How LOCAL 10 and Local Pigeon Work

A reviewed daily local brief for Hastings, Minnesota

LOCAL 10 is HastingsNow.com’s daily neighborly brief for Hastings, Minnesota: ten useful local updates residents may be glad they did not miss.

Each edition is selected from public local source posts, official announcements, reviewed Local Updates, 30-second Soundbites, community signals, and HastingsNow editorial judgment. The goal is simple: help Hastings residents quickly understand what is useful, timely, local, and worth knowing today.

Local Pigeon is the participation layer behind that work. It gives local businesses, organizations, teams, nonprofits, schools, and residents a simple way to send HastingsNow a reviewed update, comment, correction, question, or 30-second Soundbite.

Everything submitted through Local Pigeon is reviewed before anything goes public.

Quick Answers

What is LOCAL 10?

LOCAL 10 is a daily HastingsNow.com feature that highlights ten useful updates for Hastings, Minnesota. It may include civic information, weather context, events, deals, jobs, school and youth activities, nonprofit needs, local business updates, arts, sports, and community stories.

The goal is not to cover everything. The goal is to make the day easier to understand.

What is Local Pigeon?

Local Pigeon is HastingsNow’s reviewed local update and Soundbite system. It lets people send short local updates, record 30-second voice notes, respond to a LOCAL 10 mention, share event details, submit a deal, clarify information, or send something Hastings should know.

Local Pigeon helps turn local attention into useful, reviewed community information.

What is a Soundbite?

A Soundbite is a short voice update, usually around 30 seconds, submitted through Local Pigeon. It can be used by a business owner, organization, resident, event host, nonprofit, or local leader to share something timely and useful with Hastings.

Examples include a weekend special, event reminder, job opening, volunteer need, class registration, thank-you, correction, or quick response to a LOCAL 10 story.

Is LOCAL 10 local news?

LOCAL 10 is a local discovery brief, not a traditional newspaper front page. HastingsNow reviews public source posts and local submissions, then selects ten useful signals for residents.

Some items are civic or public-information updates. Some are local business, event, food, arts, sports, or community updates. The common thread is usefulness to Hastings-area residents.

How does HastingsNow choose the ten stories?

HastingsNow selects LOCAL 10 based on usefulness, timing, local relevance, source diversity, and public value.

Strong LOCAL 10 candidates usually answer questions like:

What is happening?
Who is it for?
When does it happen?
Where does it happen?
Why does it matter to Hastings?
Is there a clear action people can take?
Is the source reliable enough to link to?
Will residents be glad they did not miss it?

LOCAL 10 is not an automatic repost feed. It is a reviewed editorial selection.

Is LOCAL 10 chosen by an algorithm?

No. HastingsNow uses public local source posts and local submissions as discovery signals, but the final LOCAL 10 is selected with human editorial judgment.

The purpose is not to reward the loudest post or the most viral post. The purpose is to surface useful local information.

Is LOCAL 10 paid placement?

No. LOCAL 10 is not a paid ranking.

Businesses and organizations may appear because their update is timely, useful, local, and relevant to Hastings residents. Sponsored content, if used, should be clearly labeled separately.

Can a business pay to be included in LOCAL 10?

LOCAL 10 should not be treated as a guaranteed paid placement. The strongest way to improve your chances is to send or post clear, timely, useful local information.

If HastingsNow offers sponsored placements or advertising in the future, those should be clearly identified so readers can tell the difference between editorial selection and paid promotion.

Why was my business, event, or organization not included?

LOCAL 10 only includes ten items each day, and Hastings has far more than ten things happening.

An update may be left out because it was not timely, did not include enough details, had a fragile link, repeated something already covered, lacked a clear local action, arrived too late, or simply had to compete with stronger public-interest items that day.

Not being included does not mean the update was unimportant.

How can I improve my chances of being featured?

Post or send updates that are clear, local, timely, and useful.

The strongest updates usually include:

What is happening
Who it is for
Date and time
Location
Cost, deal, deadline, or registration link if relevant
A clear action readers can take
A photo HastingsNow has permission to use, if available
Any important “check before you go” details

Examples of strong LOCAL 10 signals include events happening soon, restaurant specials, local deals, jobs, classes, fundraisers, volunteer needs, public notices, youth activities, arts and culture, and useful community announcements.

Can I send HastingsNow an update directly?

