Hello, I must be going

By Lethbridge Herald on December 31, 2025.

Scott Sakatch
Herald Editor

What a difference a year makes.

As I write this (Tuesday), I’m finishing my final shift as editor of the Lethbridge Herald and wondering where the last year has gone. I took over the job just before Christmas 2024, and am finishing up my stint on New Year’s Eve 2025. Long story short, I’ll be undergoing surgery next month to replace a faulty aortic valve, followed by a significant recovery period. After a lot of thought and discussion with my wife Janine, we decided that now would be the right time for me to close the (second) Herald chapter of my life.

I confess I won’t miss the long days, but I will most definitely miss the people I’ve been fortunate enough to work with for the past 12 months. Some of those folks were here during my first go-round at the Herald many moons ago (huge shout-outs to Brian Price and Nikki Van Eden for talking me off the ledge on a regular basis) but most were new to me. I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed every day I got to work with the Herald’s reporters‑— they’re a great group, full of enthusiasm and genuine love for the community they serve. I’ll miss them all and I look forward to reading the Herald to see them continue to grow in their roles.

The newsroom will change somewhat in the coming days as current sports editor Justin Seward takes on layout of the paper while reporter Nathan Reiter will fill the sports editor position. The reporting team— Alejandra Pulido-Guzman, Alexandra Noad and Joe Manio —will continue to track down news tips and interesting folks as they cover the community as they’ve always done.

I’m pretty darn proud of what the team has accomplished over the past year, and judging by what I’ve heard from many readers, I’m not alone. Just in the last month, I’ve received dozens of emails, cards and in-person compliments from people telling me how much they enjoy their daily Herald, and encouraging the team to keep up the good work. I can assure you they will. As I said, this group is dedicated to covering Lethbridge and southern Alberta, telling the stories of the people who live here and reporting on the things that have an impact on your life. 

At the same time, the folks in charge of our classifieds section, graphics, advertising and circulation departments will continue to do exemplary work to make sure a top-quality product gets delivered on time, every time.

All in all, you can continue to rely on the Herald to bring you local news and important information, boost the community, showcase various viewpoints and spotlight the people who make this such a great place to live. There will likely be some hiccups along the way, as there always is with change, but I have complete faith in the team.

I’ll close by saying thanks to each and every one of you for continuing to read the Herald, for brightening my days with your phone calls, and yes, even for the handful who vehemently and vocally disagreed with me. Ultimately, you all read the paper, and that’s why we do what we do, day in and day out: because we love it, and without you, we’d just be quacking in the wind.

Happy New Year and all the best in 2026!