Community members celebrate launch of nonprofit news in South Snohomish County
Posted: June 30, 2023 372
Teresa Wippel, President and CEO of the new My Neighborhood News Network nonprofit, described how she started the news outlet more than a dozen years ago, its vital role in the community, and how going nonprofit will ensure its financial sustainability.Karen Crowley of the Snohomish County League of Women Voters spoke of the current precarious state of local news, and how essential it is to our communities and local governments.Comedian Kermet Apio warms up the room.Diana White, Edmonds resident, former Edmonds School Board member, and member of the Prairie Band of the Potawatomi Nation, opens the program with the land acknowledgement.Lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell and Edmonds College President Dr. Amit Singh pause for a photo.Attendees were asked to post their suggestions for the new community-owned news organization on Post-It notes.Marcella Diaz, Director of equity and engagement at The Vida Agency, pointed out the essential role of local news in promoting community engagement and inclusiveness.Mountlake Terrace City Councilmember Steve Woodard shares a moment with My Neighborhood News Network board member Wally Webster.Caitlin Plummer, a former My Edmonds News intern now working in Los Angeles, talks about the increasingly challenging path facing new journalists.Shanon Tysland, owner of Experience Momentum in Lynnwood, was the event emcee.My Neighborhood News Network Board Chair Carl Zapora talked about the new avenues of funding that will now be available for the new nonprofit.
Two hundred people gathered at the Lynnwood Event Center ballroom Thursday night to celebrate the launch of nonprofit community news in South Snohomish County through the My Neighborhood News Network family of publications — My Edmonds News, MLTnews and Lynnwood Today.
The organization is now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit registered through the Internal Revenue Service, and donations are fully tax-deductible.
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Congratulations and great Job, Teresa!