The Magic Hour Chronicle

**The Magic Hour Chronicle**, briefly called **The Lisko Herald** is an online monthly newspaper focused solely one Erie Harbor, Washington. It was created by Hilde Lisko, who currently serves as the publisher.

## History

Hilde Lisko created the paper when she moved to Erie Harbor. She used the paper to report on the local news, with her first report focusing on the suspicious death of a local woman Penny Gillis. She continued to use the paper to inform the public of updates or breakthroughs in the case. While the paper made her an outcast in her social life, Hilde's penchant for the truth never wavered as she battled online trolls, bullying, and intimidation from people in power who wanted her to stop writing. She successfully reported on, investigated, and solved Penny's murder with help from her best friends and fellow Chronicle helpers, Donny Davis and Wesley Witherspoon. Hilde's father Matthew Lisko assisted her when needed. The paper accumulated reputable sources and tips as time passed. They also helped solve Richie Fife's disappearance, exposed police corruption in Erie Harbor - including Sheriff Frank Briggs Sr.'s involvement in covering up evidence, and helped Mackenzie Johnson be elected Sheriff.

The paper was given national press when Hilde's story of solving Richie's disappearance and Penny's murder becomes a nation-wide story. The Chronicle tries to keep their attention alive by putting up business cards around school to advertise. They offer a student discount for other Erie Harbor School students. After the abandoned cabin flooded, Donny found a new location for their headquarters in an old fishing storage building. Spoon rescued the "Ninja Pirates" sign from the cabin so they could hang it in their new HQ. They later broke the story of the Poisoning of Pinewood Park.

## Contributors

All reporters, journalists, and investigators are volunteers.

* Hilde Lisko - Publisher/Founder/Journalist
* Spoon - Reporter/Investigator
* Donny Davis - Investigator
* Matthew Lisko - Reporter/Investigator
* Bridget Jensen - Guest Columnist (one article)
* Izzy Lisko - The Lisko Herald
* Ginny Lisko - The Lisko Herald
* Matthew Lisko - The Lisko Herald

### Informants

* Sheriff Trip Johnson (former)
* Kim Collins (former)
* Sam Gillis
* Kathryn Briggs
* Al Wergeles
* Mackenzie Johnson Jr.
* Frank Briggs Jr.

## Publications

### Season 1

**Murder in Erie Harbor?**

**Hilde Lisko:** Police are investigating the death of local woman Penny Gillis. The Magic our Chronicle believes Ms. Gillis' death to be a possible homicide. When The Magic Hour Chronicle arrived at the scene of the crime, there were four police cars and an ambulance waiting outside the residence. The front door lock was broken and footprints were spotted. A nearby resident who was home during the time of the incident said they overheard noises which could suggest foul play. Despite the evidence above, local law enforcement officials have said they do not suspect any violence as they believe Ms. Gillis fell off a ladder while changing a light bulb.
-- "*Magic Hour*"

**Hilde Lisko:** To most people in Erie Harbor, Penny Gillis was just the sister of the town bogyman. Penny was more than a sister, though. She was a kind person. She was the only person who didn't laugh at me when I said I was a reporter. Penny was an outsider just because would do anything to help her brother. He told Penny that if she didn't bring drugs or money, he would make sure Sam didn't survive in jail. I wish every mystery could be solved. But in the case of Richie Fife, his story is far from over. If there's anything I've learned from Penny...it's that we should never give up on the people we love. We should make sacrifices for them. We should believe them, even if nobody else does. And we should never, ever stop looking for answers that can set them free. In the end, we should just...love them.
-- "*Sting Like a Bee*"

**Sheriff Briggs's Daughter Reveals Her Father's Secret**

**Hilde Lisko:** A memory haunts the town of Erie Harbor. The memory of Richie Fife's murder. Important people, like our sheriff, Frank Briggs Sr., have tried to erase him. In 1988, soon after the conviction of Sam Gillis, Erie Harbor resident Al Wergeles, aka Birdman, brought Sheriff Briggs a videotape of Richie Fife's abduction. According to his daughter, Kathryn, Sheriff Briggs watched this tape and threw it away. Kathryn brought it to her mom, Annemarie Briggs, who kept it for decades and never had the courage to do what was right. That is until last year, when Annemarie was battling cancer. She gave the tape to Penny Gillis. Annemarie did not want to leave this world knowing that her husband had put an innocent man in prison.
-- "*The Green Bike*"

