Content Guide — News, Events & Archives

This page explains how the two custom content types — News and Events — work behind the scenes. It covers how to add content, where it shows up on the site, and how the archive pages are generated automatically.

How News Works

What is a News item?

News items are external press coverage — articles from newspapers, TV stations, and online outlets that mention the campaign. They are not blog posts. When someone clicks a news card, they go directly to the original source (e.g., the Duluth News Tribune website).

Adding a News Item

Go to News → Add News in the admin sidebar. You’ll see a simple form (not the block editor):

Title — The headline of the article (e.g., “Trina Swanson Announces Campaign for Congress”)
Excerpt — A 1-2 sentence summary shown on cards
Featured Image — Thumbnail shown on the news card (set in the right sidebar)
News Type — Category tag shown as a badge: Press, Campaign Update, Endorsement, or Op-Ed (right sidebar)
Source Name — The publication name, e.g., “Duluth News Tribune” (in the News Source metabox below the title)
Source URL — The full link to the original article (in the News Source metabox). This is the most important field — it’s where the card links to.

Where News Shows Up

Homepage — The “News & Updates” section uses a News Feed block that automatically pulls the latest news items into a 3-column grid. No manual updates needed — publish a news item and it appears.
News Archive page (/news/) — Auto-generated archive with a 3-column grid of all news items, newest first. Includes pagination. The hero banner says “News & Updates.”
Individual news links — There is no on-site single news page. Clicking any news card redirects to the Source URL (the external article). If no source URL is set, it redirects back to the /news/ archive.

News Data Flow

Here’s what happens when you publish a news item:

You fill in the title, excerpt, image, source name, and source URL
The News Feed block on the homepage automatically queries the latest news and displays it
The /news/ archive page automatically includes the new item in its grid
All links (cards, archive, everywhere) point to the external source URL
If someone lands on the single news URL directly, they get 301-redirected to the source

How Events Works

What is an Event?

Events are campaign gatherings — town halls, rallies, fundraisers, community events, and virtual meetings. Unlike news, events have their own pages on the site where attendees can see full details, get directions, and register.

Adding an Event

Go to Events → Add Event in the admin sidebar. You’ll see the block editor (Gutenberg) for the main content, plus an Event Details metabox below:

In the block editor (main content area):

Title — The event name (e.g., “Meet Trina Swanson — Grand Marais”)
Content — Full description of the event. Use paragraphs, headings, images, etc. This appears on the event’s individual page.
Featured Image — Shown on the event page (set in the right sidebar)
Event Type — Category: Town Hall, Rally, Fundraiser, Community, or Virtual (right sidebar)

In the Event Details metabox (below the editor):

Event Date — The date of the event (YYYY-MM-DD). This is the most important field — it determines whether the event shows as upcoming or past.
End Date — For multi-day events (optional)
Start Time / End Time — Displayed as “2:00 PM – 4:00 PM”
Venue — The location name (e.g., “United Congregational Church”)
Address — Street address for the “Get Directions” link
City — City name (e.g., “Grand Marais”)
Registration URL — Link to external signup page. If set, a “Register Now” button appears.
Cost — Free, $25, “Suggested donation $50”, etc.
Virtual Event — Check this box to show a “Virtual” badge with a video icon

Where Events Show Up

Homepage — The “Upcoming Events” section uses an Events Feed block that automatically pulls future events sorted by date (soonest first). Past events disappear automatically.
Events Archive page (/events/) — Shows all upcoming events with date badges, countdown timers (“In 3 days!”), time, location, and register buttons. Has tabs to switch between Upcoming and Past Events.
Past Events page (/past-events/) — Automatically shows events whose date has passed, sorted newest-first.
Individual Event page (/events/event-name/) — Full event page with the content you wrote in the editor, plus a sidebar card showing the date badge, time, location, cost, “Get Directions” link, and “Register Now” button.

Events Data Flow

Here’s what happens when you publish an event:

You fill in the title, content, image, and event details (date, time, venue, etc.)
If the event date is today or in the future, it appears in the “Upcoming Events” feed on the homepage and the /events/ archive
The event’s own page shows the full description alongside a details card with countdown, time, location, directions, and registration
Once the event date passes, it automatically moves from “Upcoming” to “Past” — no manual action needed
Past events stay on the /past-events/ page as a historical record

Automatic Behaviors

Countdown badges — Events happening today show “Today!” in green. Events within 7 days show “In X days” in gold.
Past event notice — Once an event passes, the “Register Now” button is replaced with “This event has passed.”
Get Directions — Automatically generates a Google Maps link from the venue, address, and city.
Admin sorting — In the Events admin list, events are sorted by Event Date (soonest first) by default. Click the “Event Date” column header to reverse the sort.

Taxonomies (Categories)

Both content types have their own category systems that appear as colored badges on cards:

News Types

Press — External media coverage
Campaign Update — Official campaign announcements
Endorsement — Endorsement announcements
Op-Ed — Opinion pieces by or about the candidate

Event Types

Town Hall — Public Q&A sessions
Rally — Campaign rallies and large gatherings
Fundraiser — Fundraising events
Community — Community outreach and local events
Virtual — Online events (Zoom, etc.)

Assign these in the right sidebar when editing a news item or event. You can select multiple types per item.

Quick Reference

Pages That Update Automatically

These pages pull content dynamically — you never need to edit them directly:

/news/ — News archive (auto-populated from News posts)
/events/ — Upcoming events (auto-populated from Events posts with future dates)
/past-events/ — Past events (auto-populated from Events posts with past dates)
Homepage sections — News Feed and Events Feed blocks auto-update

Pages You Edit Manually

Home — Edit via Pages → Home. Section blocks are editable but content feeds are automatic.
Meet Trina — Edit via Pages → Meet Trina. All text is editable in the block editor.
Endorsements — Edit via Pages → Endorsements. Add names in the sidebar of each Endorsement Group block.
Individual event pages — Each event has its own editable page at /events/event-name/