About The Ohio Valley Current
Mar 27, 2024
Your community. Your news. Stay Current.
Local journalism is finding a new way forward, and The Ohio Valley Current is proud to be part of it.
We believe the best local journalism begins with a simple idea: The communities we call home deserve a news source that knows them, understands them and cares about what happens here.
The Ohio Valley Current is an independently owned, locally operated digital news publication dedicated to keeping residents informed, connected and engaged. From local government and education to business, sports, community events and the people who make this region special, our focus is on the stories that matter to the Ohio Valley.
We cover the places we know best, beginning with Steubenville, Weirton and the surrounding communities, with a commitment to expanding our reach throughout the region.
Local news should never be a luxury.
There is no paywall at The Ohio Valley Current. There never will be one for our local news coverage.
We believe access to reliable local information shouldn't depend on someone's ability or willingness to pay for it.
Whether it's a city council decision, a school board meeting, a developing story or a community celebration, the news that affects your daily life should be available to everyone.
That's why our local news is free, and it always will be.
Our publication is supported through advertising, local business partnerships and optional newsletter subscriptions, allowing us to keep local journalism free and accessible to everyone.
And while our advertisers help make that possible, our editorial decisions remain independent. Advertising support does not buy favorable news coverage.
Stay Current. Straight to your inbox.
We know life gets busy, and keeping up with everything happening in your community isn't always easy. That's why we offer two newsletters designed to bring the Ohio Valley's news directly to you.
Currently is our free weekly newsletter, delivering a convenient roundup of local headlines, community happenings and stories you might have missed.
For readers who want to start every morning knowing what's happening across the region, there's The Undercurrent, our paid daily newsletter. Delivered directly to your inbox, The Undercurrent brings together the day's top news, additional insight and a closer look at the stories shaping our communities.
Subscribing to The Undercurrent is also a way to support independent local journalism and help us continue growing.
But make no mistake: You never have to pay to read our local news. Our newsletters offer convenience, additional perspective and a way to support our work — not a barrier to accessing the information you need.
Why I founded The Ohio Valley Current
My name is Stephanie Elverd, and I've spent nearly 30 years of my life in the news business.
I was barely 20 years old when I began my career as a sportswriter. I learned the business from the sidelines of high school football games, in crowded gymnasiums, at baseball diamonds and in press boxes throughout the Ohio Valley. I learned early that the best stories weren't always found in the final score. They were found in the people behind it.
Over the years, my career took me from covering sports to reporting on local government, breaking news and the issues affecting our communities. Eventually, I moved behind the editor's desk, where I spent countless hours shaping stories, mentoring reporters, writing headlines and helping put newspapers into readers' hands.
I loved journalism then, and I love it now. But somewhere along the way, I realized I was spending more time managing the news than actually reporting it.
I missed being out in the community. I missed talking with the people whose stories deserve to be told. I missed walking into a meeting with a notebook, asking the questions that needed to be asked and discovering something that mattered to the people who live here.
More than anything, I missed the connection.
After nearly three decades, walking away from the familiar wasn't an easy decision. Journalism has never been just a job to me. It has shaped who I am, introduced me to people I will never forget and given me a front-row seat to the history of the communities I've called home.
But I also came to believe that local journalism could take a different path forward.
One that was independent, accessible and built around the communities it serves.
One that made room for the big stories and the little ones. The decisions made at city hall and the accomplishments celebrated in school hallways. The businesses investing in our future and the people preserving our past.
One that remembered something I've believed since I was a young sportswriter: The people matter most.
That's why I created The Ohio Valley Current.
Not because I was ready to leave journalism behind, but because I wasn't ready to give up on it.
I wanted to build a publication that reflects the Ohio Valley as I know it — hardworking, resilient, sometimes complicated, full of character and always worthy of being heard.
I know the challenges facing local journalism. I've spent my career watching the industry change. But I also know the need for trustworthy local reporting hasn't disappeared. If anything, it's become more important.
The Ohio Valley Current is my opportunity to take everything I've learned over nearly 30 years and put it toward building something new, something independent and something that belongs to the communities it covers.
I'm proud of where I've been, grateful for the people who helped shape my career and excited about where this next chapter will take me.
And after all these years, I'm looking forward to doing what I loved most when I started — getting back out there and finding the stories.
Because the Ohio Valley has plenty of them to tell.
Rooted here. Looking forward.
The Ohio Valley has no shortage of stories worth telling. Its history runs deep, its communities are resilient and its future deserves the same attention as its past.
We believe local journalism should do more than report what happened. It should provide context, ask questions, hold decision-makers accountable, celebrate accomplishments and give a voice to the people and places too often overlooked.
We're building something designed for the way people get their news today without abandoning the principles that have always made local journalism matter.
We are local journalism by definition and design.
And we're bringing the focus back where it belongs — here.
Welcome to The Ohio Valley Current. Stay informed. Stay connected. Stay Current.
