A little more than two years ago, I thought my time working in the Monett community had come to an end.
What is it they say about a man’s plans?
Whether God is amused is not for me to say, but I will say there is a smile on my face to have another opportunity to serve such a vibrant readership.
My wife, Jordan, and I began planning Monett Monthly in the last quarter of 2024, aiming to find ways not only to expand Troutman Media LLC past our flagship paper, the Cassville Democrat; our semi-annual magazines, Trout Times and Through the Years: The Magazine; and our newest venture offering printing services, from business card and envelopes to signs and booklets (and more).
In short, we saw an opportunity. Having served as editor of The Monett Times from 2014-2022, I have copious experience in Monett, from writing news to covering sports and taking photographs of community events. I still have many friends in the area, some of whom had expressed to me since my departure that they missed what I had brought to the table.
As we closed 2024, and The Times was purchased and folded into the Lawrence County Record, we felt there not only room for some kind of publication serving Monett — but also that Monett deserved something dedicated to its 10,000 residents.
With that mission in mind, Monett Monthly was born.
Like most newspapers in this day and age, we have limited staff. For that reason, we determined the most feasible option would be a monthly publication distributed to businesses and locations in Monett where those interested could pick up a copy at their leisure, entirely for free.
While I will be handling design, determining and editing content, and doing some photography — especially of Monett sports (and only Monett sports) — we have three other staff playing a major role in producing this new monthly newspaper.
Jessica Breger, our reporter, joined Troutman Media LLC in early 2024, coming from Oklahoma and Texas. While she operates in more of a sales role, her background is largely in news writing, and we are excited to give her an opportunity to spread her wings in a new coverage area.
Jared Lankford, our sports reporter, is an individual many in the community are familiar with through his previous role as sports editor of The Times, or his fireworks or fall decor tents, or even his work on sports radio calling games or many times he has served as PA announcer at area sporting events. Bringing Jared on to cover sports for us was a no-brainer. Frankly, no one I know — not even me — knows as much about the past, present and future of sports in Monett.
Finally, Sheila Harris, also a former Monett Times employee, has worked for us at Troutman Media LLC since March 2023, contributing a mix of sales and stories for us since then. Her connection to the Monett area remains strong, and she is incredibly adept at fitting advertising plans to specific businesses to fit their needs in an ever-changing print and digital landscape.
As for the publication itself, we intent to publish the first full week of each month, distributing on Wednesdays or Thursdays. We are working to establish a list of pickup locations, which will be printed in the paper and posted online once finalized.
We have a Facebook page established at www.facebook.com/MonettMonthly, and we are working with our web developer to create a Monett Monthly section on the Cassville Democrat’s website, which will also be free to access.
Coverage-wise, we plan to focus each month on actions taken by the Monett City Council and Monett School Board, then include a feature story or two and photos of community events.
If you have event announcements, send them to us! We will print them in the news briefs section.
If you have birth, engagement or wedding announcements, send them to us! We’ll find space for them and run them for free!
If you have notices about professional accomplishments, retirements, youth sports achievements or anything else you might feel newsworthy, send it to us! While I will reserve some editorial discretion, we want to do all we can to highlight all things Monett.
Any of the above items, or story ideas, can be emailed directly to me at monettmonthly@outlook.com.
We’re beyond excited to be back in Monett and hope to bring you a product you will enjoy!
Kyle Troutman served as editor of The Monett Times from 2014-2022 and as editor of the Cassville Democrat since 2014, becoming owner/publisher in 2023 under Troutman Media LLC. He was named William E. James/ Missouri Outstanding Young Journalist for daily newspapers in 2017, and he is a two-time ISWNE Golden Dozen award winner. He may be reached at 417-847-2610 or monettmonthly@outlook.com.
