Mainstreet is member-supported, so I believe a year-end report on how we did is the right thing to do.

It is no exaggeration to say that 2025 was a banner year for Mainstreet and easily our best to date. We published more content, received more traffic, and saw more signs of major impact than ever.

Specifically, we published more than 2,300 total articles, including some 1,225 bylined stories that Mainstreet staff produced with original reporting. That reporting included more in-depth coverage than we’ve been able to do in the past, thanks to a growing newsroom.

But before we grew, we shrank. In April, we said goodbye to Glory Reitz, who moved home to Missouri to become a managing editor. We then promoted Neida Quiñones Cruz to publication coordinator, and, thanks to Report for America and local philanthropic support, we brought on our first full-time education reporter, Nick Anschultz, who started in late June.

Thanks to a Community Foundation grant for rural reporting, we were able to move Lillian Hamman to half-time rural reporting, to go along with her half-time business and features beat. This marked an important milestone for Mainstreet: three full-time news reporters for the first time in our history.

In April, we hired Natalie Mitchell as our first full-time member ambassador, a vital role to help make Mainstreet financially sustainable for the long haul.

We also added new advertisers and grew our share of legal notices. We also started offering keepsakes for those who would like to display a Mainstreet photo or story in their home or office; we threw a five-year anniversary celebration; and we partnered with Toys for Tots on a smashingly successful toy drive.

Despite those successes, anyone on the team will tell you the biggest highlights of the year are stories that made an impact. There are too many to list here, but a few standouts include:

• Seth Johnson broke the news that a 2024 raid on Boukari Law/Alachua Today had been conducted to investigate alleged crimes against juvenile boys. Alachua Today sued Mainstreet to block publication of the story, but a judge threw out the suit days later.
• Gary Nelson reported on the parent at the center of a school board controversy, which critics said resulted in state leaders putting an antisemite “on a pedestal.”
• Lillian Hamman broke news of the sale of all Hitchcock’s Market locations, leading to job insecurity for employees and potential food insecurity for residents in rural communities across North Central Florida.
• Lillian and Seth broke news of a blind resident suing more than 40 iconic Gainesville businesses for websites not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• Nick Anschultz broke news about the resignation of The Frazer School’s owner and the school’s transformation into a nonprofit.

Big thanks to all of the advertisers, members and supporters who made this work possible in 2025. Because of you, Mainstreet remains a free website, newsletter and newspaper to serve everyone.

Together, we are building a stronger community as we help residents stay safe, cast informed votes, and be better neighbors in Alachua County.

If you would like to get involved, visit mainstreetdailynews.com/become-a-member.