Henrietta Town Hall. Photo from Town of Henrietta Facebook Page
The closure of several long-time community newspapers following the merger of Gannett and Gateway, as well as the move by the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle to reduce local coverage, has created several news deserts in Monroe and Ontario Counties. The Sentinel, while modestly sized and firmly dedicated to reporting on its core communities, has agreed to accept the request of the New York Press Association to cover some of the towns and villages abandoned by the consolidation within the newspaper industry.
A year ago, the Village of Pittsford began using the Sentinel as its official newspaper. The Town of Pittsford, in reaction to reduced local coverage, named the Sentinel its official newspaper in 2016. Beginning with this issue, the Sentinel is proud to announce we will begin coverage of the Town of Henrietta. This includes the Rush-Henrietta School District.
“As the Internet has changed the way America gets its information, one of the victims of that change has been small town news stories,” says Stephen L. Schultz, Henrietta Town Supervisor. “But those stories are important to a community from multiple standpoints, including community pride, staying informed of local events, and helping support local businesses through feature articles in the local paper. The Town of Henrietta is excited to learn that the Sentinel is looking to restore that local newspaper one community at a time and that Henrietta is next on its list of towns for circulation. There are a lot of great stories that go untold in Town because there is no media outlet to tell them to and share them. We look forward to those Henrietta stories being told by the Sentinel.”
“Having a local paper will enable residents to be informed of the plethora of great businesses in Henrietta and promote job and commercial opportunities in the town as well as inform the community about town and school activities,” says Andy Whitmore, Treasurer of the Henrietta Chamber of Commerce. “The Henrietta Chamber of Commerce plays an important role in making Henrietta a Community of Excellence that supports its commercial entities, which in turn provide the tax base which enables the Henrietta community to have the lowest tax rate in the county while still maintaining an excellent school system and a town that provides abundant services.”
“This is very exciting,” says Brendan Tydings, Administrator at the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority. “We are very lucky to live and work in a community as vibrant as Henrietta. As Chamber President, getting the word out on all the Town has to offer is one of our biggest priorities. Having the Sentinel as a resource to help us communicate with residences, businesses and all community members is something that is much needed and that we are thrilled to have now in Henrietta. Over the past few years, I think we have been reminded of the importance of local community and we have a lot to be proud of here in Henrietta. I am excited to see the Sentinel showcase everything that is going on.”
The Sentinel is also very excited to formally begin its coverage of the Town of Henrietta. You can see an article on Tinker Nature Park on this page and Supervisor Schultz’ comments on the weekly Mayors and Supervisors report on page 9.
