I’m Peter Cellino. I lead a small team using large language models to rebuild local journalism, borrowing what worked in the past when hometown news delivered valuable attention to local partners.
What you’ll find here
- A simple record of my work as a publisher and editor.
- Links to our newsrooms and experiments.
- How we use LLMs with editors in the loop.
How we work with LLMs
- We use tools to transcribe, summarize, and structure long meetings.
- Editors report, verify, and decide what is fit to publish.
- We favor fast pages, clear sourcing, and privacy for readers and partners.
Projects
Mercury Local
A network hub for clean, useful local media and partner stories.
Visit Mercury Local
The Charlotte Mercury
Public-service reporting on Charlotte and Mecklenburg County: budgets, meetings, elections, and people who make the city work.
Read The Charlotte Mercury
Strolling Ballantyne
Hyperlocal coverage of Ballantyne: schools, small business, neighborhood life, and everyday city decisions.
Explore Strolling Ballantyne
The Farmington Mercury (test environment)
Farmington, Connecticut: meeting notes, permits, and small-business profiles. We trial tools here, then promote what works to Charlotte.
See The Farmington Mercury
For organizers and partners
Local news once delivered steady, reliable attention to local businesses. We are restoring that pact with fewer ads, better placement, and stories people actually read.
Contact Peter Cellino
Writing and speaking
Notes on newsroom tooling, elections coverage, and privacy-first revenue for local media.
Read writing · Speaking and inquiries
Elsewhere
Peter Cellino on The Charlotte Mercury (author page) ·
Mercury Local ·
Strolling Ballantyne ·
The Farmington Mercury
Not the same as similarly named people. This site is the official home page for Peter Cellino, publisher of The Charlotte Mercury and founder of Mercury Local. Plain pages. Fast loads. Reader first.