Ak-Chin O’odham Runner Newspaper celebrates 30-year anniversary

In December, the Ak-Chin O’odham Runner newspaper celebrated 30 years of bringing news and information to the Ak-Chin Indian Community.

Native American Culture

by
Carolyn Sostrom
01/30/2018

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In December, the Ak-Chin O’odham Runner newspaper celebrated 30 years of bringing news and information to the Ak-Chin Indian Community.
Ak-Chin Indian Community members recognized this occasion on December 7 during a private event held at the Masik Tas carnival. The following day’s celebration was held at the Service Center and was open to all Ak-Chin Indian Community employees.
The celebration included a short film documentary, with current and former Ak-Chin Tribal Council members and employees of the Ak Chin O’odham Runner discussing the newspaper’s history. The documentary discussed how news used to travel among the villages before the newspaper began publication in 1987.
The Ak Chin O’odham Runner began as a newsletter, the size of a regular piece of copy paper, and the first editor was Ruth Ann Simmons. Early issues showed that the Ak Chin O’odham Runner contained announcements and schedules for community events and services. It was first published as a tabloid newsprint in March 1987 and began featuring photos then, too. Today, the newspaper is formatted to broadsheet newsprint, which started in November 2014.
The Ak Chin O’odham Runner offers stories about community events, education, sports, tournament competitions and winners, profiles of community leaders and residents, news about community enterprises, advertisements from local businesses, and more.
During the anniversary celebration, printed front pages from previous issues of the Ak Chin O’odham Runner were posted throughout the Service Center. Employees could read about moments from Ak-Chin Indian Community history, including the opening of Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, when the Service Center was remodeled, or when the Ak Chin O’odham Runner building burned down.
The Ak-Chin O’odham Runner is published on the first and third Friday of each month. Printed copies are delivered to all residents and departments of the Ak-Chin Indian Community, as well as surrounding community businesses, interested groups, and subscribers. Issues can also be viewed online.
Today’s newspaper is led by editor Raychel Peters and includes a team of three photojournalists, two graphic artists, and a news assistant. The Ak Chin O’odham Runner staff looks forward to several more years of highlighting news from the Ak-Chin Indian Community![/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

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Last Updated on 01/25/2019 by Carolyn Sostrom

Related TopicsAk-Chin Circle Ak-Chin Indian Community Feature

About the Author:

Carolyn Sostrom

Biography:

Carolyn Sostrom is a long-time Arizona resident who loves desert sunsets, warm weather, Zumba, and the Western lifestyle.

She attended Saguaro High School in Scottsdale and then Arizona State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Similarly to the protagonist in *The Devil Wears Prada*, Carolyn moved to New York City right after college. She started working for the fashion magazine company Conde Nast but never transitioned to the dark side. After a few years, she left New York in the rearview mirror and returned to her home state, taking a reporter job at the *Apache Junction Independent*.

With over 30 years of freelance writing experience, Carolyn especially enjoys writing about community events and profiling individuals who are making a difference in their communities. She had the pleasure of interviewing a variety of cowboy personalities for an article she wrote for the *Scottsdale Independent* about the history of DC Ranch and its roots as a working ranch. Now, her Western adventures with CLN have her diving into the rugged automotive scene, exploring the trucks and rigs cowboys rely on for work, home, and play, a niche where grit meets horsepower.

She works at Raising Special Kids, a nonprofit resource center for families of children with disabilities and special healthcare needs. Carolyn also volunteers with the Autism Society of Greater Phoenix.

Carolyn believes that everyone has a story, and she loves connecting with others to hear their stories. She’s dedicated to ethical journalism and accurate reporting, which shines through in her storytelling.