HENDERSON, N.C. — In the grand tradition of small-town newspapers, The Daily Dispatch operates right in the middle of downtown Henderson, North Carolina, where you’re free to barge in, march up to the editor’s desk and announce your fury that the wrong crossword puzzle appears on page A8.

The entire news staff consists of two reporters, one editor and a Lab-pitbull mix named Scoot, who sometimes barks and howls her way through an interview with a football coach or the mayor.

The City Hall reporter, Tyler Davis, stands 6-foot-9 and lives in an apartment over the newsroom, while sports reporter Graham Noble occupies a nearby house where the rent came half-price — possibly because the double-wide trailer next door had partially burned down.

Together, this scrappy trio is keeping local news

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