Up front: So long, but not entirely farewell

Well all good things come to an end.

After spending almost 10 years at the Lewiston Tribune I am heading out the door. My journalism career began even before I was at the Tribune. I was involved in student journalism at the Lewiston High School with the Bengal’s Purr and Lewis-Clark State College at the Pathfinder. Shortly after I graduated from LCSC in 2014 I began at the Tribune, starting as a news clerk.

What’s that, you ask?

They are a sort of catch-all position. One of their tasks is doing the obituaries for the newspaper; it’s not the easiest of assignments to deal with grieving families. I was once asked for my advice on whether or not to put the service in the service directory list, which has the weekly service announcements. I replied, “Well, it’s your funeral.”

Thankfully I got a laugh.

I was a news clerk for two years before I left to get a masters in film and television at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. But that’s another story.

When I returned I did page design and copy editing. That’s the part of the paper that everyone sees but no one knows who does it, except those of us at the Tribune. The work day started at 3 p.m. and ended whenever the paper was done — typically at midnight or later, depending on how many technology issues or late stories we got.

One night it was getting late, around 11:30 p.m., meaning we were 30 minutes away from deadline. It’s always a mad rush in those final minutes and that night the loudest, unceasing siren went off: the fire alarm.

The few of us who were still there at that time of night evacuated the building. After the proper authorities responded we were able to go back inside but the alarm was still blaring. We all decided to just push through the noise the last few minutes, communicating through electronic means because we couldn’t hear each other. We quickly finished and everyone promptly left. Readers got their papers the next day and no one knew the suffering we endured to make that happen.

In 2021, I began reporting. It was weird because I had been working at the Tribune all this time and then suddenly once I began reporting people started to recognize my name. I guess having a byline makes a difference, even though I wonder how often people actually read the name, because I would often get praise for stories I didn’t write (sorry, Kerri Sandaine).

I started reporting in education, which gave me the opportunity to interview teachers I had in school and revisit former classrooms. While many of the people and places were familiar, I also got to see the changes, like the new high school and the changes in education, like career technical education programs. Most of all, I got to talk with students, who were winning awards, making changes in the community and taking advantage of the opportunities for their future. It was a pure joy to talk with these students and highlight their efforts. If those stories didn’t make you realize this, I will tell you myself — our future is in good hands.

Shortly after I began reporting, I started the cops and court beat. Honestly, I was terrified at first, the stakes seemed so much higher because it was crime; there was police, judges and law stuff. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the intricate dealings of the legal process from start to finish makes for some interesting reporting that gave me all new insights.

It also didn’t take long before the Nez Perce County Courthouse didn’t seem scary at all. I’ve talked with people who think the courthouse is an intimidating place and I often get asked if certain hearings or trials can be attended by the public. I’m always quick to point out that, unless otherwise noted, court proceedings (and documents) are available to the public. I once made the mistake of attending a court proceeding that was not open to the public, but after apologizing and quickly leaving, the only thing that I suffered was embarrassment.

The other element to being a news reporter of really any fashion is responding to breaking news. In my case, it could be crime-related, fires, reports of shootings, natural disasters or reservoir ruptures. I reported on the high reservoir rupture that took place in January 2023. There was a lot happening that day and I didn’t get home until around 8 p.m. I remember walking up 16th Avenue and seeing the road broken up like a bomb had hit. I had never seen anything like it before. For some reason that is the image of that day that sticks in my head.

It feels like my time with the Tribune has been short, but also long. And don’t worry, you will likely see my name again in the Tribune or Inland 360. I have learned so many things from people in this community and I have loved being able to share it with others, whether it was student features, school bonds, court trials or treatment courts — and anything dog-related like law enforcement K9s, therapy dogs and the Lewis Clark Animal Shelter.

That’s what makes working here special. The Lewiston Tribune is a community newspaper not only because it covers the community, but the people working here are part of that community, too. We’re your neighbors, customers, friends and relatives. The things you do, we do too. The things you have to pay for, we have to pay too. We know Moscow is pronounced Mos-Co, not Mos-cow, and Kooskia is Koo-ski not Koo-ski-uh.

We’re not reporting from Boise, Spokane, Seattle, Los Angeles or New York. We are right here.

Brewster recently left the Tribune for a job at the Nez Perce County Courthouse. The Tribune wishes her well on her new endeavors.