Stephanie Elverd
Editor & Founder, The Ohio Valley Current
Local journalism is finding a new way forward, and The Ohio Valley Current is proud to be part of it.
We believe the best local journalism begins with a simple idea: The communities we call home deserve a news source that knows them, understands them and cares about what happens here.
The Ohio Valley Current is an independently owned, locally operated digital news publication dedicated to keeping residents informed, connected and engaged. From local government and education to business, sports, community events and the people who make this region special, our focus is on the stories that matter to the Ohio Valley.
We cover the places we know best, beginning with Steubenville, Weirton and the surrounding communities, with a commitment to expanding our reach throughout the region.
Local news should never be a luxury.
There is no paywall at The Ohio Valley Current. There never will be one for our local news coverage.
We believe access to reliable local information shouldn't depend on someone's ability or willingness to pay for it.
Whether it's a city council decision, a school board meeting, a developing story or a community celebration, the news that affects your daily life should be available to everyone.
That's why our local news is free, and it always will be.
Our publication is supported through advertising, local business partnerships and optional newsletter subscriptions, allowing us to keep local journalism free and accessible to everyone.
And while our advertisers help make that possible, our editorial decisions remain independent. Advertising support does not buy favorable news coverage.
Stay Current. Straight to your inbox.
We know life gets busy, and keeping up with everything happening in your community isn't always easy. That's why we offer two newsletters designed to bring the Ohio Valley's news directly to you.
Currently is our free weekly newsletter, delivering a convenient roundup of local headlines, community happenings and stories you might have missed.
For readers who want to start every morning knowing what's happening across the region, there's The Undercurrent, our paid daily newsletter. Delivered directly to your inbox, The Undercurrent brings together the day's top news, additional insight and a closer look at the stories shaping our communities.
Subscribing to The Undercurrent is also a way to support independent local journalism and help us continue growing.
But make no mistake: You never have to pay to read our local news. Our newsletters offer convenience, additional perspective and a way to support our work — not a barrier to accessing the information you need.
Why I founded The Ohio Valley Current
My name is Stephanie Elverd, and I've spent nearly 30 years of my life in the news business.
I was barely 20 years old when I began my career as a sportswriter. I learned the business from the sidelines of high school football games, in crowded gymnasiums, at baseball diamonds and in press boxes throughout the Ohio Valley. I learned early that the best stories weren't always found in the final score. They were found in the people behind it.
Over the years, my career took me from covering sports to reporting on local government, breaking news and the issues affecting our communities. Eventually, I moved behind the editor's desk, where I spent countless hours shaping stories, mentoring reporters, writing headlines and helping put newspapers into readers' hands.
I loved journalism then, and I love it now. But somewhere along the way, I realized I was spending more time managing the news than actually reporting it.
I missed being out in the community. I missed talking with the people whose stories deserve to be told. I missed walking into a meeting with a notebook, asking the questions that needed to be asked and discovering something that mattered to the people who live here.
More than anything, I missed the connection.
After nearly three decades, walking away from the familiar wasn't an easy decision. Journalism has never been just a job to me. It has shaped who I am, introduced me to people I will never forget and given me a front-row seat to the history of the communities I've called home.
But I also came to believe that local journalism could take a different path forward.
One that was independent, accessible and built around the communities it serves.
One that made room for the big stories and the little ones. The decisions made at city hall and the accomplishments celebrated in school hallways. The businesses investing in our future and the people preserving our past.
One that remembered something I've believed since I was a young sportswriter: The people matter most.
That's why I created The Ohio Valley Current.
Not because I was ready to leave journalism behind, but because I wasn't ready to give up on it.
I wanted to build a publication that reflects the Ohio Valley as I know it — hardworking, resilient, sometimes complicated, full of character and always worthy of being heard.
I know the challenges facing local journalism. I've spent my career watching the industry change. But I also know the need for trustworthy local reporting hasn't disappeared. If anything, it's become more important.
The Ohio Valley Current is my opportunity to take everything I've learned over nearly 30 years and put it toward building something new, something independent and something that belongs to the communities it covers.
I'm proud of where I've been, grateful for the people who helped shape my career and excited about where this next chapter will take me.
And after all these years, I'm looking forward to doing what I loved most when I started — getting back out there and finding the stories.
Because the Ohio Valley has plenty of them to tell.
Rooted here. Looking forward.
The Ohio Valley has no shortage of stories worth telling. Its history runs deep, its communities are resilient and its future deserves the same attention as its past.
We believe local journalism should do more than report what happened. It should provide context, ask questions, hold decision-makers accountable, celebrate accomplishments and give a voice to the people and places too often overlooked.
We're building something designed for the way people get their news today without abandoning the principles that have always made local journalism matter.
We are local journalism by definition and design.
And we're bringing the focus back where it belongs — here.
Welcome to The Ohio Valley Current. Stay informed. Stay connected. Stay Current.
Stephanie Elverd
Editor & Founder, The Ohio Valley Current
