Resident launches 'Hey Holbrook' newsletter to improve local information flow

At the June 26 council meeting, resident Michael Nelson Jr. introduced "Hey Holbrook," an email-based newsletter he said will publish once a week and aim to collect community events, share concise summaries of city business and provide a consistent, constructive local voice.

Nelson told the council he was motivated by frustrations with Facebook algorithms and occasional misinformation on community pages. He said the newsletter will be free and organized, and that one of its goals is to make local events easier to find: "sometimes I missed it and the time I saw it was because a mutual friend commented… I didn't even know that existed," he said.

Nelson identified himself as a Holbrook native who returned after several years away, and as a local high school teacher and marketing/PR professional. He clarified he does not present the project as formal journalism: "I don't consider myself a journalist… I'm publishing this newsletter but it's very casual," he told the council.

Council members and others responded positively, thanked him and suggested ways the city could help publicize events (for example, offering a QR code in hotels). Nelson said he welcomed the support and plans to publish weekly on Thursdays; he also said he would include brief council meeting summaries to help residents stay informed.

The transcript contains a transcription error for the exact subscription address Nelson read aloud; he referenced a site and an email but the recorded text is garbled. Nelson offered to meet with city administration to discuss coordination and support.