Dispatch Mobile Newsroom coming to Parsons library branch with Wednesday kick off event

The Dispatch's Mobile Newsroom is moving to the South Side.

After seven months of sending reporters around the city to work out of Columbus Metropolitan Library branches for weeks at a time — places like Northland, Driving Park, the Hilltop and Whitehall — we're going to bring the initiative to the Parsons branch library.

The idea is simple: to position journalists in underserved areas so that we can get to know residents, organizations, religious groups, business owners and the entire neighborhood better. 

Kick off event scheduled for Wednesday at Parsons branch library

To get things started on the South Side, a kick off event is planned for the Parsons branch library on Wednesday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Please come with story ideas or just a desire to share what you care about in your community.

We'll have plenty of staff members there who are passionate about building relationships and telling good stories.

And good news: You're going to see some familiar faces.

As we move to the South Side, we have several reporters who have volunteered to take part in the initiative a second time.

So if you dropped by the Driving Park branch in December or January, you may remember our neighborhoods reporter Mark Ferenchik, who wrote about residents' worries about gentrification as well as the after-school program at the Rickenbacker Woods Learning Center.

Or if you spent time at the Hilltop branch of the library in February, you may recall seeing K-12 reporter Megan Henry or trending reporter Monroe Trombly. Megan put together a memorable story updating readers about plans to redevelop Cooper Field, and Monroe highlighted plans to turn a well known but long-vacant building into a restaurant.

Each of them, passionate about telling important stories that often get missed, will be back.

Other staffers will join them — some for a week, others for a day — including Haley BeMiller, who covers state government and politics for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau.

We're excited to continue the Mobile Newsroom into the summer and look forward to telling your important stories. If you have ideas to get us started, please send them to me via email or share them with us at the upcoming kickoff.

rsmith@dispatch.com

@ReadRyanSmith