The Green River Observer promotes civic engagement in town north of Moab
Small community newspapers have long been essential to letting residents know about the ins and outs at local government meetings that most may not be able to attend. Green River, a town of 865 residents along I-70 north of Moab, has had papers specifically for the area over the years.
When Kenny Fallon Jr. moved to the town in 2022, those newspapers had long disappeared, but the need for a source of information on just what was being said and argued at Green River City Council meetings was clear.
“There has been stuff in the works for a while about proposals for multiple lithium mines and also a uranium mill,” Fallon said. “The January 9th meeting was when a lot of stuff was on the agenda and everything kind of came to a head.”
Fallon noted that many Green River residents expressed surprise, saying that they had not heard of these plans and felt like the public was disconnected from the process. [Read Fallon’s coverage of the January 9 Green River City Council meeting on page 8. – ed.]
He reached out to locals asking about how they would like to receive better information, posting in active Green River community Facebook groups.
“There was a big emphasis on the need to be in print, because there are so many people who aren’t on Facebook or not online,” he said. Fallon has experience putting together print publications, as he is part of a group that revived The Last Straw Journal, a magazine focused on natural building and alternative design, in addition to a paper he started in middle school that his principal said “wasn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.”
Fallon founded The Green River Observer, which published its first edition this month with the tagline “News from the Middle of Everywhere.” The four-page paper was sent to every post office box in Green River free of charge and distributed in local businesses, as well as through a Substack email newsletter.
Starting out without advertisers or subscribers, Fallon printed up copies of the paper using funds out of his own pocket so that residents could read up on Green River City Council events before the next monthly meeting.
“At the first city council meeting after the first edition came out, a man in the audience said that he appreciated the Observer,” Fallon said. “Occasionally, you hear rumors going around a small town so I’m hoping that the paper helps feed a more open conversation so it’s not based on facts that change depending on who you talk to.”
The articles in the first edition are under Fallon’s byline for now, but he’s holding meetings to recruit other local residents to participate.
While council meeting minutes are posted online as part of local government transparency rules, Fallon noted that a lot of remarks at the meetings don’t make it into the spare summary; he’s able to cover public comments and conversation at the meetings in greater depth.
“I’ve heard all good things so far, at least to my face,” Fallon said. “I’m really working to get as much input as possible from people.”
Fallon said that in addition to information on local government, residents have asked for community information like an event calendar and historical tidbits.
With greater participation and financial support, he hopes to embrace suggestions to make the fledgling newspaper work for Green River.
“It is a lot of work and time,” he said, “but it’s important.”
You can learn more and subscribe to the Green River Observer at thegreenriverobserver.substack.com
