Toledo Free Press

15/08/2024

Guess I can talk about it now.
Here's what I've been teasing the last few days.
I was editorial cartoonist (and occasional illustrator and cover artist and columnist and reporter) for the Toledo Free Press, Toledo's alternative news weekly, from 2011 until it folded in 2015.
Publisher Tom Pounds never gave up on his baby, though, and with the help of a few friends, found backers willing to get it back on its feet as an online only publication. (Brandi Barhite, who steered me toward TFP after I left Sandusky, was one of the people who helped Tom find the backers. She joined the BGNews Alumni Society board shortly after I did.)
In the meantime, I was one of a ton of volunteers putting ten years worth of TFP content up on the site's archives, so that all the work of dozens of people would not be lost.
New editor Lori King called me up and asked me if I'd be willing to come back as part of the "legacy" of Free Press 1.0.
Of course I did.
The site went live this weekend, where it always was: toledofreepress.com.
Check it out.
The image here is a combination of my farewell cartoon from 2015, a proposed "We're back!" cartoon from this year, and an Olympics-inspired one that actually ran on the site.
And my editorial cartoon blog is active again: https://donleecartoons.wordpress.com -- subscribe to get e-mail notifications every time I post!

15/08/2024

We are finally live! The new Toledo Free Press website is up and running with lots of stories, photos, videos and even cartoons to explore. Although we are now an active newsroom, we consider the launch this past Sunday to be very soft, meaning we still have lots of work to do to get the website looking and feeling like an established news organization. We actually won't celebrate a full launch campaign until at least late September, when we've had a few months to hire and train staff, create podcasts, establish a content management system, add beats for business, health and education, and create an internship program.
That said, two very important functions on the website are the donate and subscription buttons. As you know, we are now nonprofit and believe a free press that offers civic information is good for Toledo, and it’s good for our democracy. That is why our mission is to help the community become more engaged, better informed and more civically aware. To help us afford to do that, we are rolling out a small dollar donation campaign soon. Please consider donating so we can pay our storytellers and keep the lights on, so to speak...smash that donate button on the homepage! Not only will you be supporting your local newsroom, but you'll get something back (like a t-shirt design, which is in the works)!
If you subscribe (it's free), you'll get a newsletter starting in October that will replace these Facebook updates. It'll include insider stories and photos on what we are covering and how we are telling those stories.
Also, you are actually our nonofficial 'testers,' so if you see something (an error, suggestion for improvement, etc.), say something. I really want to know. You can reach me at [email protected].
Thank you for sticking with us. I appreciate your patience as we continue to cover our beloved community. Sincerely, Lori King (editor-in-chief)

31/07/2024

Hi, Free Press friends! Please help us get started by filling out this quick survey telling us your thoughts on the news! Thank you!

The Toledo Free Press is relaunching soon as a digital-only, nonprofit news website. Help us ensure that we create a media organization you love by sharing a little bit about yourself and your media habits here. This survey should take about 10 minutes. Prizes will be awarded to three of the entrant...

29/07/2024

Good morning, Toledo! We're hard at work behind the scenes here at Free Press HQ. Stay tuned this week for more information about our relaunch as a digital nonprofit news outlet, ways to get involved, and how you can share your thoughts with us.

21/06/2024

It's Friday and another steamy day in Northwest Ohio, as well as the end of my third week on the job as the editor-in-chief of the Toledo Free Press. Time for another update.
I've met in person nearly 20 potential contributors to the TFP, and either Zoomed or spoke by phone to a half dozen more. The response to be involved was tremendous, and we appreciate the support.
What this means is that once our website is ready to go (it's undergoing a redesign), our office is open for business (started moving donated furniture into our office above the Blarney Irish Pub yesterday) and our staff (freelancers and columnists for now) is selected, we will announce a launch date for the first day of our nonprofit, nonpartisan and hyper-local online newsroom. We are hoping that's in July.
On our website will include these key features, besides the standard news and entertainment pages:
1. A button link to subscribe (it's free!)
2. A donation campaign link (your donation will help pay our staff and keep the lights on). We will kickoff that campaign next month.
3. A button link to sign up for our weekly newsletter that will post every Friday (which will replace these weekly Facebook updates)
4. A Story Tip Line page (essential for keeping up with what's happening)
I also want to welcome our first employee - Kelly McGilvery, who is our community engagement manager (among other duties) and is working hard to prepare for the launch. Congratulations Kelly, and welcome aboard.
Thank you for your patience as we prepare for our launch!
Sincerely, Lori King

07/06/2024

Today is my 5th day as EIC of the , which has been dormant since 2015. First of all, I want to thank all of you who stuck with the newspaper via this page after all of these years! Your commitment is inspiring!
This is what I've been up to: This week I've been diligently searching for a team of who will be a mix of students, retired journalists and local talent who want to be involved in telling of our local community.
Next week we start redesigning the existing website to make it visual friendly. Yes, it's still up, and you can dig into the past as we prepare for its future. A few changes to expect include adding , a account, a weekly newsletter for subscribers and a donation button for our funding campaign. In the 3rd week we hope to start moving into our office above the Blarney.
We will celebrate the newsroom comeback sometime in July (hopefully), so stay tuned for details! Thanks, and wish us luck! (Post by Lori King) By the way, if you want to know a bit more about me, visit my website:

This website is a showcase for Lori King's education and visual work.

31/05/2024

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Good news Toledoans - the Toledo Free Press is indeed back as a nonprofit, online newsroom and will begin covering our community soon. My name is Lori King, and on Monday, June 3, I will be the new editor-in-chief and am committed to continuing its award-winning legacy. As I put together a team of journalists to cover the community, we encourage you to peruse the archived content of years past. Thank you TFP board member and treasurer Sean Nestor for spearheading that effort. Stay tuned as we prepare to publish news and entertainment that impacts our lives throughout Northwest Ohio.

24/04/2024

The Toledo Free Press is BACK.
https://toledofreepress.com/jobs/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2ciRE9lsKEMWlZNWVqEf6eGKwJA5mFXu4r3Ewk3LmpY7E-78PaPxain_Y_aem_AWdvSqDmYEUiLrlSPBfTl867IPvo60S5xqCFgPEfuWoyfj7OMfsXfx61RpVzNo62MSsCMm9LrIN471md4BdDFf9H

Toledo Free Press Editor-In-Chief Job responsibilities include news reporting and writing, assigning and editing stories and content submitted by the public. Job Description: The Toledo Free Press, a weekly print newspaper being revitalized as a digital nonprofit news outlet, seeks an editor to repo...

08/04/2024

Good morning! Not eclipsed yet, unless trees count.

01/04/2024

The difference between April Fools' Day and other days on social media is:
On April Fool's Day, people post things they expect you to know are jokes, but that people take seriously.
All other days, they post things that are obvious BS, but that they expect you to take seriously.

20/07/2022

For a good cause -- and follow for information on ordering your own copy. Sales support Nature's Nursery in Whitehouse.

The new Nature's Nursery book will go on sale in August and you can win a chance to attend the VIP book launch on August 3rd.
TWO winners will be chosen to attend (Up to 4 people for each winner)

🦊🦊Winners will receive:🦊🦊

-Attendance for four people to attend the (closed to the public) book release on August 3rd

-Meet and greet with Lenny The Fox

-Meet and greet with the author of our new book “One Friendly Fox”

-A signed copy of the book

Get your $20 raffle entry at:
https://natures-nursery.org/product/book-release-raffle-ticket/

All proceeds go to our general animal care fund!

Winners will be electronically drawn on Friday July 29th