Grafton, I’m sorry. We’re breaking up.

Grafton, it’s not you. It’s me.

I know the timing is horrible. I know Gannett just laid off the only person writing for The Grafton News. I know it feels like… well, I’ve been a different person lately.

Grafton. I’ve found someone else.

It’s a brand-new non-profit journalism start-up in Concord, and I’ve been hired as editor-in-chief (in case you’re in the business, I’m looking for ad sales reps). I get to build not just a newsroom, but an entire organization from scratch, with the support of a very passionate board of directors. There will be a weekly newspaper, delivered to all homes in Concord, as well as a daily website. It’s a spectacular challenge.

There’s just one little problem: I am going to be so busy getting all of this up and running, I am not going to have the time to cover Grafton the way it needs to be covered. Can I get items into the calendar, press releases onto the site? Probably. Can I cover Select Board and School Committee and run out to do features? No.

It’s been a great three years here at Grafton Common, and I’d love to see it continue in some fashion. Thanks to donors, I have the website hosting and domain set for a while. Thank you so much for your support and, of course, if you want to cancel any kind of monthly contribution, I understand.

I’ve made a lot of friends — and a few enemies — since I first launched the original Greater Grafton Blog back in April 2008. It started with the simple premise of keeping people up-to-date on overcrowding in the schools and the possible loss of accreditation for the high school, and turned into so much more.

I still live in Grafton. I will still pay attention to what’s happening in town — hopefully the new owner of The Grafton News will truly keep it local. I will still always have a camera on me. And I’ll hang out at Town Meeting with my laptop, because what on earth do I do with my hands at Town Meeting if I’m not frantically taking notes?

Thank you, Grafton.

— Jenn