It is a sad day for Whitehorse and the territory at large as the long-standing and well-respected Whitehorse Star sends its last pages to press.

Full disclosure: I am the proud and loving daughter of the Star’s editor.

The paper started publishing in 1899, originally in a tent in northern B.C., before moving to Whitehorse in 1900.

Its pages have since been a welcomed source of comfort and knowledge for people of all ages.

Some take the time to go into the Star offices daily – stopping, chatting, having made a purposeful outting to obtain a copy of the beloved paper.

Others use their Saturday mornings to catch up on the week’s news, sipping coffee and relishing in a relaxing routine that has long-included the local paper.

In such a fast-paced, tech-driven world, this Yukon institution represents a charming form of consistency, authenticity and reliability.

The Star has well-written and thoroughly researched articles, eloquent and thought-provoking editorials and engaging opinion pieces.

All this dialogue delivers important information to citizens – information which makes us wiser consumers, voters and members of our unique Yukon community.

Now, many people with valid concerns in need of acknowledgment and awareness are without this critical avenue of discourse.

For example, the paper is an indispensable method by which Yukon First Nations make their voices and valid concerns heard, which benefits all of us.

The Star also helps maintain a level of accountability within the government and business sectors due to their realistic fears of the veracious paper’s probing.

The insightful editor and my father, Jim Butler, has been a major contributor to the Star’s national reputation.

Hired out of Montréal by the previous editor, the late Jim Beebe, Butler has spent the last 43 years giving his best to the community by way of articulate, relevant and impactful journalism.

The community is thankful to Jim and the whole Star team, past and present, for their many years of unparalleled service to us.

They have operated with true integrity, lively spirit and pure passion for delivering their best to keep Yukoners informed.

Yes, people will surely be hard-pressed to find local journalism that is comparable to what is being lost with today’s closure of the Star.

It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to this exceptional publication. You will always be missed and will never be forgotten.

Undoubtedly, there will be many options for the talented staff going forward.

Perhaps it was just time to turn the page.

A proud and loving daughter of the editor,

The writer lives in Whitehorse.

By ANILEE BUTLER