A few highlights from a year of Daily News
LANSING, Ill. (January 1, 2024) – It’s easy to take for granted the Daily News email. It’s not super flashy. It follows pretty much the same format each day. And it just quietly shows up in your inbox morning after morning. Many of you have told me it’s part of your morning routine.
But that daily list of headlines wouldn’t happen without hundreds of people who play a role in making sure that Lansing has a local newspaper.
This year 451 of our subscribers gave financially to help cover the costs of local news. Those supporters are behind every Daily News email we send out.
2023 numbers
Here’s a numerical overview of what they made possible in 2023:
- 528,903 Daily News and other emails delivered (That’s at least one email every day, sent to the thousands of people who subscribe to The Lansing Journal)
- 1,736 articles published, including:
- 1,126 articles written by local reporters (as opposed to news releases from various agencies)
- 53 Local Voices submitted by readers interested in a range of topics
- 62 Journal Journeys submitted by readers from a variety of locations
- More than 442,000 readers reached in all 50 states
- Relevant ad opportunities for 63 local businesses and organizations who prepared hundreds of timely and local messages
These numbers grow each year because so many of you partner with us to keep this newspaper going. Your investment pays our reporters, keeps our website live and accessible, and sends that Daily News email to thousands of subscribers.
Other 2023 highlights made possible by reader support
January: Local Flavor awards presented in January — to Lynnie Que’s, Taqueria La Soga, and Dixie Kitchen — provided a nice overview of the diverse cuisine available in our small town.
February: The Lansing Journal moderated the Candidate Forum at the Lansing Public Library, giving Lansing voters a detailed introduction to the four candidates running for three Village Board seats.
March: Funded by advertising and reader support, a 24-page print edition was mailed to every home in Lansing.- April: Lansing’s decade-long decline in voter turnout ended on Election Day, April 4, following a series of “Change the chart” articles, videos, and Facebook Live posts.
May: Local business Gayety’s Chocolates & Ice Cream was willing to try an experimental partnership that introduced the world to Journal Java Chip ice cream.- June: Thornton Township shenanigans continued, and The Lansing Journal shared the story of elected official Township Assessor Cassandra Elston being locked out of her office.
July: Business coverage included articles about Quik Scripts moving, QuikTrip opening, Greco and Greenway relocating, Golden Palace transforming, a horse at Schroeder Lauer, and graffiti on Ridge Road businesses. Paul Czapkowicz’s reporting helped make Business a consistently popular category of news.- August: Our neighbors in South Holland issued the first liquor license in their town’s history, and The Lansing Journal’s Kinise Jordan interviewed Mayor Don De Graff about it.
September: Lansing celebrated Autumn Fest, Fall Festival, and Hispanic Heritage Month Fiesta — and The Lansing Journal reported on them.- October: Carrie Steinweg’s article about Fr. Miloš Vesin included photos of the interior of St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church.
November: Inspired by the collaboration with Gayety’s, Kdulche Café entered into a new partnership with The Lansing Journal, and the Lansing Journal Latte became a signature beverage.- December: Josh Bootsma’s article about Lansing Christian School students mentoring Tri-State Village residents in technology was included in the New York Times list of Local Journalism Worth Reading.
One of the benefits of having a local newspaper is that these events — and thousands more — are documented and recorded. One of the benefits of having a paper supported by local readers is that the record of these events is freely accessible to all. None of our community’s stories are behind a paywall.
Thank you, 2023 supporters and sustainers
It takes a lot of people to provide local news every day. The list below includes people who invested in The Lansing Journal in 2023, so that our community has a free, accessible record of the news that happens here:
- Various readers, friends, and contributors who prefer to remain anonymous
- Ada Stovall
- Adam Anhalt
- Adam Barker
- Adrienne Winchester
- Agatha Hason
- Alexa Edwards
- American Legion Auxiliary
- American Legion Riders
- Anita Kowalisyn
- Anita Plebanski
- Ann DeBoer
- Ann Schenkel
- Anne Marie Stole
- Annette Kojich
- Antoinette DeLaurentis
- Arlo Kallemeyn
- Arlyn VanEk
- Arthur Czarobski
- Barb Dust
- Barb Schmittel
- Barbara Banek
- Barbara Lessner
- Barbara McKinney
- Barry Bergstrom
- Becky Wynsma
- Bernadette Ott
- Beth Henning-Polizzatto
- Betty Allen Green
- Betty Matlock
- Betty Smith
- Bev Jacobson
- Beverly Cable
- Beverly Schweitzer
- Beverly Wilhelm
- Bill Vree
- Bob Boer
- Bob Forner
- Bob Malkas
- Brenda A. Singleton
- Brian Hanigan
- Brian and Kathy Hardy
- Bruce Fredbloom
- Caleb Lyzenga
- Cam and Megan Harvey
- Camilla Joe
- Carl and Jan Vandermolen
- Carl Anderson
- Carla Bucci
- Carla Rispens
- Carmella Czachorski
- Carol Jabaay
- Carol McFarland
- Carol Schaap
- Carol Taylor
- Cathy White
- Chanta Manson
- Char Zralka
- Charles Vesolowski III
- Chicago’s Finest Ironworks
- Chris Metzger
- Chris Zdanowski
- Christine Billstrand
- Chuck Murach
- Claude Baker Jr.
