For more than 40 years, the River Reporter has been committed to providing the coverage that is most important to our readers and community: balanced local news and information.

Now more than ever, we hear that more public and open conversations are needed, even as they are extremely difficult.

What’s happening in the Upper Delaware?

Town by town, neighborhood by neighborhood, the Upper Delaware region is changing. New businesses and institutions, plus an influx of visitors, have brought new life to Main Streets, but they are also setting off conflicts, challenging local planning boards, and worrying community leaders about how to handle these new disconnections. The River Reporter has been doing in-depth reporting on these issues, speaking to all stakeholders, and we know our communities are struggling to find solutions and struggling to find forums in which to talk to one another—places for conversation that are inclusive, productive and solutions-oriented.

Whether the issue is gentrification, opportunities for youth, public access to services or healthcare, people are the force for change. In our years of covering this region, we have always found that people can and will organize to work together to best solve their local issues.

With decades of experience holding these types of conversations, and from a pair of prototype sessions we held in 2022—a session for the area’s youth held in partnership with the Tusten Youth Commission, and a session for people nearing retirement age in partnership with Growing Older Together—we’re bolstered by the power of a community engaged in civic and civil dialogue.

In 2023 the paper will host multiple public conversations about these important community issues. We'll listen to the people of the Upper Delaware through facilitated public conversations, clarify the common goals we all share, report on what we learn in print and online, and frame strategies for action. Through an inclusive process, we will give voice to those who have never spoken out and give them a safe space in which to do so.

If you believe that local journalism must play a role in bringing our communities together, please donate to The River Roundtable Project, via the Local Media Foundation. Contributions to this fund are tax deductible and will help pay for the resources needed to facilitate these critical conversations, and create a format and toolkit for other local news organizations to do the same.

We are aiming to raise $50,000 in 2023 to support these efforts. Help us meet our goal!

For more information or to get involved, contact Laurie Stuart at [email protected] or call 845/252-7414, ext. 133.

The 2022 Local News Fund is a program administered by Local Media Foundation (LMF), a 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with Local Media Association. The purpose of the program is to allow independent and family-owned news organizations to solicit tax-deductible donations from their communities for journalism projects that focus on critical local issues. Contributions to this program are tax-deductible to the full extent of U.S. law; please consult a tax advisor for details.