Hanging up my hat

Managing Editor’s Note: When the Left Hand Valley Courier partnered with a Kansas newspaper almost four years ago to take the newspaper from a monthly to a weekly publication, we had the great good fortune to work with Jesse Murphy, who helped guide us in that process and eventually became our editor. Although he lived in Kansas, Jesse brought a valuable perspective and years of journalistic excellence to the Courier. He mentored writers, traveled to Colorado to get to know the community, and wrote many outstanding articles for us. When our partnership with the Kansas paper ended almost two years ago, we were fortunate to keep two outstanding people from Kansas with us - Jesse Murphy and Advertising Director Kathy Lafferty. We could not have made the transition to publishing a weekly newspaper on our own without them. We share Jesse’s sentiments below and will miss him, though we hope to have him continue to write for us from time to time. Jocelyn Rowley, who was mentored by and recommended by Jesse, has taken over his position as editor of the Courier. Jocelyn began writing local sports for the Courier, quickly moved into general reporting, and is the new editor of the Courier. We are confident that she will maintain the high standards our readers have come to expect for coverage of local news you will not find anywhere else. We wish Jesse well, and greatly appreciate his years of service to the Courier.

With a very heavy heart, I stepped down as editor of the Left Hand Valley Courier last week to pursue other ventures.

This comes after a decade of living and breathing local community news. It’s in my blood and this really is hard to walk away from.

I’ve covered countless small towns and cities in three different states, had the opportunity to meet and work with many great people in the process. A lot are still close friends and always will be.

From a tennis match to spending hours on hold trying to figure out why a website doesn’t work, to driving a forklift to load reams of paper, I think I’ve done just about everything in this business.

I want to say that the Niwot and Gunbarrel communities have been some of the best I’ve ever gotten to know.

You have all been very helpful in letting me get to know the area and the people that make things happen.

You are blessed to have a great, involved community. I encourage you to continue that spirit.

I would also suggest that you keep a close eye on your county commission and what the City of Boulder is up to. I have confidence that the Courier will continue to keep you informed.

Thank you for reading and thank you for the support. I may still write some articles from time to time, and I won’t be a stranger.

It’s been nice to get to know the great people in Niwot and Gunbarrel. I truly appreciate the opportunity to be a part of such a great publication and a great staff. The Courier will always hold a special place in my heart.

Until next time … Take care and keep reading.