About North Penn Now

North Penn Now Staff•

Welcome to North Penn Now! We are a veteran-owned, hyper-local news service serving the North Penn region of southeastern Pennsylvania. Launched in August 2018, our mission is to empower our community and our readers by providing accurate, up-to-the-minute information in regards to news, incidents, elections, events, local happenings and more.

Below you will find information regarding our editorial team, the types of content we will provide, advertising opportunities, ways to become involved and more.

FROM THE EDITOR:

My name is Keith E. Heffintrayer, and I am the owner, operator and editor of North Penn Now. Though initially from Allentown, I’ve called Lansdale home for the greater portion of the last 25 years. In that time, I have developed a strong connection to the North Penn region, its residents and its way of life, making my move to the area one of the more profound experiences in my life.

I began my career as a journalist in 2010 with the Lansdale Patch, when then-editor Tony Di Domizio reached out and asked me if I was interested in writing a weekly column. Over the following months, and under Tony’s mentorship, I grew into a role as a local — then regional — contributor, providing a variety of news coverage and features for the area. Within a year, I had become an editor, and by the end of my time with Patch, I had served in an editorial capacity for sites in Lansdale, Upper Dublin, Ambler, Norristown, Lower Providence, Pottstown and Perkiomen Valley.

Afterwards, I went on to serve as an editor with Hibu, covering anywhere between six to 10 community magazines at a time.

On the personal side of things, I’m a veteran of the United States Army, having served as a forward observer in the 3^rd Infantry Division (Mech), I’m a father of one incredible little girl, and I spend much of my down time volunteering as the First Friday chairman for Discover Lansdale. I have a passion for knowledge, for journalism and for the North Penn region, and I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to again don a press pass and further serve our incredible community.

NORTH PENN NOW STAFF:

Bruce Schwartz, Associate Editor: Bruce brings more than three decades of editorial experience to North Penn Now, stemming from his years at USA Today and, before that, at the North Penn Reporter. He has a passion for journalism and community service, and he currently volunteers as both a board member and magazine editor for Discover Lansdale, while also serving on Lansdale's Economic Development Committee.

Tony Di Domizio, Contributor: Though much of the area is already familiar with "Tony D,” it goes without saying that he has a passion for local journalism, as is evidenced by his years with The Reporter, the Lansdale Patch and TAP into North Penn. Tony will be contributing a variety of content to North Penn Now, while simultaneously offering a variety of consulting services through his other business, Write Idea Media.

Bob Kelly, Photographer: Bob comes from a family of ultra-talented, award-winning photojournalists who have made their professional marks across southeastern Pennsylvania. Likewise, Bob has been making a mark of his own since he joined North Penn Now in the summer of 2019, and he's a frequent site at events, accident/crime scenes and ceremonies. Check out Bob's non-news portfolio here, or follow him on Instagram: @BobKellyPix.

Hannah Nguyen, Intern: Hannah is a second-year journalism student at Emerson College and a North Penn Class of 2021 alum. She joined North Penn Now in December 2021 as an intern. She has bylines in The Berkeley Beacon and AsAmNews. Check out her website here.

TYPES OF CONTENT PROVIDED:

Our goal is to paint a comprehensive image of day-to-day life in the North Penn community, so we will provide any content that proves useful or enlightening to our readership and residents. That means everything from crime, elections and government to business openings, features on prominent people and more. While the majority of our content will be original, there will be times where we aggregate from other sources, share content with our colleagues from other sites, post press releases and publish content from users and residents.

If you have a story idea, or see something that should be covered (immediately or otherwise), please send your information to [email protected].

POLICE, COURTS AND CRIMINAL INCIDENTS

Anyone mentioned in a police blotter, criminal case or court proceeding is legally innocent until proven guilty. Arrests, and the details contained therein, represent the point of view of law enforcement, noted by the use of "allegedly," "police said," etc. In the event charges are dropped, a defendant is found not guilty via trial, or an arrest fails to lead to charges, we will update our original story to reflect those outcomes.

EDITORIAL POLICY

North Penn Now welcomes editorial submissions from community leaders, elected officials, candidates running for office and the public at large. We believe that these submissions can present solutions to issues, further civil discourse on volatile issues and allow voters to understand the candidates.

We have no requirements regarding the length or style of editorial submissions, however we ask that potential editorial authors refrain from personal attacks or naming individuals, and instead focus their efforts on policy or the issue at hand. Submissions that attack or focus on individuals instead of their positions will be rejected.

Editorials are approved or rejected on a per-submission basis. Editorials may be edited by our staff for punctuation, grammar and style. All claims made within the editorial are representative of the author, and all claims and statements should be corroborated by a source via an embedded link where applicable.

NOTE: Due to an overwhelming amount of recent submissions, many of which have no local connection and do not meet the criteria for publication, we have made the decision to place a moratorium on all op-eds and letters to the editor until Nov. 9, 2022.

GET INVOLVED. SEND US YOUR IDEAS, CONTENT AND TIPS:

Sometimes it takes a (hyper-local) village, and for us, that includes you, the reader! If you encounter something newsy or noteworthy, reach out and let us know! Maybe it’s a funny moment, or a small-business ribbon cutting, or a line of ducklings slowing down traffic; shoot an email to [email protected] or contact us on our Facebook page to let us know what you’re seeing!

AFFORDABLE AND CREATIVE ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES:

North Penn Now wants to make advertising efficient, effective and fun for any type or size of business, be it a small sole proprietorship or a national corporation. We provide standard "banner ads” in a variety of shapes and sizes, but we also provide other advertising mechanisms including sponsored content, newsletter promotions, social media, sectional sponsorships and more.

Contact us today at [email protected] to find out how we can help your business!