Sometimes it's best to just hear straight from the horse’s mouth, so here it goes — I have accepted a position at another news outlet and next week will be my last at the Daily News and in Newton.
These are words I knew I’d have to write someday, but even when you anticipate something like this happening, it’s still a shock when it actually does. I also want to make it clear that I love Newton, Jasper County, the friendships I’ve made and the memories I created here; however, the opportunity I received is far too great to pass on, career-wise.
I was talking with Mandi Lamb about this decision on Friday, and I said it’s weird how you spend almost two years building a life somewhere and then you have two weeks to kiss it all goodbye.
I can honestly say leaving Newton is harder for me than it was to leave Kansas City.
When I moved to Newton, I had the entire month of December and parts of November and January to prepare myself for leaving the only home I had ever known.
This time around, I’m leaving home in a far more expedited manner, but as they old saying goes, “There is never enough time in a day.”
I honestly have no idea how to write a farewell column to a place that I’ve become so familiar with and that has become so familiar with me. I know that by leaving, I’m starting all over. The little things like having kids recognize you on the square because they remembered you visited their classroom, or getting teased by local veterans because you injured your pinky and then proceeded to do an ad campaign on the matter will be missed.
I’m leaving with a very heavy heart, but I’m also thrilled about this new opportunity I’ve been given. I will be working as a staff writer for the N’West Iowa REVIEW, a paper that has won the Iowa Newspaper Association Paper of the Year award 17 times since 1982 and the National Newspaper Best of the States/General Excellence Award 17 times.
I think this paper is the perfect landing spot for me, because it’s a paper that has small town values but practices big city journalism, which is how I see myself. Another enticing aspect was they spoke a lot about operating as a family and not just as coworkers.
As a person whose nearest blood relative is more than 200 miles away, this is a big selling point for me. Dont’ get me wrong, I’ve grown close with my various colleagues during my tenure at the Daily News, but the issue there is I’ve lost a lot of friends because of this, as well.
I still need more time to reflect on this transition and huge change in my life, so I plan on making this column a two-parter. Not sure what else I can say in Part I, so all I can say is to be continued.
Contact Senior Staff Writer Ty Rushing at (641) 792-3121 Ext. 6532 or trushing@newtondailynews.com