will join a team that supports Jewish interfaith families, including mine.
Thanks for everything, Northern Kentucky.
Julia is the Northern Kentucky government reporter for the Report For America program.
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