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Before our three-week publishing pause, Watershed Voice invites our readers to take a look back at the past year in local news. For Watershed Voice, it was a year marked by change, as we transitioned from one staff writer — Najifa Farhat for the first half of the year — to another, Maxwell Knauer, for the second half of the year. No matter the author of our stories, we aimed to bring prompt, fact-based, independent reporting to Southwest Michigan. Here’s a look at some of our favorite, most impactful, and most-read stories of 2025.

Watershed Voice’s Doug Sears, Jr. writes about a recent experience at the movie theater that induced anger, reflection, and ultimately empathy. “My rage was palpable, as movie theater misbehavior is high on my list of modern pet peeves. But I’m trying really hard to stay in the ‘live and let live’ mentality, and I don’t want to compound her distraction by calling it out. I’d hate to initiate a prolonged argument with a stubbornly rude individual and draw everyone in the theater, even those who don’t notice the Beacon of Gondor from their seat, into my distraction.”

As the year comes to an end, Watershed Voice takes a look back at a year of keeping readers across Southwest Michigan informed. In 2025, Watershed Voice published 322 stories, averaging 27 articles per month. Over the course of the year, our reporting reached 137,762 total page views from 79,435 visitors.

Watershed Voice columnist Charles Thomas writes, “Most of us have at least a few dreams that have been deferred. For you, it might not be a degree you dream of but starting a business or having another romantic relationship. You could have a dream about becoming a non-smoker or to find more meaningful work. Whatever your dream is, you may be thinking that it’s too late to achieve it. But consider this: what if you’re wrong?”

While Bruce Monroe’s restoration work reshaped parts of downtown Three Rivers, those closest to him say it was the care he showed people that mattered most. “Bruce was my father. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that he was as good of a father as anyone could ever hope to have. My brothers and I grew up with endless love and support from our dad. Our family is all still very close, which I think is a testament to my father and the environment he created and fostered for us,” Bruce’s youngest son, Evan Monroe wrote.

By the grace of Betty White, Doug and Alek return to their respective mics to look back at the year that was on Keep Your Voice Down. The duo also touch on Watershed Voice’s year-end fundraising efforts, emphasizing the importance of community support and monthly recurring donations in sustaining local, independent news. The conversation concludes with discussion about supporting others, the value of listening more, and reconnecting with the outside world post pandemic.