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Kansas City’s Northeast News is a free weekly print and online Non-profit publication focused on the gathering and delivery of news that is relevant to the Historic Northeast Kansas City community. Established in 1932, it has evolved into a multimedia Community Journalism outlet, reporting on local government, education, public health, social services, and neighborhood issues that directly impact the Neighborhoods and residents of Historic Northeast Kansas City, Missouri.
Our Mission Statement
The Northeast News is committed to serving our community in the best way we can. We welcome feedback from our neighbors and community members. Our team is here to report on the often untold stories, advocate for your community and tackle all the complex issues here.
Our History
Since its first edition in 1932, The Northeast News has been headquartered at several different addresses.
Founding publisher Matthew Orr (1888-1963) worked from a small office at 102 S. Brighton, which by 1938 had been replaced by an addition to the neighboring Budd Park Christian Church.
While the next location is unknown, Tom Patton and Howard Hill purchased the publication in the 1950’s and by 1964 were doing business at 3615 St. John Ave. The paper was published at that time on Thursdays.
In 1975, new owners Terry and Mary Brock moved the news offices to 6612 Independence Ave. Still titled “The Northeast News,” ads were more prevalent than news as the paper’s focus continued to shift. The Brocks took the publication to 4603 St. John Ave. after vacating their Independence Avenue office.
Operating as Northeast Publishing, Inc. the Brocks also offered typesetting as Northeast Typography. A brochure produced to promote this service shows 19 typefaces with bold, italic, bold italic options, and 16 specialty types, and reads, “Northeast Typography offers customers access to its graphics library, which contains tens of thousands of illustrations on virtually every subject. Need professional copy editing for your publication? Northeast Typography’s experienced staff can provide this service.” The typography side of the business had its own phone number, 241-3255, which has been retained as a fax number for the House of News.
In 1998, Terry Brock, then a widower, sold the publication to Northeast residents Michael Bushnell and Christine Adams, who focused on returning The Northeast News to a community news publication. The news office continued to operate at 4603 St. John until 2001, moving into a former real estate office at 5715 St. John Ave., since dubbed “The House of News.”
With a new sign that better reflected the publication’s brand, the old metal signs that projected out above the doorway at 4603 were left behind. Found languishing behind the old building earlier this year, the News Dog sniffed them out and the 3-by-6 foot signs will be on display at The Northeast News’ new location in the EGG, located at 2659 Independence Ave.
In May of 2022, The Northeast News was purchased by Historic Northeast Media Inc., officially transitioning to a non-profit journalism entity. The move follows a growing trend in the Community Journalism world as ad revenues for Newspapers continue to decline while at the same time, revenue for non-profit newsrooms continues to trend upward.
The move also allowed The Northeast News to explore paid partnership agreements that fund a part time news reporter that covers a specific news “beat.” Revolucion Educativa, (RevEd) a Latino, education advocacy organization based in the Pendleton Heights neighborhood funds a part time education reporter who covers local education stories in both English and Spanish. Since the inception of that partnership in January, 2023, The Northeast News has experienced a 26% growth in our Spanish speaking readership due to this partnership.
Our move to a non-profit model also allowed us to become a working partner in the Kansas City Media Collective, a coalition of five, dynamic non-profit journalism outlets in Kansas City. These include The Beacon, Flatland KC, KCUR and American Public Square.
As 2023 winds down, The Northeast News is poised to enter the new year with a fresh new brand.
Our Board
Bobbi Baker-Hughes – President, Historic Northeast Media
Ellen Goebel – Staff Accountant
Manuel “Manny” Abarca IV – Jackson County Legislator, past Indian Mound Neighborhood Association president
Staff Biographies
Julia Williams – Editor-in-Chief
A Kansas City native, Julia is a 2024 graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Completing an emphasis in reporting and writing and minor in fine arts, she has a passion for storytelling and photography. Following graduation, the city called her home to apply her education and journalism’s code of ethics to underserved communities within the Northeast.
Beyond the journalism field, Julia enjoys traveling, cooking and spending time with friends and family. She also considers herself an avid concert-goer and all-around animal enthusiast.
She hopes to bring a new voice to the team and continue to exhibit the Northeast News as a trustworthy publication for the Northeast community and beyond.
Dorri Partain – Managing Editor
A graduate of Central Missouri State University, Dorri’s first foray into journalism began at Maple Woods Community College. Her love for old homes brought her to Historic Northeast in 1986. Immersed in the community, she developed a love for its parks, with Indian Mound and Cliff Drive holding a special place in her heart.
Dorri’s journey with the Northeast News began in 1998, where she contributed a freelance feature column until 2006. In 2016, she officially joined the News staff, bringing her storytelling skills to the wider community.
Outside of her work at Northeast News, Dorri is a devoted mother to two sons and three kitty companions. An avid vintage collector, her collections include matchbooks and other incredible items that are quite familiar within our “Remember This” weekly feature.
Daisy Garcia-Montoya – Spanish Language Education Reporter
Joining in January 2023, Daisy has been at the forefront of covering education stories in Northeast Kansas City, with a focus ranging from Kansas City Public Schools, charter schools, and private schools to universities. Daisy ensures that attention is reported on the local dynamics of the Historic Northeast and the Latinx population of students, educators and families.
With a Master’s in Public Administration and an undergraduate degree from UMKC, her academic background enhances her ability to research, report and produce compelling content within the Northeast area. Daisy was our Editorial Intern in the summer of 2020, and produced that year’s Back To School special issue.
