Newspapers are a team sport. When you pick up your copy of The Local and read an article by Tom Beck or Len Lear, you’re not just reading those two writers. You’re actually getting the result of a collective effort, from the person who first came up with the idea or the source for that article to the person who sits at the end of the reporting process to fact-check and polish it.

And I’m happy to say that our newest team member will be doing just that. Veteran journalist Kristin Holmes, who had been working in the business side of our paper, has come over to editorial and joined our staff as a part-time Assistant Editor. She replaces Walt Maguire, who left The Local in late December.

Holmes, who has lived in Mt. Airy for more than 30 years, brings a steady hand and reliable judgment to the job. She has decades of experience covering education, courts, government, religion, and pop culture. 

Holmes grew up in West Oak Lane and graduated high school from the Philadelphia High School for Girls. She then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), before returning to Philadelphia for a masters degree in communications from Temple University. 

She took her first journalism job at The Philadelphia Inquirer, and during a long career there she covered stories in the city and its suburbs, working out of multiple news bureaus. While based at the newspaper’s Center City headquarters, Holmes wrote the publication’s first-ever blog, an irreverent take on the day’s pop culture news. Most recently, Holmes was a featured writer in The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Cities. She wrote a chapter about the gentrification of Philadelphia’s downtown neighborhoods and its effect on religious communities. 

The rest of our staff team remains the same. Reporter Tom Beck will continue breaking important news and keeping a spotlight on issues related to zoning and development. Features Editor Len Lear will keep finding, and writing about, the most interesting people in our community. And I will keep steering the ship.

As for our regular contributors, April Lisante will keep writing her delightful food column and Michael Caruso will keep us tuned into all things musical. Sports will still be covered by Tom Utescher, who takes such amazing pictures, and Patricia Cove will keep us up to speed on new trends in home design. Hugh Gilmore will keep giving us his distinct thoughts on books and reading. 

But we don’t want to stop there. We are looking for new writers - people who live in this community and love it, and are willing to share what they know with their neighbors. I think a community newspaper like this works best when its news pages truly reflect the full range and scope of the people who live in it. That means contributions from a wide range of people who feel they have a stake in their community, and something to contribute. So if that’s you, give us a call and let’s talk!

As always, we’re interested in hearing your thoughts and opinions about how we’re doing, and what we should be writing about. You are also welcome to stop by and see us (as long as you’re vaccinated or are wearing a mask). If you prefer the phone, call 215-248-8802. And if email is better, use carla@chestnuthilllocal.com. We’d love to hear from you.