Things are finally starting to move again with the nonprofit founding, so I’ve been given the go-ahead to share some details and begin rolling out the new brand!

So without further ado, the name we’ve chosen for the organization is:

Copper Beacon

We hope you appreciate the thought and consideration we put into it and find it as meaningful as we do.

I’d also like to share with you a little bit about our current advisory board members, as we should be officially launched very soon (more on that later). Hopefully, as we move forward, I’ll have the opportunity to give a more in-depth profile on each of these fine people, but for now, I’ll give you the basics.

In alphabetical order, by first name, they are:

Allison Mills, who until recently worked for Michigan Tech’s communication department. She has now taken a remote-work role with Earth Science Information Partners.

Dillon Geshel, who recently left his position as director of the Portage Lake District Library to lead the Superiorland Library Cooperative.

Kathy Smith, who used to work for the KBIC’s Natural Resource Department, but is now working with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission.

And last but not least;

Todd Gast, the marketing and outreach manager at the Keweenaw Co-op. He also recently started teaching classes at Finlandia University.

Add to that our pro-bono lawyer, Alex Papachristou from Lawyers for Reporters, and I think we have an excellent team to lead us into the future.

You can expect to see the new name, logo and URL rolled out during the month of October.

Now for the not-so-great news.

I had a budget for launching the nonprofit to take a year, but we’ve been stalled for two months looking for a lawyer registered with the bar in Michigan that will work with us pro-bono. Alex (who’s registered with the New York bar) has a new plan for us that should come together relatively quickly, but two months passed is two months passed, and my savings are depleted.

If you’re reading this, you’ve already supported me financially, and I’m beyond grateful for that. Please don’t feel pressured to give anything more. If you want to give more support, please share your favorite articles and videos with your friends and family.

But you will see me running a subscription drive through October, possibly followed by a short fundraiser in November, in order to fund my ongoing reporting and writing. If these are successful, the work of Copper Beacon will continue uninterrupted. If they fall short, I’ll be looking for a new full-time job in December and Copper Beacon will become my after-hours project.

I hope this sounds like a good plan to you. If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to leave a comment or respond to this email.

Original Comment:

Craig Waddell

Oct 2, 2021

"Copper Beacon" sounds good to me. For a lawyer, have you tried Evan Dixon? Please keep up your great work.