Woodbury: Former state legislators plan to launch online news site

Two former state legislators from Woodbury are launching an online news site to fill what they say is a gap in news coverage in the east-metro suburb since the closure of the Bulletin in 2020.

Former Minnesota state senators Susan Kent and Kathy Saltzman are modeling the news site – as of yet unnamed – after a similar site in Eden Prairie called EPlocalnews.org.

“We looked at it and we thought, ‘Why can’t we do that here?’” Saltzman said. “We have really felt the impact of having lost our local paper. The Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune can’t be here every day covering everything. What is missing is the ‘hyper-local’ perspective.”

The Woodbury Bulletin was published weekly starting in 1987. In 2019, it merged with the South Washington County Bulletin to become the Bulletin. The Bulletin ceased publication in May 2020 after the newspaper’s print advertising revenue was decimated by the COVID-19 crisis.

Lack of information is impacting the ability of the community “to be more connected as a whole and informed about the most important issues and opportunities within our city,” she said.

Mayor Anne Burt, who is volunteering with the effort, said she is excited about the endeavor. It is expected to launch this fall.

“I have missed our community newspaper,” she said. “Local news stories connect a community. I’m looking forward to once again following stories about our youth, sports, events, obituaries, interesting people.”

Saltzman and Kent are in the process of recruiting other volunteers to join the effort. A larger group of volunteers meets twice a month; there also are four working groups covering governance/operations, development, editorial and technology, Saltzman said. They plan to apply for nonprofit status in the coming months.

For more information, contact WoodburyNewsProject@gmail.com.

Related Articles

• Business | Stillwater says it shut down a city well more than a year ago after detecting PFAS contamination

• Business | Washington County, probation officers reach tentative contract agreement over Juneteenth holiday

• Business | Anytime Fitness parent company Self Esteem Brands announces global merger with Orangetheory

• Business | WWII veteran, retired Ramsey County deputy dies weeks after 100th birthday

• Business | Hudson police investigate St. Croix River accidental drowning death