Thanks to the community’s support of local journalism, six people will jump into the Allegheny River at 2 p.m. today.

With less than a week to the Parker Polar Plunge, enough people have newly subscribed to the Butler Eagle, sending reporters, editors and the Butler County Chamber of Commerce president Jordan Grady into the icy waters on New Year’s Day.

Eagle staff writers Eddie Trizzino and Austin Uram had agreed to jump for 10 and 15 new subscribers respectively. Grady joined in the frigid fun with a goal of 20 total new subscribers, and three others with more cautious goals lowered their numbers in the final hours before the jump.

For the benefit of local news, three Butler Eagle employees who started the campaign with high asks — assignment editor Tracy Leturgey, podcast/video producer Laura Crago and copy desk chief Joe Genco — lowered their requests to “24 new subscribers before 2024,“ encouraging more people to subscribe just in time.

“Subscribers — new and long-standing — play a important role in keeping local news in the hands of our community. It’s with reader support that we ensure the future of sustainable, high quality, independent local news,” Leturgey said. “To everyone who subscribes to the Butler Eagle, thank you.”

Follow the Butler Eagle’s Facebook page to watch the jump live on Jan. 1 at 2 p.m.

If you’d like to subscribe to the Butler Eagle, digital subscriptions start at $8 per month, and print subscriptions are available for $16 a month — roughly 60 cents per paper.