Daisy has a passion for her community that shines through in her ability to provide thoughtful stories on education in the Historic Northeast.
Bryan Stalder – Interim Marketing Director
Bryan grew up in Northeast. He and his wife have been raising their children in the Indian Mound Neighborhood since 2003. He served on the Indian Mound Neighborhood Association board from 2011-2019.
Bryan began drawing editorial cartoons for the Northeast News in 2008 and took over the Creative/Art Director role from 2017 to 2023. His rebranding of the newspaper and his ad designs have garnered numerous top awards in the state of Missouri.
Bryan supports the small businesses in Northeast by shopping and dining locally as much as possible, and his favorite thing about Northeast is all the creative talent that exists here. Bryan returned to staff in July 2024 as an Interim Marketer.
Rayna Oldham – Circulation Manager
Rayna has been with The Northeast News for almost a decade and is in charge of building the weekly newspaper and its accurate and timely delivery to homes and businesses throughout the Historic Northeast community. Rayna and her team are also in charge of shipping and receiving the paper, making sure our readers get the coupon inserts for their weekly shopping needs.
When not making sure our readers get The Northeast News, she enjoys relaxing with her family by playing video games, watching old movies and getting away for an occasional fishing trip at a local lake.
Rayna’s dedication ensures that the focus of The Northeast News is seamlessly produced throughout the community, delivering not just news but also a sense of community.
RobyLane Kelley & Georgia – Editorial Interns
RobyLane Kelley is a senior at the University of Missouri – Kansas City. She is studying Communications with an emphasis in Journalism and Digital Media, and a minor in Environmental Communications. Before coming to Northeast News, RobyLane spent a year in broadcast as a news producer in Topeka, Kansas, but came to Kansas City to pursue reporting. Communication is essential to RobyLane which is apparent with her service dog Georgia. Sweet Georgia Brown, named after the jazz song, has been taught to answer yes or no questions and talk with buttons. RobyLane enjoys hand embroidery and is trying to learn Spanish when not writing.
Emily Wheeler – Editorial Intern
Emily Wheeler is a driven senior at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, pursuing a double major in art history and communications. Her specialization in journalism and media showcases her passion for storytelling and the arts. Emily possesses a remarkable enthusiasm for engaging in meaningful conversations, whether it’s about art, pop culture, or the latest literature she’s delved into. Beyond her academic pursuits, she finds joy in the art of baking and nurturing her impressive collection of houseplants. In her quieter moments, she cherishes meaningful one-on-one interactions with her feline companion, Biggie, who serves as her trusted confidant.
Michael Bushnell – Historical contributor
For 26 years, Michael was the publisher of Kansas City’s Northeast News. His journey at Northeast News began when he became the President of the Scarritt Renaissance neighborhood — serving two terms, totaling 10 years.
In 1996, Michael left his corporate communications job to become the Executive Director of the Northeast Chamber of Commerce. During this time, he discovered the local community newspaper was for sale.
In 1998, Michael and his wife Christine bought The Northeast News, turning it into a community news source. In 2021, Michael transitioned the publication from for-profit to non-profit, securing its future and opening doors to grants and sponsorships for non-profit newsrooms.
Outside of community reporting, Michael and Chris enjoy traveling in their toy hauler with their Harley and News Dog, Ella the Destroyer.
Michael’s journey clearly depicts his dedication to the Historic Northeast community, ensuring that news stories are told with truth. Michael retired in late June of 2024.
Editorial Independence Policy
The Northeast News subscribes to the standards of editorial independence adopted by the Institute for Nonprofit News:
Our organization retains full authority over editorial content to protect the best journalistic and business interests of our organization. We maintain a firewall between news coverage decisions and sources of all revenue. Acceptance of financial support does not constitute implied or actual endorsement of donors or their products, services or opinions.
We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals and organizations for the general support of our activities. Our news coverage decisions are made independently and not on the basis of donor support.
Our organization may consider donations to support the coverage of particular topics, but our organization maintains editorial control of the coverage. We will cede no right of review or influence of editorial content, nor of unauthorized distribution of editorial content.
Our organization will make public all donors who give a total of $5,000 or more per year. We will accept anonymous donations for general support only if it is clear that sufficient safeguards have been put into place that the expenditure of that donation is made independently by our organization and in compliance with INN’s Membership Standards.
Donor Transparency Policy
We are committed to transparency in every aspect of funding our organization.
Accepting financial support does not mean we endorse donors or their products, services or opinions.
Historic Northeast Media Inc., dba The Northeast News is a registered non-profit 501(c)(3) organization under the Internal Revenue Tax Code. We are qualified under that tax code to receive tax deductable gifts, grants, devises, bequests, and sponsorships from individuals, organizations and foundations under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3) to help with our general operations, coverage of specific topics and special projects. Donors may deduct their contributions under IRC Section 170.
We may receive funds from standard government programs offered to nonprofits or similar businesses.
Our news judgments are made independently – not based on or influenced by donors or any revenue source. We do not give supporters the rights to assign, review or edit content.
We make public all revenue sources and donors who give $5,000 or more per year. As a news nonprofit, we avoid accepting charitable donations from anonymous sources, government entities, political parties, elected officials or candidates seeking public office. We will not accept donations from sources who, deemed by our board of directors, present a conflict of interest with our work or compromise our independence.
Read our Conflict of Interest Policy here.
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