Dear NWH letters,

I do not know what has happened to your paper. It is a shell of what it once was. Obituaries, police reports, half a page of local news, one page of opinions by conservative reporters, local and little national sports news other than the Chicago teams, all of which can be read in 15 minutes, does not seem to be a healthy way of educating your readers, or keeping them.

Plus, please rewrite the words under your heading, NORTHWEST HERALD. It is NOT published daily. It is not published on Sunday and is available only to subscribers online on Monday.

Your paper would be read by more of McHenry County residents if you hired more writers of thoughtful and educated ability to write about school board meetings, city council meetings, county board meetings, park district meetings, library board meetings and other interesting events in McHenry County. Township meetings’ agendas and reports could also be included in your pages.

It might involve hiring more journalists, but it would pay off in the long run. Schools’ most important jobs are teaching reading and critical thinking. Print newspapers, with quality and local interest articles, are necessary to reinforce these skills. Best wishes.

Thank you,

Donna Davis

Woodstock