AroundPtown.com Welcomes New Owner

Janel Stahr of Rock Falls is the new owner of AroundPtown.com. She also owns and operates Stahr Media, along with her husband, Nathan. While their business focuses on website user experience and development, print graphic design and marketing, they both have a rich history in and passion for the news business.

Janel started working for the local newspaper in 1997, right out of high school. “Ink is in my blood now,” she said. She started as a reporter, actually covering western Whiteside County, before moving to police and courts, and eventually settling in as a copy editor and then assistant managing editor, winning many awards throughout her eight years with the newspaper.

It was during that job that she met Nathan, who started in the press room at the newspaper and went on to work in, as he puts it, “every department except accounting.” Nathan is also no stranger to the area, having served as information technology director for Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico CUSD #3 from 2010-2020.

“When Dan [Eyrich, former owner of AroundPtown.com] came to me in 2014-ish for help starting his website, I was thrilled to even have a small part in the news business again,” Janel said. “I really believe local news is so important and with a 24-hour news cycle, being able to provide that local news in an online format is a must.”

Eyrich, a Prophetstown native with a 20-year career as a TV photojournalist, credits his son Josh for the idea. “It is very unique for a small community to have such a resource,” Eyrich said.

As AroundPtown.com readers can attest, Eyrich has served Prophetstown, Erie, Tampico, Lyndon, Deer Grove and the surrounding area very well.

“He has really been an integral part of the area, and he will definitely be missed,” Janel said. “But rest assured that we plan to continue to serve the news as you have grown accustomed to under Dan’s leadership. We’ve got a strong team in place, and we look forward to AroundPtown continuing to be a part of your days for many years to come.”

In 2023, Dan and his wife, Sue, moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, to be closer to their grandchildren as they look forward to retirement.

“I always felt as though AroundPtown.com was my fourth child. It needed constant attention, but I loved every – well, almost every – minute of adding content, updating items and keeping the local communities informed,” Eyrich said. “I know that Janel and Nathan will not only maintain the site’s high standards, but will bring improvements and innovations. Please continue to support the site in any way you can and help keep it one of the reasons residents can be proud of their communities.”

Even before the Stahrs married in 1999, they knew they wanted to be business owners. Their love for the news business, and media in general, led them to own and operate a small local entertainment newspaper for a couple of years before launching Stahr Media. There, they provide website development, print graphic design, marketing support and technology services. One of their staff members recently became a licensed commercial drone pilot, and with the remodel of the second floor of their office building, they expect to launch another new business in the next few months.

Janel and Nathan can almost always be found within 3 feet of each other – usually commenting on politics and the news, of course! They reside in Rock Falls with their son, Quinn; their dog, Emmy; and their cats, Ozzy and Pixel. Their daughter, Grace, and her husband, Miguel Cano, are finishing school in Platteville, Wis., and plan to move back to the Sauk Valley area after graduation.

“The goal of AroundPtown.com is and always has been to serve the local area with the most accurate information available,” said Janel. “We will never stop allowing citizens to be well-informed on issues that affect them.”