- Colonel II James N Pritzker Charitable
- Connie Jordan
- Connie Simon
- Cornelius Van Milligen
- Cynthia Krusza
- Cynthia Leistra Cole
- Dan Bergan
- Dan Bootsma
- Dan and Maryann Centracchio
- Dan Stamper
- Dana Wood
- Daniel Sterling
- Darlene Kadar
- Dave and Deb DeJong
- Dave Meter
- Dave and Janice Schurman
- Dave Wilford
- David Brickman
- David and Gina Franklin
- David Larsen
- David Price
- Debbie Albrecht
- Debbie Boroviak
- Debbie DeNardo
- Debbie Terpstra
- Deborah Dennis
- Deborah Zadrozny
- Debra Glidden
- Debra Hanink
- Dehlia Mendoza
- Denise Cox
- Denise Kay Lehnerer
- Denise Maravilla
- Dennis Kranc
- Diane Costello
- Diane Lund
- Diane Robinette
- Dianna Smith
- Dolores Samples
- Dominique and Fabian Newman
- Don Dykstra
- Donald Haavind
- Donald Keen
- Donald Zylstra
- Donna Huizenga
- Donna Kantowicz
- Donna Marshall Attinello
- Doris Magnabosco
- Duane and Karla Kuipers
- Ed Follmar
- Ed Lugowski
- Ed Marco
- Edward Gonzalez
- Ellen Osterman
- Elly Clousing
- Elvis Slaughter
- Ernie Gonzalez
- Ernst Lamothe
- Evelyn Baldwin
- Fine Tune Auto
- Fran Duffy
- Frances Mabry
- Frank Fetters
- Frank Knittle
- Frank Trichak
- Freddie Simmons
- Frieda Smits
- G W Molenaar
- Gail Blom
- Geary Depue
- George Vincent
- Gerald DeYoung
- Gerald Haan
- Geraldine Giglio
- Gerhard Henning
- Gerrit Veenstra
- Gia Davis
- Glenn and Bekki Van Deursen
- Grace Westerhof
- Grant Oppenhuis
- Greg Gremba
- Gregory Ott
- Helen Bussema
- Helen and Ted Hnatusko
- Herman VanDerWoude
- Hollis Napoli
- Irene Sepiol
- Irma Lopez
- Irma Vela
- Jackie Harris
- Jacob Gourley
- Jacqueline Mosley
- James Adduci
- James Guadagno
- James Van Milligen
- Jan Degraaf
- Jan and Peter Hansen
- Jan and Rich Schaeffer
- Jane and Joe Addison
- Jane Bosma
- Jane and Greg Compeau
- Jane and Chuck Roseen
- Janice Newman
- Janita Talmadge
- Dr. and Mrs. Jasper Gulotta
- Jay and Chris Popp
- Jean Klacik
- Jean McCall
- Jean Qualls
- Jeanne and Larry Benson
- Jeannine Cusson
- Jeffery Trudgian
- Jennie Cottrill
- Jennifer Avenatti
- Jennifer Polley
- Jennifer Saia
- Jennifer Yos
- Jerome Ellis
- Jerome Kern
- Jill Laboy
- Jill Van Kuiken
- Jim and Judy Friesema
- Jim Janssen
- Jim and Suzanne Long
- Jim and Robbin Rehak
- Jim Sweeney
- Joan Kostner
- Joann and Jim Kijewski
- Joanne Pritchard
- Joe Stephan
- Joel and Mary Lou Nederhood
- John and Elizabeth Bush
- John Dortch
- John Hajduch
- John Kraft
- John Long
- John Schultz
- John Stole
- John Sutorius
- Joseph Bugajski
- Josh Bootsma
- Joshua Fabrizius
- Josie Whiting-Smith
- Joyce Dykstra
- Joyce Mulder
- Joyce Scherer
- Joyce Seyforth
- Judith Koch
- Judy Lohr-Safcik
- Judy Vajda
- Julie Hiskes
- Julie Poppe
- Karen Adams
- Karen Moran
- Karen Rentfro
- Karen Vrdolyak
- Kathleen Adduci
- Kathleen Clausing
- Kathleen Maanum
- Kathleen Sufak
- Kathy Clausing
- Kelsee Stallinga
- Ken and Becky Jongsma
- Ken Varnes
- Kenya Wafford
- Kerry Czarobski
- Kerry Moore
- Kevin Kremer
- Kingdombread International Church
- Kirstin Stellfox
- Kristin Russell
- Kyle Johnson
- Larry Conley
- Laureen Zube
- Laurel Clausing
- Lauren Jahn
- Laurene Lemanski
- Len Cox
- Leo Valencia
- Leticia McCollum
- Libby Pasztor
- Lilia Del Real
- Linda Kojich
