25 years, today.

The Henrico Citizen turns 25 today.

We sent our inaugural Sept. 20, 2001 print edition to press just days after the Sept. 11 attacks, details of which I vividly remember hearing on the radio as I sat alone that morning in the small Lakeside office I had just rented a few weeks earlier in preparation for our launch.

I was 24 years old and a few months earlier had somewhat unexpectedly hatched the completely logical and sane idea to create a newspaper. I had never taken a business course, had no management experience, no formal business plan, and astutely had hired no one to generate revenue for my fledgling business.

Survival would have been tough enough during a normal time, much less during what in less than 30 minutes had become one of the most difficult, sad and uncertain times in our nation’s history.

The following week, as I crammed 50-copy bundles of the Citizen’s inaugural edition into my two-door Dodge Avenger until I feared the rear tires would give out, I simultaneously felt proud, scared and unsure of what the future might hold. That week, I think we all shared those emotions.

Our first issue now hangs framed on the wall in my office, yellowed a bit but not much worse for the wear. I look at it often and can recall clearly snapping what became its cover photo, of an American flag standing solemnly in the median of Monument Avenue in the county’s West End, planted by someone after the attacks.

In that issue, we wrote about the dedication of the new North Park Library, spotlighted the efforts of a Habitat for Humanity volunteer, told the story of a group that worked to repaint the homes of those in need and listed recent property transactions, among other coverage. In the grand scheme of life that month, none of those issues felt very significant.

But strength, I learned, comes from within. As we sought to recover as a nation, we rallied first in our own neighborhoods, towns, cities and counties, lifted by our connections in the places we called home.

As we celebrate a quarter-century in business today, I’m reminded of the power of community and humbled that we’ve had the privilege to help tell the story of this one for all those years. The way we do so is different these days – through a daily website, a daily weekday email newsletter, a host of social media platforms and a morning podcast (instead of through a twice-monthly paper) – but our purpose remains the same: to help this community learn more about itself.

In these past 25 years, we’ve reported about development proposals, budget proposals and ordinance amendments.

We’ve taken you inside classrooms to explain new initiatives and new ways of teaching and learning. 

We’ve introduced you to dozens upon dozens of nonprofit organizations and the work they do.

We’ve published the names of thousands of college graduates and dean’s list honorees.

We’ve answered your questions and connected you with government officials, businesses and organizations when you’ve called, emailed or written asking for our help.

We’ve been there to take pictures of hundreds of new business openings, community parades, religious and cultural celebrations.

We’ve kept you informed about the health inspection reports from your favorite restaurants (and probably some that used to be your favorites…until you read their health inspection reports). And we’ve let you know when new restaurants that might become your favorites are arriving.

We’ve published the photos of hundreds of youth sports teams in recognition of their achievements.

We’ve covered the COVID-19 pandemic in nearly daily fashion for almost two years, keeping you informed about its local impact, where to go for vaccines, its impact on government, schools and daily life.

We’ve tackled issues that can be controversial or uncomfortable, from data centers to housing and transportation proposals, to redistricting and school boundary adjustment plans.

We’ve provided exhaustive coverage of the region’s water crisis, hurricanes, snow and ice storms and other weather events.

We’ve tracked crime countywide and provided perspective and updates about trends and efforts to address them.

We’ve recognized people who earn promotions at work, those who serve in the military, and we’ve published free obituaries for thousands of your friends, family members and neighbors.

We even went internationally viral by publishing a video from a Henrico School Board meeting.

We’ve published magazines, hosted restaurant weeks, honored some of Henrico’s top teachers with an annual section about them.

We’ve walked the hallowed grounds of some of the most historic land in the county – and the country – in Varina, giving you an inside look at the places Pocahontas, John Rolfe and others once called home.

We’ve applied for and received funding from Facebook, Google, Press Forward and The Chronicle of Philanthropy. We were the first publication in Virginia to be selected twice as a Report for America newsroom, a partnership through which both of our current full-time reporters joined us.

We’ve introduced you to volunteers who toil in anonymity to help make this a little better place to be.

We’ve give you a daily crossword puzzle that you can complete online.

We’ve written extensively about Henrico’s rich history, helping explain it to those who are recent arrivals and lifelong residents alike.

We’ve attended hundreds of board of supervisors, school board and planning commission public meetings, work sessions, community meetings and charrettes. We’ve read through just as many staff reports about school boundary adjustment plans, land-use proposals and comprehensive plan updates.

We’ve attended events or covered stories at every single school in Henrico County. 

We’ve introduced you to dozens and dozens of candidates for local, state and federal office.

Thanks to partnerships, we’ve provided consistent coverage of the Virginia General Assembly through a Henrico lens.

We’ve written consistently about the growth and futures of Richmond International Airport, GRTC and the Staples Mill Road Amtrak station.

We’ve reported about property assessments, new visions for corridors throughout the county, bike lanes and trails.

We’ve analyzed local and state reports about transportation, development, housing, budget issues, health trends and much more to provide you with key takeaways from each.

We’ve spotlighted thousands of events, musical performances, seminars and exhibits happening throughout our community each week.

We exist in yellowing form in the scrapbooks of thousands of current and former Henrico citizens who appeared once in our print pages, and in clippings from online versions of articles since our print days ended.

In short, we’ve helped tell the story of Henrico County day after day, week after week and month after month for a quarter-century. Sometimes it’s mundane, sometimes controversial, sometimes emotional, sometimes confusing, sometimes powerful. But we’ve been there throughout to help you make better sense of it all.

What you do with the information we provide is, and always has been, up to you. 

We don’t advocate. We don’t take sides. And I personally have no interest in influencing your thoughts or decisions. I just want you to have the information you need to make them, and that’s why we continue to do what we do every day.

Since our first print issue landed on driveways, in mailboxes and in grocery store racks 25 years ago today, we’ve grown from a small company that focused nearly all of its efforts on that twice-monthly print edition to a small company that now produces an average of 11 pieces of coverage (articles, briefs, event listings and more) every weekday; an email newsletter that now reaches nearly 40,000 free subscribers every weekday afternoon; a presence across social media that reaches just as many; and a daily weekday morning podcast.

And we still do all of that without charging you or anyone else a penny to access it. Believe me when I say that that’s not easy to do as an independent business owner, but it’s been our pledge to you, and it’s one we intend to honor as long as we can. Trustworthy local news matters, and we believe it’s a fundamental human right. 

Whether you’ve been reading the Citizen since our first print edition or just since last week, I thank you for trusting us to serve the community you care about.

With your readership and support, we are excited about continuing to do that for the next 25 years, too.

With much gratitude,
Tom Lappas, owner/publisher