For the past 11 years, I’ve had the joy of being a news reporter in Bureau County. When I jumped into the career, fresh out of college, I had never aspired to work in news. I had no idea what it required. I had never conducted an interview in my life, let alone ran a tape recorder.

But over time, through many, many experiences (good and bad), I learned the ropes, I grew to love it and it became a passion of mine to tell the stories of our neighbors or be the one to inform readers of the happenings in their community.

Today, I share with you some news of my own. Friday, Nov. 12, will be my last day with the Bureau County Republican. It was not an easy decision to make, but it ultimately comes down to needing more time with my family.

In June, my husband and I welcomed our third daughter into the world, and home life has never been busier. Under the condition that “news never stops,” it’s been difficult to find that good balance between work and home. With a lot of thought and prayer, I made the decision to transition into a new career that will allow me to spend more time with my family and ensure I don’t miss the important moments in my children’s lives. I realize they will only be young once, and I don’t want this time to slip by in a whirlwind and leave me wondering where it went.

While it is difficult to give up my writing career at the newspaper, I look forward to what’s in store for me in the years to come. As I learn different tasks, face new challenges and dive into a new normal, I will never forget the lessons learned and opportunities enjoyed while working for the Bureau County Republican. This career holds a special place in my heart. It led me to my husband, who I’ve been married to now for six years. It introduced me to many, many great people — some I now consider a best friend. In many ways, it taught me a lot about how the world works and forced me to learn a little bit about a lot of topics. I feel like I did a lot of growing up living the life of a reporter.

Through hundreds of interviews and countless stories, I’ve learned so much about how a community works, and have gained so many insights from the people driven to keep the place they call home thriving and moving forward. I’ve always felt lucky and honored to be the one to share their stories. I say all the time, there’s nothing more gratifying than to write a story and know it made a difference or touched someone’s life. That is what has kept me going all these years.

Working for the Bureau County Republican always felt like a family affair in many ways. It may come as a surprise to some, but the Bureau County Republican was long ago owned by relatives of my husband’s family.

Before the Bureau County Republican was purchased by Shaw Media (long ago), it was owned and ran by Mary Bailey, who just happens to be my mother-in-law, Nancy Rapp’s, aunt. It was because of that fact, I poured my heart into keeping our local newspaper a great product. I’m proud of the work I’ve done for the Bureau County Republican, and I like to think Mrs. Bailey would be proud too. I know she’s looking down thrilled to see the ol’ BCR still going today.

While I’m stepping out of my role, I plan to continue to do what I can to support our local paper and local news. I encourage you to do the same! What would Princeton be without the pages of the BCR floating around? It’s been the backbone of our community for more than a century. Let’s do what we can to keep it going!

I hope to continue seeing you all out and about around town. If you see me out, please come up and say hi. I would love to stay in touch. I enjoy chatting about old stories. Talk to you soon!

Goldie Rapp is the Assistant Regional News Editor of Shaw Media (until Friday, Nov. 12). She may be reached at grapp@bcrnews.com.