As the calendar turns, there’s a natural temptation to rush forward—to close the book on 2025 as quickly as possible and greet 2026 with a fresh page and high hopes.
That instinct is understandable. This past year asked a lot of us.
In big ways and small ones, 2025 tested our patience, our resilience and, at times, our sense of optimism.
Many families felt the squeeze of rising costs. Local businesses continued to navigate uncertainty.
Community debates grew louder, and it sometimes felt easier to retreat into corners than to lean into conversation.
Even celebrations carried an undercurrent of fatigue, as people balanced gratitude with the weight of ongoing challenges.
But putting 2025 behind us doesn’t mean forgetting it.
A community doesn’t move forward by erasing its recent past; it moves forward by learning from it.
This year reminded us of what happens when we show up for one another—at school fundraisers, food drives, candlelight vigils, town halls and neighborhood gatherings.
It also reminded us of where we still have work to do: listening better, disagreeing more respectfully and making sure no one feels invisible in the place they call home.
Looking ahead to 2026, there is reason for cautious optimism—not because everything will suddenly be easy, but because communities like ours have proven, again and again, that progress is built locally.
The coming year offers a chance to reset our tone. To replace some of the noise with dialogue. To invest not just in projects and policies, but in people. To support small businesses not out of obligation, but because they are the heartbeat of our local economy. To encourage young people who are finding their voices, and to honor longtime residents whose stories shaped the place we live today.
2026 will bring its own challenges. No year arrives without them.
But it also brings opportunity—to recommit to civic engagement, to volunteerism, to kindness that doesn’t make headlines but makes a difference.
As your community newspaper, we believe the new year is not about grand resolutions that fade by February.
It’s about steady intention. Paying attention. Telling the stories that matter. Holding space for accountability and celebration alike.
So let’s thank 2025 for the lessons it gave us—even the hard ones—and then gently set it down. Ahead is a year waiting to be shaped by the choices we make together.
Here’s to 2026: a year of forward motion, shared responsibility and renewed belief in the power of community.
