With 2026 now officially upon us, I am excited to share some updates we’ve been working on here at My Buckhannon.

We launched this site in 2018, and a lot has changed since then. While we’ve kept our focus on bringing you stories you can’t get anywhere else — local government, courts and crime, business, education — we’ve also been quietly revamping some of the systems that power the site itself.

Already in the first few days of this year, we’ve launched a new, easier-to-use login system. It’s designed to eliminate a common pain point: remembering passwords.

Here’s how it works: When you go to log in, you enter your email address. We send you a six-digit code. You type in the code, and you’re in. That’s it. No password required.

If the email you enter doesn’t have an account associated with it, you can create one with a single click.

Rather get your codes by text message? Just add a phone number to your account.

We’ve also updated our paywall to use this same system. If you come across a member-exclusive story and you’re not logged in, enter your email, get the code, and the story is yours.

We want reading our stories to be as easy as possible.

We’re also working on updates to our account page and some backend systems. This is a work in progress, and you’ll see things continue to roll out over the coming weeks.

As always, we’re keeping a sharp eye on our news and sports coverage as we head into 2026. We meet as a team every day to talk about what stories matter to this community.

Whether it’s in-depth reporting on the Rock Cave Elementary closure, the city’s plans for a new water plant and the rate increases that come with it, or coverage of economic development, education and business — these are the stories that make a difference.

If you have ideas or things you’d like to see, shoot us an email. We’re the only totally independent, locally owned news organization in this area, and we’re proud to live here, work here and bring you stories about our community every single day.

Here’s to a happy, healthy and exciting 2026.