Dear Readers of The Northern Light,
I first read The Northern Light 26 years ago, when I was a young reporter at The Bellingham Herald covering west Whatcom County – Point Roberts, Blaine, Birch Bay, Ferndale – and the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Indian Tribe. I read it every week and admired how deeply it covered community life in a way only a local weekly can.
This region has stayed with me. I still remember my first trip to Point Roberts, convinced I’d found heaven, and reporting on life at the border after 9/11, including the multiple-hour commutes for Point Roberts kids just to get to school. These are the kinds of stories that matter, and The Northern Light has always understood that.
I studied journalism at Western Washington University in the 1990s and never imagined I’d return to Blaine not once, but twice: first as a reporter, and now as the steward of this newspaper. I’m honored to be here.
Over the years, I’ve worked in new media, technology and business consulting, including at The Seattle Times and Accenture. I returned to community journalism last year by launching La Conner Community News because I believe deeply in the value of local news, especially now, when so many communities are losing their local newspapers.
I have enormous respect for what Pat Grubb and Louise Mugar built over almost four decades here. Their work matters, and it endures.
My commitment is simple: to honor that legacy and work with this community to keep The Northern Light strong – delivering local news for local people and supporting the businesses that make this region thrive.
I’m grateful to be here, and I look forward to the road ahead together.
- Kari Mar
