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Hello Go Local readers!
My name is Trent Levakis and I am the new editor of Go Local magazine.
I started with Reminder Publishing in early 2021 where I worked in a part-time role twice a week helping distribute our freshly printed newspapers to delivery drivers in the early morning hours. By the fall of that same year, I was changing roles with Reminder Publishing as I was able to secure my first full-time reporting job as staff writer for the Hampshire Reminder.
After about a year spent gaining experience reporting in Hampshire County, I was transferred over to the Holyoke beat for the most part, before coming back to covering Hampshire County which I have been doing again for the last year. You can also see my byline occasionally in The Westfield News.
While I will still be continuing in my role for the Hampshire Reminder, I have been fortunate enough to get this new opportunity to also help oversee Go Local.
As someone who got into news writing first and foremost to cover sports, I have always been fascinated by the opportunity to tell stories that go beyond the outcomes on the field. To me, this is why with most of my career experience covering regular community news, I have always been more drawn to feature writing.
Being able to highlight a new business or showcase upcoming happenings in communities beyond the sometimes mundane regular news coverage has been my favorite part of the job as it allows for a deeper look and connection of the people that make up our communities.
Because of this, I feel like a great fit for the Go Local team and telling the stories in our communities on a deeper level. Every month, Go Local features diverse businesses and happenings across Western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut in a more nuanced way than your typical news feature, and that is something our readers appreciate, and something I hope to continue help providing alongside our team.
Go Local has built its history on moving a spotlight all around the region on the people and businesses helping make our regional community at large what it is, and connecting these businesses, people and their stories with you the readers. I hope to continue this legacy by working with our team in bringing these showcases to readers.
This month, Go Local highlights the return of Grinchmas at the Springfield Museums; Breghan Creations, a thriving small business bringing personalized creativity to home’s across Western Mass.; and Graze Craze, a new West Springfield charcuterie and catering business with unique offerings through curated customized charcuterie experiences.
Heading into 2026, I look forward to the year ahead in this new opportunity and to continue helping make Go Local the quality magazine readers have come to love it for.
Thanks for reading,
Trent Levakis, Editor