Petersburg City Council honors The P-I's Kristi K. Higgins for her journalistic work

Bill Atkinson, Petersburg Progress-Index
Updated ·4 min read
Progress-Index journalist and columnist Kristi K. Higgins hugs Petersburg Mayor Sam Parham as other City Council members come down to join them Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, at the Petersburg Public Library. Higgins was honored by council with a proclamation for her 'well-written tales' and recent awards from Virginia Press Association and the Southern Virginia Chamber of Commerce.

PETERSBURG − Longtime Progress-Index journalist and columnist Kristi K. Higgins normally tries to shine the spotlight on business trends, entertainment news and interesting topics.

Tuesday night, it was her turn to shine in the spotlight, as Petersburg City Council issued a proclamation honoring her and her "The Social Butterfly" column for "uplifting and fun stories" in and around Petersburg. Higgins, who usually can talk a mile a minute, stood practically speechless after Petersburg Mayor Sam Parham read the document aloud at the beginning of meeting.

She was even more at a loss for words when all seven councilors stepped down from the dais to shake hands with her, hug her and pose for photographs.

Wednesday morning, Higgins was still buzzing about honor, saying she was “blown away” by the proclamation and the fact that all seven council members greeted her ... more than one time.

“Being a multimedia journalist, columnist, reporter and storyteller is more than a job. It's an opportunity to make a difference in the community,” she said. “A lot of great people roll up their sleeves to make this world a better place, and I love to highlight those angels on earth. The world has too many negative Nellys and Nathans ... choose to be a positive Pollyanna or Preston."

Progress-Index journalist and columnist Kristi K. Higgins, center, stands with Petersburg City Council members Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, at the Petersburg Public Library. Higgins was honored by council with a proclamation for her 'well-written tales' and recent awards from Virginia Press Association and the Southern Virginia Chamber of Commerce.
Progress-Index journalist and columnist Kristi K. Higgins, center, stands with Petersburg City Council members Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, at the Petersburg Public Library. Higgins was honored by council with a proclamation for her 'well-written tales' and recent awards from Virginia Press Association and the Southern Virginia Chamber of Commerce.

The proclamation, co-sponsored by Parham and Ward 5 Councilor Howard Myers, reads as follows:

  • WHEREAS, Kristi Higgins grew up in Iowa and has called Virginia her home since 1986 and is the proud mother of two wonderful children; and

  • WHEREAS, she pursued an Associates in Science and Business Degree at Richard Bland College of William & Mary College and graduated as the 1990 Class Valedictorian. She also served as an Honor Court member and as Phi Theta Kappa president; and

  • WHEREAS, in 1990, she was recognized by former Governor Douglas Wilder as a Virginia Scholar and received the VCU Virginia Scholarship Award; and

  • WHEREAS, she was recruited to the Progress-Index team over five years ago and from special events to new businesses, multimedia journalist Kristi K. Higgins keeps the region up to date and upbeat; and

  • WHEREAS, prior to events, businesses, human interests and breaking new stories in Petersburg and beyond, she was an assistant publisher with Village Publishing, LLC in Chester. In addition to selling and creating ads, Ms. Higgins blossomed into The Social Butterfly columnist; and

  • WHEREAS, the visual storyteller has her pulse on Petersburg and regional communities. She writes uplifting and fun stories. Often snap happy, Kristi captures beautiful images that bring stories to life. She possesses a natural gift for capturing stories and engaging readers with the well-written tales she tells; and

  • WHEREAS, she was voted Virginia’s 2022 Columnist of the Year as well as the 2022 Tri-Cities Best of the Best Social Media Personality; and

  • NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mayor Samuel Parham, and Council Member W. Howard Myers, by virtue of the authority vested in us by the City of Petersburg, do hereby recognize KRISTI K. HIGGINS in the City of Petersburg.

Higgins was joined by her son and daughter at the meeting.

Others in the city echoed the sentiments spelled out in the proclamation.

"Kristi has the right nickname: Social Butterfly," Petersburg Public Library director Wayne Crocker said. "For just as butterflies inspire us with their grace and beauty, Kristi inspires us with her writing that evokes awe, the power of information, and love for our city, Petersburg."

"I continue to be so impressed with Kristi's reporting and I read everything she publishes," longtime Petersburg resident James "Jimbo" VanLandingham said. "We are so lucky to have her reporting on our real local world with stories that we all want to hear and have a serious interest in."

"I could throw all sorts of newspaper numbers at you, like Kristi's got four of the five most-read stories at The Progress-Index this month, or Kristi's readership has doubled the last four months compared to a year ago," Progress-Index editor Jeff Schwaner said. "The most important thing is that she's part of this community and writes stories this community wants to read, keeping them informed and entertained. I'm glad to see her get this unique recognition from the city."

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Petersburg council presents proclamation to longtime P-I writer