Last Thursday, we reported that an undisclosed, out-of-state company was considering a site between Hopkinsville and Pembroke to build a 500,000-square-foot meat processing plant.
A few days later, on Monday, Jennifer attended a community meeting in Pembroke and reported about residents’ concerns. We then used the scarce details provided by local officials to narrow down the unnamed prospect to the Green Bay, Wisconsin-based American Foods Group. After four planes carrying individuals with ties to the development landed Thursday at the Hopkinsville-Christian County Airport, we published stories on the whirlwind day of meetings that followed and used records to glean more information about who was in town and what they may have discussed.
There’s no denying it: A development of this scale would have an enormous impact on the community and deserves public input.
Before last week, officials had not discussed the project publicly. But we were able to tell many of these stories thanks, in part, to tips from readers. It’s an important part of our mission to cover issues that are often overlooked or misunderstood — and you’re a crucial part of that.
There are still many unanswered questions that we are working to resolve. We also plan to take an in-depth look at how a development of this magnitude can affect a community.
As we seek to address some of the most important issues related to this story, we want to hear from you. If you’re a resident, how do you feel the development would affect you? What issues do you want to know more about, and what questions do you have?
To participate, please send us your feedback using the following form. We will analyze responses and use them to help shape the stories we tell.
Julia Hunter is the engagement editor for Hoptown Chronicle. Reach her at julia@hoptownchronicle.org.
