Bill Dietel Remembered I’m sure you all read Tim Carrington’s beautiful “remembrance” of Bill that appeared in the Rappahannock News. Aside from that, I asked Bud Meyer to share his memories of Bill as they worked together to cofound Foothills Forum nearly a decade...

JOURNALISM THAT GIVES LIGHTby Andy Alexander, Chair, Foothills Forum A century ago, long before it became today’s major media conglomerate, the Scripps newspaper chain adopted a motto that I’ve always loved: “Give light and the people will find their own way.” That...

The Local News Crisis Is Deepening, But You Can Help By Andy Alexander, Board Chair of Foothills Forum Quality local news is said to be the “connective tissue” that binds a community. But in many places – especially rural areas like ours – it’s endangered. Weekday...

MAY 2, 2022 -- Foothills Forum, in partnership with the Rappahannock News, has won a total of 21 awards from the Virginia Press Association (VPA) for original reporting about our community in 2021. The recognition from VPA -- including eleven first-place honors, five...

What you wouldn’t know without Foothills Forum   As the demise of local news has grown to a national crisis, depressing numbers have helped sound the alarm. You’re familiar with many of them: More than 2,100 community newspapers, many in rural areas like ours, have...

Dear Friends, Welcome to the inaugural edition of the new Foothills Forum newsletter for supporters and friends. Foothills Forum In the emerging world of nonprofit journalism, Foothills is widely admired, producing award-winning stories. Foothills’ publishing partner...

A new chair for Foothills A constant in the growth of Foothills and its support for local news has been the steady hand of founding board chair Bud Meyer. Now a page is turning as Bud intentionally steps aside, giving way to new chair Andy Alexander, former ombudsman...

Today is Giving Tuesday:  Please give to Foothills during NewsMatch "In Rappahannock, we are so fortunate to have Foothills Forum," says Patti McGill Peterson of Sperryville. "When newspapers are struggling for survival -- and more and more towns and counties have no...

On November 19, Foothills Forum, a journalism partner of the Rappahannock News, met and selected its new board chair Andy Alexander, long-time Rapp resident and former ombudsman of The Washington Post. Alexander succeeds Larry "Bud' Meyer, Foothills co-founder and...

Ever have the itch to report and write? Want to go from news consumer to news provider? We're honored that the topnotch leaders of the Rapp Center for Education have accepted our pitch to teach a Lifelong Learning class starting in November for Rappahannock County...