The Blount Countian
While the national press screams for our attention, the news that actually affects our day-to-day lives is local. We are fortunate to have a local paper produced by a publisher and staff who care deeply about our community.
local coverage
- Andrew goes to The Gym by April McCay, 03.2023
- Hog Mountain’s ‘poet laureate’ sings his stories, 02.2023
- The Pine Mountain Star by Cheryl Helton, 12.2022
- A century of learning and service, 11.2022
- Bluegrass Christmas, 11.2022
- Power line spraying ignites concern, 10.2022 — updated 02.2023
- Charley Head profile by Cheryl Helton, 10.2022
- Bluegrass Jamboree preview, 08.2022
- New playground, 08.2022
- PMCC raises $9K, 07.2022
- New traditions by Aimee Wilson, 07.2022
- Canning food, building community, 07.2022
- Jubilee Blueberry Farm, 06.2022
what happened to coverage of pine mountain?
A June 2022 article about Pine Mountain’s Jubilee Blueberry Farm marked an increased focus on our community in the Blount Countian. The plan was to report on PMCC meetings, the annual fundraiser, and other local events and stories of interest. The compensation for these articles was to be donated from the newspaper to Pine Mountain Community Center, once the organization’s 501(c)(3) was approved. The Blount Countian was enthusiastic about increasing coverage of Pine Mountain and showed that support through prominent placements — see the photo below of two July 2022 front-page stories — and free listings of local events. Residents expressed their support as well and were enthusiastic about the increased coverage of Pine Mountain.
However, I soon learned that PMCC board members did not want the community center’s meetings or actions to be covered. The board stopped announcing PMCC meeting dates and rewrote the organization’s founding documents in a way that drastically limits participation, blocking the news and information that I believe should be openly shared with the community. For more information, see PMCC.
