There are two framed issues of the Loogootee Tribune in the library of my house in Loogootee. One dated, January 24, 2019, introduces myself as the newspaper’s new staff writer. This headlined topped a story of beginning plump with, determination, excitement, and perhaps, more hopeful confidence than was deserved.. The second frame displays an emotional shift by announcing the end of a 155-year era with the words, “Final Edition, Thank You & Goodbye.,” It’s been 7 years, 6 months, 18 days, 23 hours since I last tapped out a story for a dedicated Loogootee news publication. It is with no less hope and excitement, but a modified level of confidence that I’m tapping again.
On August 4th, I received a message from Braydyn Bear Lents that opened the door to a new opportunity. He invited me with great enthusiasm to join him and two other new recruits on the staff of The Loogootee Times, his passion project that started as a blog– based publication he is in the process of directing into the future of Loogootee news media. Braydyn was an
18-year-old senior at Bloomington High School South when the Tribune closed. Now, he is a recent IU graduate with a degree in journalism and a deep affection and background in Loogootee, born from his grandparents Jim and Jane Lents. He states, “I’ve always had a passion for Loogootee because of the people who came before me,” when questioned about rooting the beginning of his journalistic career here.
In the short time I’ve been corresponding with and learning about Brayden, I’ve learned that The Loogootee Tribune was neither the first, nor the last in a continuum of Loogootee news media, including the aforementioned Tribune that ran from the Civil War era to its demise in 2019. The late 1800s marked the foundation of our namesake, The Loogootee Times.
Other champions of Loogootee news throughout the 19th century included Loogootee Enterprise, The Loogootee Sun, and Loogootee Herald. More recently, our stories were told by the Martin County Journal whichthat closed in 2024 and the revived Loogootee Times.
