Read local, give local: Support TucsonSentinel.com

Dear Reader,

For nearly three years, TucsonSentinel.com has been a vital source of Southern Arizona news and information.

Since our launch, we've connected you to the information necessary for making informed choices about our community's future. In fact, we've published nearly 10,000 local news stories and community commentaries, along with investigative reports from our partners.

We've celebrated what's right about Tucson, cast a watchful glance at what needs improving, and provided a platform for a healthy dialogue about Southern Arizona's future.

We believe that an informed public will make wise decisions that protect and build upon the distinctive character of this special place we call home.

Highlights of TucsonSentinel.com's third year:

• We broke news that made an impact, including a controversy over a new grading scale a Pueblo High School, the details of Councilman Paul Cunningham's sexual harassment incident, a close look at a Democratic complaint about the links between Board of Supervisors candidate Tanner Bell and an independent committee, and much more.
• We've deepened our partnerships with the John C. Scott Show and the Buckmaster Show, as well as our work with the KVOI radio news team.
• We reached new heights of reader engagement, with 6,200 registered readers, nearly 2,600 Facebook fans and over 4,500 combined Twitter followers.
• We continued to bring you balanced, in-depth reporting on border and immigration issues — coverage we'll be expanding in the future.
• On election nights, we have the largest reporting team in town bring you complete coverage of the candidates and results.
• Beyond traditional reporting, we've leveraged the power of the Internet to bring you extensive photo galleries of University of Arizona soccer and other community events, videos of politicians and TUSD protestors, and links to information sources around Tucson and the nation.

Now we need your help.

We would be very thankful for your support to continue this critical work. You can make a tax-deductible donation online at www.TucsonSentinel.com/donate, or learn more about how local small businesses can benefit by underwriting our work at www.TucsonSentinel.com/sponsor.

You can sign up for a monthly subscription, provide a one-time gift, or your business can reach out to thousands of local readers every day.

With your help, we will be able to continue delivering the essential information that informs and engages our community.

Buy local * Eat local * Read local * Give local

We're strong supporters of buying local. As a local small business, we understand the importance of local small businesses to Tucson's economy. That's why we keep our underwriting rates very affordable, why we spend most of our budget within Southern Arizona, and why we seek the majority of our support from the people in our community.

Not just during the holidays, but every day of the year, when you make choices about what businesses to patronize or which causes to support, please remember that money spent locally stays within the community. Sending money out of town doesn't create jobs here. Directing your dollars to local businesses and organizations — such as TucsonSentinel.com — helps build a stronger Tucson.

Even as chain-owned dailies cut their staffs and the number of pages in the newspapers - there are about 30 percent fewer professional reporters than there were five years ago, and more PR staff in governments and corporations - locally operated and focused news sites such as TucsonSentinel.com are at the forefront of a movement to recreate local news.

In fact, beyond heading up the Sentinel as editor and publisher, I'm the chairman of a national group, the Local Independent Online News Publishers network, that is dedicated to rebuilding local news across the nation. In addition, TucsonSentinel.com is a member of the prestigious Investigative News Network, who act as our fiscal sponsors.

In the coming year, we'll continue to provide the coverage that plays a vital role in providing the critical facts you can trust:

• We'll expand our reporting on border and immigration issues - a topic that's not going away, even with a presidential election year behind us.
• We'll explore the choices the Tucson metro region faces in economic development, infrastructure and urban planning.
• There's a city election coming up: We'll give you in-depth looks at how the candidates' proposed policies will affect you and your neighbors.
• We'll continue to work with national partners such as the Pulitzer Prize-winning ProPublica, Texas Tribune, Center for Public Integrity, Global Post and others to bring you investigative reports you rarely see elsewhere.

Our mission is vital

Whether you are a fellow news junkie, a business owner who needs up-to-date information, or a voter trying to make sense of the issues, accurate and timely reporting is necessary to a healthy community.

We believe that just as an unexamined life is not worth living, an unexamined city is not worth living in.

But insightful reporting doesn't come free - we need your help. Please join our donors and sponsors and make your contribution to an informed and healthy Tucson today. Stand with the Sentinel and keep watching Tucson.

With sincere thanks,

• Dylan Smith
• Editor & Publisher

P.S. Your contribution before the end of the year will support us at a critical time. Can you imagine the news that you would miss and the decisions that would be made if our team wasn't vigilant in our coverage of local government? Your tax-deductible gift ensures we will be there to alert and inform you about the most important decisions facing Tucson and Southern Arizona next year. Please donate today - and feel free to share this message with your civic-minded friends and family!