What a year

Tom Pinney

Last week, I celebrated the end of my first year as a writer at the Maryville Daily Forum. And what a ride it’s been.

In June 2016, I was picked up as a freelance writer in what was basically an on-the-job interview for a writing position that was going to be open officially in August. At the time, I was still enrolled at Northwest, taking classes toward a Master’s degree in education to become a high school teacher, but I was feeling very lost. As I have said before, I knew I needed a break.

I was also working at KXCV, reading and writing the news for a bit of extra spending money. It was always a fun hobby for me.

That’s probably the best thing that’s happened over the past year; it never stopped being a hobby. I just happen to get paid a lot more now to do it.

There are several things I’ve always loved about writing the news, not the least of which being that it’s my responsibility – in conjunction with Tony, Cody, and Phil – to make sure you, the reader, are a member of an informed populace. It’s our job to let you know where your tax dollars are being spent, and let you make the decision whether or not that money is being spent wisely.

In the past year, I have reported very little on city matters, but I’ve had my fingers on the pulse of most events happening at the school. I was in the Schneider Center when the first show, The Music Man, took place, and I took pictures to give you all an idea of what beautiful things your tax money went to when the R-II district funded the new theater.

I have been at every school board meeting I could physically attend, and the ones I couldn’t, I’ve called on as quickly as possible, to make sure every constituent in every district knew how their districts were spending the money they gained in tax revenues.

It’s a task I’ve never taken lightly, and it’s one of the best parts of my job.

I got my degree in political science with a dual emphasis in domestic policy and political theory. What makes it one of the best parts of my job is the fact that I knew exactly how important the media was in crafting the narrative of any administration, from local to national government and everything in between, and now, I get to be one of the ones helping to craft that narrative.

Another thing I really love about writing the news is being so close to the ground floor of everything that is happening here in Maryville.

When JC Penney and Payless announced they were closing the Maryville stores, I was among the first to know. I chased down the Payless story with a feverish joy, excited to be so close to breaking news.

But with every store closure I’ve covered (which, to be fair, is only one so far), I have covered so many more openings. I was able to walk in to places like On the Spot Designs, Shoe Sensation, and Bull’s Eye Trading before they were open to the public because I was telling everyone what they were about to see.

That actually leads me to the third thing I love about this job, and perhaps the thing I love most: beyond crafting administrative narratives, I’m telling the story of Maryville. And it’s a great one.

Since I moved here in August of 2013, I have watched Maryville experience almost consecutive shrinkage and growth. I watched as a bakery in the Hy-Vee plaza closed its doors, only to reopen soon as a diner, which closed and shortly reopened as a nice Italian restaurant.

I watched as my favorite laundromat closed, only to reopen within weeks as a beautiful new location for Happy Garden. I watched as businesses left the square, but were quickly replaced by other businesses.

Every time something happens that could be seen as a negative, this town turns it into a positive in record time. The story of Maryville is resilience!

But I also get to tell the stories of the people, and those stories are even more beautiful.

Among the stories I’ve told in these pages include people who followed their dreams, people who had to retool their dreams, and people with no dreams at all who found something they love and started going for it.

I’ve told the story of people who were able to turn their hobbies into profitable careers. I’ve told the story of people who accomplished their goals. I’ve told the stories of people who were just following what turned out to be one heck of a hunch.

And I’m only one year in. Imagine the stories I get to tell in year two!

While some may see what I do as mundane, that sitting in front of a computer as much as I do can be monotonous, that writing the news can’t be this interesting, each day since last July 26 when I accepted the open position here at the Maryville Daily Forum, I walk into work with a smile on my face every morning, excited for what the day will bring. Even two weeks ago, when it was too hot and humid to do anything with a smile on my face, I got into work and breathed a sigh of relief.

It may have been the fan on my desk. We’ll call it a little of both.

The fact is, writing the news is the coolest job I have ever had, and I think it’s one of the coolest jobs anyone could have, because I get to tell all of your stories. And while I’ve told many so far, there are many, many more that I have yet to tell.

There’s so much more to learn and tell about all of you.

I’m excited to keep telling your stories.

Tom Pinney is a news reporter for the Maryville Daily Forum.