The innovative, independent nonprofit Ottawa News Network, providing news coverage of Ottawa County communities this week, reached a milestone: six months of growth.

The Network launched in December 2024 to fill gaps in area news reporting caused by shrinking coverage from heritage newspapers and television outlets. This week, ONN hit its six-month anniversary with approximately 1,100 subscribers and 9,500 active users of its website. 

“We are thrilled by the response to our mission of providing news for communities that were left behind as former traditional news outlets suffered tight budgets and staff cutbacks,” ONN Executive Editor Sarah Leach said. 

ONN also this month received final approval of its federal 501(c)3 nonprofit status. Ottawa News Network is a Michigan nonprofit corporation and is overseen by a board made up of local community leaders, business people and former journalists. 

To date, some 180 people and foundations have contributed funding toward ONN’s operations, making it truly a community-supported news service, noted Janet DeYoung, ONN board member and chair of its fund development committee. 

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Ottawa News Network is a nonprofit news service dedicated to providing the residents of Ottawa County with trustworthy, community-driven news. ONN treats journalism as a public good — something that enriches lives and empowers Ottawa County’s 300,000-plus residents to stay engaged, make informed decisions, and strengthen local democracy. Please consider giving today.

ONN has led the way in coverage of major Ottawa issues, such as the ongoing county government conflict, while also providing a range of community news. It also offers a platform for area columnists and letter writers. 

ONN’s offers free access to all of its news at its website, OttawaNewsNetwork.org. This is in keeping with its mission to provide essential information to all Ottawa residents. Readers are encouraged to sign up as subscribers, again at no charge, to receive email posts of current stories.

“However,” DeYoung added, “we trust and hope readers will find value in ONN’s work and will want to help it grow with voluntary paid subscriptions — perhaps $10 a month, $20 a month, or whatever level they are comfortable with.”

In its first six months, ONN has steadily expanded coverage to include calendars of events, entertainment features, and obituaries alongside government meetings and issues coverage. The ONN business plan calls for adding reporters as support grows. It plans to eventually cover issues in communities across the county, along with school news, feature stories, and business growth.

ONN and its news coverage is strictly nonpartisan. However, its opinion section allows letter writers and community columnists to voice their own thoughts on local and national issues.

“The distant corporate owners of other area news media continue to shrink local coverage and diminish local voices,” Leach pointed out. “The Holland Sentinel, in particular, has stopped publishing local community columnists, many of whom had contributed to our community discussions for a decade or more.

“We are reviving that discussion space.”

In keeping with its commitment to growth, ONN has joined forces with several national organizations, including the Institute for Nonprofit News, which works with 500 independent news organizations around the nation. ONN also has content sharing agreements with well-established news sites, including Michigan Advance and the Grand Haven Tribune and is in talks with others.  

“As more Ottawa County residents read and appreciate ONN’s local coverage and local control, we hope they join in our mission by subscribing, and perhaps by donating,” DeYoung said. 

“And our commitment to them is to continue serving county residents with free access to the information that’s essential to healthy and effective communities.”