Yes. Local businesses, organizations, nonprofits, teams, schools, churches, civic groups, and residents can send HastingsNow a Local Update or record a 30-second Soundbite through Local Pigeon.

Submissions may include events, deals, jobs, announcements, public-service notes, questions, photos, corrections, or community updates.

All submissions are reviewed before anything goes public.

Can residents send tips or questions?

Yes. Residents can send local questions, tips, observations, photo ideas, event reminders, or things they think Hastings should know.

Not every submission will be published, but useful local signals may help HastingsNow discover future LOCAL 10 items, Weather + On This Date context, Local Updates, Soundbites, or follow-up stories.

What is the LOCAL 10 Reply Line?

The LOCAL 10 Reply Line is a reviewed response path for businesses, organizations, teams, events, or public sources mentioned in LOCAL 10.

If your business or organization was featured, you can ask HastingsNow for the LOCAL 10 Reply Line to send a short thank-you, correction, extra detail, updated hours, event reminder, or 30-second Soundbite.

This is not an open comment free-for-all. It is a reviewed way to add useful context.

Can I respond if my business or organization was mentioned?

Yes. If your business, organization, team, event, nonprofit, or public update was mentioned in LOCAL 10, you can DM HastingsNow and ask for the LOCAL 10 Reply Line.

Good responses include:

“Thank you for including us.”
“Here are updated hours.”
“Registration closes Friday.”
“We sold out, but here is the next date.”
“Here is the official link.”
“Here is a 30-second message from the owner.”
“Here is a correction or clarification.”

HastingsNow reviews responses before publishing.

Can I correct or clarify something?

Yes. HastingsNow welcomes corrections and updated details from official sources, featured businesses, organizations, and community members.

Corrections should be clear, specific, and source-backed when possible. For official civic, election, safety, school, emergency, or health-related information, HastingsNow prefers to link directly to the official source.

Will every Local Pigeon submission be published?

No. Submitting a Local Update or Soundbite does not guarantee publication.

HastingsNow reviews submissions for public value, clarity, timing, local relevance, safety, source quality, and fit. Some submissions may be edited for clarity, held for later, used as discovery signals, or not published.

What kinds of updates work best?

The most useful updates are timely, local, specific, and actionable.

Good examples:

A Saturday event with time and location
A restaurant special with dates
A job opening with how to apply
A class with registration link
A nonprofit need with donation details
A youth sports sign-up deadline
A public meeting notice
A road, trail, or civic update
A correction to a published item
A local photo with permission to use it
A 30-second owner update

What kinds of updates are less likely to be used?

Updates are less likely to be used if they are vague, outdated, overly promotional without public value, missing dates or links, not local to Hastings, duplicate something already covered, rely on fragile links, or require HastingsNow to make unsupported claims.

HastingsNow may also avoid sensitive images or topics involving children, medical details, private individuals, conflict, accusations, or safety issues unless there is clear public value and safe wording.

Does HastingsNow reuse images from public social posts?

No, not automatically.

Public social posts may be used as discovery sources, but images from public posts are not reused unless HastingsNow has permission, owns the image, receives an approved partner image, or uses a safe generic/local visual.

For final publishing, HastingsNow prefers HastingsNow-owned images, approved partner images, generic LOCAL 10 graphics, Local Pigeon graphics, or direct links to the original source.

Can I send a photo for HastingsNow to use?

Yes. If you send a photo, make sure you have the right to share it and that HastingsNow has permission to use it.

The best photos are clear, local, safe, and relevant to the update. Avoid private, sensitive, or unclear images unless everyone involved understands how the image may be used.

What happens after I submit a Soundbite or Local Update?

HastingsNow reviews the submission. If it is useful, clear, timely, and appropriate, HastingsNow may turn it into a Local Update, include it in LOCAL 10, publish it as a Soundbite, use it as a discovery signal, or follow up for clarification.

If something is unclear, HastingsNow may ask for more details before publishing.

Can Local Pigeon be used for events?

Yes. Local Pigeon is a good fit for event reminders, registration deadlines, schedule changes, volunteer needs, ticket links, fundraiser details, and day-of updates.

The best event submissions include the event name, date, time, location, who it is for, cost if relevant, and one link where people can learn more or register.

Can Local Pigeon be used for deals or specials?

