For more than 205 years, the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal has had a front-row seat to the story of this community.
We have reported on major events and moments of change, but just as importantly, we have documented the everyday people, organizations, businesses, schools and neighborhoods that make Lockport what it is.
That remains at the heart of what we do.
The newspaper business has changed considerably over the years. The way people receive information has changed. Technology has changed. Our products, schedules and resources have evolved along with them.
But one thing has not changed: our commitment to telling the stories of this community.
In fact, I believe being intensely local is more important today than it’s ever been.
There are countless stories taking place around us every day that deserve to be told. A longtime volunteer being recognized. A new program helping local families. A student accomplishing something remarkable. A neighborhood organization improving its corner of the city. A business reaching an important milestone. A church, service club or nonprofit quietly doing work that makes Lockport better.
Not every important story comes with a press conference or a formal news release.
Sometimes it starts with a phone call, an email, a photograph or someone simply saying, “You should know about this.”
That is why we are making a renewed effort to strengthen the connection between the Union-Sun & Journal and the community we serve.
We are reaching out to organizations, businesses, schools, community leaders and others throughout the Lockport area and asking them to keep us informed about what is happening around them. But that invitation extends to everyone.
If you know someone doing something interesting, important or simply worth recognizing, tell us.
If your neighborhood has an issue people are talking about, tell us.
If there is an organization making a difference that deserves more attention, tell us.
If there is a piece of Lockport history that should be remembered — or something happening today that may become part of that history — tell us.
This isn’t about asking the community to do the job of the newspaper. It is about making sure our journalists are connected to the people who know this community best.
Local journalism has always worked that way.
For generations, some of the best stories appearing in these pages have begun because a reader, business owner, teacher, coach, volunteer, elected official or neighbor pointed us in the right direction.
Those relationships matter.
They help us discover stories we might otherwise miss, introduce us to voices we haven’t heard and make the Union-Sun & Journal a better reflection of the community it represents.
A newspaper that has survived more than two centuries has done so by changing with the times while never losing sight of why it exists in the first place.
We exist to document Lockport and our surrounding communities.
To celebrate successes.
To examine challenges.
To introduce neighbors to one another.
And to create a record of this community that will remain long after today’s headlines have passed.
We cannot tell every story. But we want to tell more of them.
And we hope you’ll help us find them.
Send us your story ideas, photos, accomplishments, milestones, events and suggestions. No formal press release is necessary. Sometimes a few sentences are all it takes to start a conversation. They can be emailed to ourstory@lockportjournal.com.
After 205 years, there are still plenty of Lockport stories left to tell.
We look forward to telling them together.