> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.newglarus360.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# New Glarus 360 Marks One Year of Local News
- URL: https://www.newglarus360.com/new-glarus-360-marks-one-year-of-local-news/
- Published: 2026-09-02T10:00:32.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-02T11:49:57.000Z
- Description: What began as a Facebook-first experiment in September 2025 has grown into a daily digital news operation that says it has published 2,010 articles, sent 256 newsletters and built an audience of nearly 2,900 subscribers during its first year.
- Author: Todd Klassy
- Tags: News

One year after launching with the idea that New Glarus needed more local news, more often, *New Glarus 360* has grown from a Facebook-centered experiment into a daily digital publication covering the village and surrounding community.

Since Sept. 1, 2025, the publication says it has published 1,980 articles, sent 256 email newsletters and recorded 372,235 website views. Its subscriber list has grown to 2,894 people.

Its largest audience remains on Facebook, where *New Glarus 360* has more than 6,400 followers. That following is notable in a village with fewer than 900 households, although the publication also reaches surrounding communities, former residents and others with ties to New Glarus.

*New Glarus 360* is owned by Todd Klassy, a 1985 graduate of New Glarus High School whose journalism experience began while he was still a student. He wrote for The Old Guard and New Glarus Gazette and covered local government meetings for several Green County newspapers before eventually pursuing careers in marketing, telecommunications and professional photography. He returned to New Glarus in 2021 after more than a decade in Montana.

Frustrated by what he saw as gaps in local news coverage after returning home, Klassy decided to see whether a small digital publication could provide more frequent reporting about the community.

Facebook was central to the strategy from the beginning. Rather than relying on readers to immediately develop a habit of visiting another news website, *New Glarus 360* put much of its early reporting on a platform residents were already using. The operation gradually expanded its website, email newsletters and other digital channels.

The publishing pace has been unusual for a small-community news organization. 1,980 articles in a year works out to roughly five or six published items per day, with stories appearing throughout the day rather than being collected for a weekly edition.

Artificial intelligence has been part of that workflow almost from the beginning. *New Glarus 360* uses AI tools to help organize information, outline stories, edit copy and improve efficiency in what remains largely a one-person newsroom. And it has never made a secret about it. The technology also contributed to one of the publication’s earliest and most serious lessons. Shortly after launch, an error made while quickly reporting the closing of a local business resulted in an false headline and story. The incident led to additional safeguards and editorial controls. Klassy says every story is reviewed and approved by a human, with reporting decisions, editorial judgment and fact-checking remaining his responsibility.

Over the past year, coverage has included village and town government, debates over ATV and UTV access, emergency medical services, Highway 69 reconstruction, elections, fires, school issues and high school sports.

The publication has also devoted significant space to stories that may not otherwise receive much attention: new businesses, community organizations, old photographs, local history, real estate, festivals, church events and the everyday people and activities that make up life in the community.

That breadth is central to the *New Glarus 360* model. It has no print edition or weekly deadline. Its geographic focus is narrow, but its publishing schedule is continuous. A village board story can appear alongside a soccer recap, historical photograph, business opening and weekend event preview on the same day.

The business model has evolved as the audience has grown. *New Glarus 360* now relies on a combination of paid memberships and local advertising, while continuing to make public safety information and some other community content available without charge.

The first year does not establish whether that model will prove sustainable over the long term. The operation remains heavily dependent on one person, and maintaining the pace of its first year while expanding reporting capacity will be one of its challenges going forward.

But after 1,980 articles, 256 newsletters, more than 372,000 website views, nearly 2,900 subscribers and a Facebook audience exceeding 6,400, its first year has answered at least one question: There was an audience for more frequent, narrowly focused local news in New Glarus.

The question entering year two is what *New Glarus 360* can build from it.

*– What should New Glarus 360 be covering in its second year? Send story ideas, news tips and suggestions to editor@newglarus360.com.*

*– Digitally rendered image*