- Linda Koselke
- Linda Todd
- Linda Verkaik
- Lindsey and Saad Abbasy
- Lisa Doorn
- Lisa Korajczyk
- Living Word Church
- Liz Avila
- Lorna Witvoet
- Lorraine Przybyl
- LouAnn Dommer
- Luci Lugowski
- Luvenia Boles
- Lynda Mendoza
- Lynn Potter
- Marc Lehnerer
- Margaret Evans
- Margaret Fosdal
- Margaret Housinger
- Margaret Kuzmar
- Margie Guadagno
- Marguerite Arndt
- Marie Limback
- Marilou Ooms
- Marilyn McDonald
- Marjorie Holme
- Mark Fosdal
- Mark Hornung
- Mark and Missy Krygsheld
- Marlene Biesboer
- Marlene Cook
- Marsha Bultema
- Marsha McCrory
- Martes Benne
- Martha Montiel
- Martina Eidsmoe
- Marvin Lyzenga
- Mary Ann Pozen
- Mary Bell
- Mary Beth Palka
- Mary Gavin Teyro
- Mary J. Whalen
- Mary Wegrzyn
- Maureen Grady-Perovich
- Melanie Jongsma
- Michael Adams-El
- Michael Anderson
- Michael Clark
- Michelle Smith
- Mike Ridder
- Mike Skrbina
- Mitchell Wood
- Moira Peterson
- Morris Lewis
- Nadine Mack
- Nancy Boukal
- Nancy Caddick
- Nancy Wojcik
- Neil Johnson
- Nicholas A Maloni
- Nicole Kleidon
- Noel Zupancic
- Nora and Dennis Stanczak
- Norm Vugteveen
- Pam Edrington
- Pamela Lancy
- Pat Frederickson
- Patricia Deckinga
- Patricia Kremer
- Patricia Yos
- Patrick Baker
- Patti Heavens
- Patty Grigutis
- Paul Orich
- Paul Robertz
- Paul Schultz
- Penelope Rellis
- Pete and Shirley Schurman
- Philip Tubbs
- Phyllis Gritters
- Phyllis Warsen
- Ralph Hoekstra
- Ralph Majak
- Rany Lang
- Raymond Sutorius
- Raymond Wigent Jr.
- Reba Spilis
- Rebecca Furlong
- Rich Dust
- Richard Smits
- Richard Sufak
- Rita Van Drunen
- Robert Douma
- Robert Knight
- Robert Mueller
- Robert Parrent
- Robert Sharer
- Robert Shimala
- Robert Wood
- Roberta Schopp-Coe
- Roberto Mendoza
- Ron Celmer
- Ron Wolford
- Ronald I White
- Ronald Smith
- Rosalie Prystalski
- Rose Rivas
- Roseann Dykstra
- Rosemarie Polgar
- Roy Janich
- Ruby Bailey
- Ruth Cook
- Sandra Wagner
- Sandy and Rob DeVries
- Sandy Schultz
- Sandy Vree
- Schultz Insurance Agency
- Scott Sands
- Scott Wagner
- Shannon Krzeminski
- Shari Lenard
- Sharon Giles
- Shirley Rucker
- Sons of the American Legion, Squadron 697
- Sophie Gaylor
- Srbislav Stancov
- Stacey Hastings
- Stafford Garbutt
- Stefanie DeYoung
- Stella Torres
- Stephanie Jansma
- Steve Kasper
- Steven Armagast
- Steven Mares
- Sue Ekkebus
- Susan Aylmer
- Susan Bovino
- Susan Planer
- Suzanne Jonkman
- Teresa Alexander
- Terri Medendorp
- Terri Schaaf
- Terri and Tom Stallinga
- Terry Dombrowski
- Terry Kapteyn
- Theodore Jaeger
- Theresa Bresnahan
- Thomas Edgewater
- Thomas Golden
- Thomas Hampton
- Thomas Hedges
- Thomas Knetl
- Tim Vermeer
- Tina Arteaga
- Tina Funchion
- Todd Simon
- Tom Lockton
- Tom and Krista McSwiggan
- Tom Panichi
- Tom Shepherd
- Tracy Brown
- Tricia Deblock
- Valerie McDaniels
- VFW Post 7660
- Vicki Evers
- Victoria Szewczyk
- Vinell Jones
- Virginia Ulaszek
- Waters Edge Aquascaping
- Wayne Babiak
- Wayne and Kay Lane
- Wendy Van Der Aa
- Wes and Joy Blocker
- Wilhelmina Straatman
- William Motluck
- Wynter Johnson
- Yolanda Rogers
Thanks to these people, and our local advertisers, and a couple of grants, The Lansing Journal had a busy 2023. We look forward to continued community coverage in 2024.
