It’s hard to believe that a year has gone by already.

It was a year ago today, December 4, when we launched Ozarks Independent, with a goal of bringing the Ozarks an impartial news outlet with a local, community focus.

The culmination of weeks of figuring out web design and layout, writing stories so that the site had content on it when we debut it, and figuring out to get the word out about us when we didn’t have a budget to do it!

Now, a year later, over 2,500 local news stories covering everything from students sewing cloth diapers for needy moms at an Ozark school to multiple state championship teams to the overwhelming excitement of Greene County Budget meetings. (That latter item might have a tinge of sarcasm.)

Starting out with word of mouth and a first month’s readership of 1,500, we’re now at over 35,000 people monthly making OI a source for local news…still all through word of mouth.

And we can’t thank all of you enough for your support in telling friends, family, and co-workers that they had a new place to turn for local news.

We also want to thank all those throughout the Ozarks who have trusted us with their stories. Those who allowed us to review their shows or productions and understood that we never promised a glowing review ahead of time. Those who sat down for an interview knowing we would meticulously transcribe their words verbatim.

We also want to say thank you to the colleagues in the community in TV, radio, or print who have worked with us. Technically, we’re competitors, but at the end of the day we almost all believe in the importance of local journalism and supporting each other to make sure the community is informed about what’s truly happening around them.

As we enter year two, we’d like to ask you to consider helping keep OI providing the community with free local news and information. Just a few dollars a month can help us feed our families and keep the proverbial lights on. We have a Patreon account set up where you can support us..and we need you. Just click this link.

And if you’re a local business owner who would like to help keep providing the community with a free source of in-depth local news, you can do that through the Patreon page or by reaching out to us at editor@ozarksindependent.com. We could really use your support!

Again, to everyone who supported us during year one, thank you. We value each and every one of you.