The Neighborhood News was a weekly Granby newspaper, which ran from 1939 to 1943. It was produced by two children, Buddy Pendleton and Mary Teale. Buddy, age 6, was the editor, and Mary, age 6, the assistant editor, although sometimes her older sister, Christine, age 11, would fill in for her. Buddy was the son of Dr. Ernest Pendleton and Mary and Christine were daughters of Revered Arthur Teale, pastor of South Congregational Church.
The first edition was published on May 27, 1939. The mimeographed sheet of paper was delivered to 17 homes. Eventually, the weekly newspaper would reach 125 town residents, mostly delivered to those who lived near the center. The typical edition was one page, but occasionally reached two if it was a heavy news cycle.
In each edition, the children included a joke to keep things lighthearted. One humorous example includes:
“A Father asked his son if he needed help with his lessons.
“Aw, no Dad,” replied the boy, “I might as well get it wrong by myself.”
Much of the news Buddy and Mary shared was where Granby residents were traveling for business or vacation and who was visiting neighborhood homes:
“Dale Deming is spending the weekend with his Grandmother Mrs. Goddard.”
“Mrs. G. Hayes and Mrs. E.R. Pendleton spent two days in Westfield at the Centennial of the Westfield Teachers’ College. There are many graduates of this college living in Granby.”
“Mr. Brunelle has gone to Chicago for business.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Loomis and Bruce went Friday on a trip to the west.”
“Peter Avery and his mother and father went to Glouster. Peter saw a great big tuna fish.”
Occasionally, Mary Teale would write about her father’s occupation:
“Today in West Hartford, Daddy is going to marry Miss Charlotte Graves and Mr. David Ashton. Last summer he married Mr. Ashton’s brother William; they are living in Spring Glen.”
Alternatively, there may be baby announcement or recipes—but there was almost always an animal story such as:
“Fred Kendall’s dog has caught nine woodchucks this year.”
“Jimmie Holcombe’s dog, Timmie, was hit by an auto and had to spend the Fourth in the Dog Hospital.”
For four years, the hometown newspaper was distributed around the center of town. To pay the cost of the paper, ads were run in the paper from businesses such as The Salmon Brook Country Club, Beman Hardware Store, and The Granby Soda Shop. The weekly newspaper also got national attention when news outlets such as The News-Herald, The Amarillo Globe-Times, and The Scrantonian, mentioned the young editors.
Following their education in Granby, Buddy, Mary and Christine all went on to university.
Buddy attended Boston University and was the editor of the Boston University Yearbook in 1951. After graduating, he worked for the Bank of Boston for 38 years, retiring as vice-president. He was married for 43 years and had two children. Buddy died on July 17, 2012, at the age of 83 in Melrose, Mass.
Mary Teale went to King College to study liberal arts and there met her future husband, Carson Hatfield. They were married for 71 years. They raised three children in Ohio. In 1974, they moved to Quebec, Canada where she was very involved with the youth ministry of the United Church, eventually being honored with an honorary doctorate from the United Theological Church in Montreal in 1997. Mary died on Oct. 8, 2021 at the age of 90.
Christine Teale earned her B.A. at Syracuse University, where she met her husband, Robert Howes. They had six children and her husband served as a pastor at the South Congregational Church in Kennebunkport, Maine for over 30 years. Christine continued to write, focusing on poetry and lyrics for many composers. Later, she taught English at the University of New England. Christine died three months after Mary, on Jan. 26, 2021 at the age of 94.
Those three young editors went from running their own town paper to leading long, successful lives. To learn more about Buddy Pendleton or Mary and Christine Teale or read some of the news from The Neighborhood News, come join the Salmon Brook Historical Society by calling 860-653-9713, or go online at salmonbrookhistoricalsociety.com
Write-up from Hartford Times, 1939, exact date not known. 
Clip from an early edition of The Neighborhood News.