Chris Hardie
I'm a newspaper publisher, reporter and technologist. I've built and led organizations in both software and local news.
Journalism & publishing
Local news, up close.
I work at the intersection of journalism, technology and civic engagement, mostly by running a community newspaper, experimenting with ways to keep people informed, and writing about what I learn along the way.
Western Wayne News
I'm the owner and publisher of this print and online community newspaper. We cover the towns, schools and people of Wayne County, Indiana.
At the Crossroads
My new book collects a year of my weekly newspaper columns in one place. It's a mix of humor, personal stories, and civic observation. Available in paperback or ebook.
Other writing
My byline has appeared in a few other spots including McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Strong Towns, and various journalism-related newsletters. I also write semi-regularly on three other blogs:
Personal blog
Life, family, travel, politics, community affairs and whatever's on my mind, going back to 1999.
Tech & software blog
Practical notes on software, Laravel, home automation, WordPress and infrastructure.
Lately
Chronicle
A running stream of the things I've been posting, publishing and linking to lately.
- It was one of those “to make a given content change on a given website, I must upgrade an Ubuntu server kernel” kind of days.
Mastodon - Election ballot errors affect uncontested town races
Western Wayne NewsWhile some of Wayne County’s towns might have hundreds of…
- Upgraded my router firmware to patch a security issue so I can receive the next email about a need to upgrade the firmware to patch the next security issue so I can…Mastodon
- “Live now; make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again." —Jean-Luc Picard, “The Inner Light”RIP Sir Patrick 😭Mastodon
- Lots to reckon with here. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/29/ralph-nader-midterm-electionsMastodon
- Wait, does our indoor cat think we spend the entire work/school day in the garage, avoiding him?Mastodon
- Report to the Community, 2026 Q3
Civic Spark Media LLCAs a part of our goal to operate for the…
- Report to the Community, 2026 Q2Civic Spark Media LLC
As a part of our goal to operate for the…
- Report to the Community, 2026 Q1Civic Spark Media LLC
As a part of our goal to operate for the…
- Report to the Community, 2025 Q4Civic Spark Media LLC
As a part of our goal to operate for the…
- Police fuel cost increases weigh town’s 2027 budgetWestern Wayne News
Centerville Town Council adopted its 2027 budget during a brief…
- Could it be that my dishwasher received a PHP patch today? #php2shell #phpMastodon
Software
Building tools for the open web.
I'm a full stack developer who's been building websites and software for decades, now with a focus on Laravel, WordPress, publishing tools and software that helps communities. Here are a few things I work on or contribute to.
Learn more
I also consult, speak, volunteer and invest. Here are a few good places to go next.