Yes. Businesses can use Local Pigeon to send deals, specials, menus, seasonal offers, and limited-time announcements.

The strongest deal updates include the business name, what the offer is, when it starts and ends, how to claim it, and any limits or important details.

Can Local Pigeon be used for jobs?

Yes. Local Pigeon can help local employers share job openings, hiring events, seasonal work, internships, volunteer roles, or application deadlines.

The best job updates include the role, employer, location, schedule, pay range if available, who should apply, and how to apply.

Can Local Pigeon be used by nonprofits?

Yes. Nonprofits can use Local Pigeon to share donation needs, volunteer opportunities, fundraisers, community services, wish lists, registration deadlines, and impact updates.

Clear, specific needs work best.

Can schools, teams, churches, and civic groups use Local Pigeon?

Yes. Local Pigeon is designed for local organizations that have useful information Hastings residents may want to know.

Examples include youth sports registration, school events, church fundraisers, community meals, club meetings, public programs, arts events, and volunteer opportunities.

How is LOCAL 10 different from scrolling Facebook?

LOCAL 10 is designed to save residents time.

Instead of asking people to scroll through dozens of feeds, HastingsNow reviews public local signals and organizes ten useful updates in one place. LOCAL 10 links back to original sources whenever possible, keeps the tone neighborly, and invites reviewed responses through Local Pigeon.

How is Local Pigeon different from a comment section?

A comment section is often instant, public, and unstructured. Local Pigeon is reviewed, local, and purpose-built for useful updates.

It gives Hastings residents and local organizations a way to respond without turning every story into a public argument. The goal is clarity, context, and community value.

Is Local Pigeon replacing social media?

No. Local Pigeon does not replace Facebook, Instagram, websites, newsletters, or official pages.

It helps connect them. HastingsNow can discover public local updates, link back to original sources, and give people a reviewed way to add context or respond.

Why does HastingsNow link to original sources?

LOCAL 10 is built on attribution. When HastingsNow includes a public update, it should point readers to the original source or the best official link whenever possible.

This helps readers get the latest details, helps local sources receive traffic and attention, and keeps HastingsNow’s role clear: discover, review, organize, and guide.

What if a link is broken or requires login?

Some social links are fragile, especially Facebook Reels, Instagram posts, or mobile-only links. HastingsNow tries to use the best available public link and may include a backup link when possible.

If you are the source and have a better official link, send it to HastingsNow.

What does “reviewed before anything goes public” mean?

It means HastingsNow looks at submissions before publishing them.

Review may include checking whether the update is local, timely, clear, safe, useful, properly attributed, and appropriate for public sharing. It also helps reduce spam, confusion, duplicate updates, and unsafe claims.

What should I include in a 30-second Soundbite?

A strong Soundbite usually includes:

Your name or organization
What is happening
Why it matters
Date, time, or deadline
Where people should go or what they should do next

Example: “Hi, this is Sarah from Main Street Bakery. We’re taking Fourth of July orders through Tuesday at noon. You can order online or stop in downtown. We’ll have sourdough, cookies, and picnic treats ready for pickup next week.”

How often is LOCAL 10 published?

LOCAL 10 is intended to be a daily HastingsNow feature. Timing may vary, but the goal is to make it a reliable local habit for Hastings residents.

Where can I find today’s LOCAL 10?

Start at HastingsNow.com or visit the LOCAL 10 section on HastingsNow.com. Today’s LOCAL 10 is usually paired with the day’s Weather + On This Date post so readers can check the forecast and the useful local updates in one visit.

Where can I send something Hastings should know?

Send HastingsNow a message, submit a Local Update, or record a 30-second Soundbite through Local Pigeon.

If your business or organization was mentioned in LOCAL 10, DM HastingsNow and ask for the LOCAL 10 Reply Line.

Short Public Note

LOCAL 10 is built from reviewed local updates, public source posts, official announcements, Soundbites, and HastingsNow editorial selection. Public social posts are used as discovery sources; images from public posts are not reused unless permission is granted. Have something Hastings should know? Send a Local Update or record a 30-second Soundbite with Local Pigeon.

Suggested Page CTA

Have something Hastings should know?

Send a Local Update, record a 30-second Soundbite, or ask HastingsNow for the LOCAL 10 Reply Line if your business, organization, team, or event was mentioned.

All submissions are reviewed before anything goes public.