This newsletter comes to you Saturday, Nov. 4, the same day the EO Media Group newspapers in Eastern Oregon published the first print edition of our regional paper.

We’ve talked some already about the regional teams we have developed for this publication, and this week we began publishing those stories on The Observer website and the websites of our related publications. You can read this work here.

But our original teams are not responsible for every story in our new effort.

Steve Forrester, president and CEO of EO Media Group, interviewed U.S. Rep Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario. While this was not a product of our regional teams, an in-depth interview with the representative for the Oregon 2nd Congressional District certainly has regional appeal and newsworthiness.

You’ll also see plenty of singular bylines throughout throughout this regional paper on the inside pages where we are showcasing news from our coverage area and the coverage areas of our sister papers in Eastern Oregon. That raises a question: Why should I care about what happens in Grant County, for example, or Pendleton?

None of us live in a vacuum. A good idea or interesting concept in one part of Eastern Oregon could influence a project elsewhere. The city of Umatilla, for example, is touting the success of its first venture into putting on a musical festival, Rock the Locks. We have a lot more to unpack with that event, but maybe we should not be surprised to see other cities or even counties try this model.

We also think our readers wants to know about interesting people, events and stories even if it’s not in their backyard.

In the weeks and months ahead we’ll have a variety of regional stories, including on the race for state Senate District 29 and the latest developments on the Blue Mountains Forest Plan. Our teams are rather charged up for this kind of reporting, and we think you, our readers, are as well.

———

If you haven’t already, take a moment to register your subscription for digital access of The Observer. Call 800-781-3214 to talk to one of our customer service staff who will be happy to walk you through the process. It’s easy, takes just a few moments to get set up and allows you to take advantage of our e-edition, app and website delivery along with your print subscription.

———

As always, if you have comments or questions about The Observer: acutler@lagrandeobserver.com.

Finally, let me take this opportunity to once again thank The Observer’s subscribers: We simply would be unable to do this vital work without your support.

Andrew Cutler is the interim editor of The Observer.