**Bridget Jensen:** For too long, nothing in this town has changed. The old guard is becoming the new guard. In ten years as a public defender in New York, I never saw as much corruption in law enforcement as I've seen in Erie Harbor. Holmes County's elected officials watched Lieutenant Frank Briggs lied as his disciplinary hearing yesterday with encouragement from his father and his cohorts. Sheriff Briggs let down my husband when he was a child. He let down Mayor Fife. He let down Richie. And they'll all continue to let down our own children if we can't insist on change. The future can be different if we decide that it must be different. And if we're not going to get it done, then we have to follow the lead of our children or get the hell out of their way.
-- "*The Future Is Female*"

**Local Librarian Had A Secret Life**

**Hilde Lisko:** The Chronicle has uncovered that our very own school librarian, Carol Collins, has an unlikely criminal past. Her real name is Margaret Miller, and she was part of a car-theft ring in Portland with her younger brother, Ezekiel Miller, back in the 1970s. She got an early release for good behavior and changed her name to Carol when she moved to Erie Harbor. That's when she married Roger Collins and had her daughter, Erie Harbor's school principal, Kim Collins. Margaret Miller's brother, Ezekiel, was released from prison about six months before Richie Fife was abducted. Ezekiel has a distinguishing tattoo on his arm that reads "sinner." And multiple sources confirmed seeing a man with that tattoo around the time Richie went missing. DNA tests on Richie Fife's jacket revealed Margaret Miller's blood. The jacket remains inadmissible in court. At the time of publication, there is still no conclusive evidence tying Margaret or her brother, Ezekiel, to Richie Fife's disappearance.
-- "*Superhero Monster Slayer*"

**A Real Sheriff Would Look For Justice**

**Hilde Lisko:** 31 years ago, Richie Fife went missing. 31 years ago everything changed for the people of Erie Harbor. 31 years ago, Frank Briggs Sr. put away Sam Gillis for a crime he didn’t commit. All so that he could become sheriff. But at what cost? An innocent man lost his freedom. A town closed its eyes. A family rebuilt its shattered home on top of a false foundation. Richie’s disappearance split the town in two. Those who wanted to find the truth… And those who were willing to accept a lie just so they could sleep at night. But once you close your eyes... it’s not just the things that you don’t want to see that you miss. It’s everything. The kids in this town trusted the adults to do what was right. Our eyes are open, and all we see are two choices. The truth.... and more lies. Open your eyes and do what’s right.
-- "*Bigger Than All of Us*"
### Season 2

**What Is Killing Erie Harbor's Wildlife?**

**Hilde Lisko:** It’s clear that something is changing in Erie Harbor. This past year has been the hottest and wettest on record. Storms have been getting worse and more frequent. Just this past week, a whole flock of birds mysteriously fell from the sky. And birds aren’t the only animals suffering. Yesterday, dozens of fish were found dead in the pond at Pinewood Park. Many local birds use this pond as their water source, which means it could be responsible for all the recent animal deaths, and possibly more to come. So why is The Magic Hour Chronicle the only paper reporting on this? And why aren’t our town leaders doing anything about it? If we keep ignoring what the environment is trying to tell us, the next species impacted could be us.
-- "*Fighting His Ghost*"

**Strata President Confirms Involvement in Spill**

-- "*The Bad Guy*"
## Trivia

* The Magic Hour Chronicles is based on the real online news site created by Hilde Lysiak, *Orange Street News*.
* One can get the Magic Hour Chronicle delivered to their door for $14.99 a year. You have to mail the money along with your name and address to a different address to activate the one year subscription.
* The first article was posted to the Erie Harbor School Community Chalkboard and sent to students, teachers, and parents.
* Their main headquarters is an abandoned cabin in the woods that they shared with Izzy and Ethan.
* With help from Donny Davis's father, the *Chronicle* made merchandise to promote their paper.