VNN This Month In America | November 2021

That’s a whole lotta community news!

Hello, Verified News Community.

VNN’s Brittany Harlow here. INSERT > Overused but still true can’t believe 2021 is almost over comment.

November was lightning in a bottle so let’s get to it!

New York’s dynamic duo Ray and Kay Alvarez. You have to see these photos. He’s the photographer, she’s the makeup artist and model. Absolutely stunning. It’s no surprise why their enterprise is expanding in Broome County.  

Speaking of expanding- a HUGE congratulations to our New York Journalist Rocky Brown who expanded her family this month with the birth of her son. She’s taking some much-needed time off until further notice.  

Over in Michigan, Rachael Schuit shared an incredibly inspiring story about a woman who quit her 9 to 5 to move to a farm and make cheese. Literally. We’re talking 100 pounds of cheese a week. Now she’s inspiring others to live out their dreams, too.  

Now Rocky and Rachael, these two became part company owners this month thanks to our VNN Journalist Vesting Program. I couldn’t ask for a better team as VNN continues to revolutionize news media for the better.    

We did have some sad entrepreneur news in Oklahoma this month. A couple who lost their home and everything they owned in a fire right before the holidays, just a few months after launching their business. We have ways you can help them in this story on our app.  

These stories and more wouldn’t be possible without Elevate Holistics, one of the biggest funders of Verified News. Their sponsorship supports local news all over the country as well as their own weekly series CANNABIS WEEKLY.  

November stories included “Here’s How Using Medical Marijuana Could Impact Your Insurance” and “10 Gifts Your Cannabis-Loving Friends Will Actually Use”. Tis the season!  

Our mission to have media help and not harm continued this month, as we told you how false information doesn’t just drive divisiveness. As Native Americans continue to fight for what was promised to them more than a century later, misinformation and disinformation actually threaten their tribal sovereignty.

And speaking of tech news, Meta questions, anyone? VNN Alabama Journalist Jasmin Washington told us more about the plans Meta, formerly Facebook, has to rule the metaverse and why some people don’t think they’re the best ones to pave the way. 

Love me some community outreach. We had a great event in Broken Arrow this month, telling people why they should become a part of our Verified News Community. And we had a pretty cool giveaway in the process. Christina Ferguson won our $100 Target gift card- just for signing up for our news and updates. If you stopped by, you also had a chance to meet new VNN Oklahoma Journalist Jennah James. 

Are you feeling like you want to win something? You’re in luck- if you can catch some codes. That’s right. Right now! This is VNN’s first public announcement about our new Code Catchers quest. Starting in December, find codes in VNN news stories, enter them online, collect points and win prizes. The more points you collect, the more chances you have to win.   

Come on! Join us if you haven’t already. We’re on the journey for news and information together, so might as well let us do all the heavy lifting. Check out the “Get Involved” section of our homepage to learn more about the different ways we can support each other within the Verified News Community.  

Hard to believe I’m saying this but tune in next month for the last TMIA of 2021. I hope you have an amazing holiday season in the meantime!