Chelsea Post FAQ

The Chelsea Post is a direct descendant of Chelsea Update, with a slightly different spin. Chelsea Update was a daily online newspaper. Chelsea Post carries that tradition forward as a local news website for Chelsea, Michigan, while also building new features to serve as a community resource hub.

Both sites are homegrown and created by long-time Chelsea residents. Lisa and I have planned for the Chelsea Update and the Chelsea Post to have significant overlap in the beginning to make the transition easier for everyone.

The Chelsea Post will feel very familiar. 

• We’ll feature articles and photos from Chelsea Update’s regular contributors. 
• You can still share news, announcements, events, obits, sports, and more, as always.
• Advertisers are welcome to carry their ads over. Ad placement options and costs will be similar. 

Over time, the site will grow and evolve. I already have some ideas brewing for new sections to add in the future.

To contact Leslie Surel, submit news, share an idea, or ask questions about The Chelsea Post, send an email to [email protected]. 

To inquire about Advertising, email [email protected]

The Chelsea Post publishes a free daily email newsletter with links to everything posted that day. It goes out each morning at 9 a.m.

Subscribe here

While The Chelsea Post is free, readers often ask how they can help support this endeavor. If you'd like to contribute to local news, please click the green "Donate" button at the top of this page, or visit Make a Contribution to learn more.

Yes. If you were subscribed to Chelsea Update, you’ll continue to receiving newsletters from The Chelsea Post. The schedule and format may change, but we’ll work out those details over the next few months.

As before, you can make changes to your subscription at any time.

If you're not yet subscribed, you can sign up for newsletters here.

For questions about placing an ad on The Chelsea Post, please contact us at [email protected]. We plan to start out with the same format and similar pricing as Chelsea Update to keep things easy for current advertisers.

More information about advertising can be found on our Advertising Information page.

The site was started by Leslie Surel (that's me), long-time Chelsea resident and business owner, with support from Lisa Allmendinger, publisher of Chelsea Update.

Yes, my family and I have lived in Chelsea for 25 years. My husband and I raised two awesome kids in the Chelsea schools and have both volunteered for numerous organizations.

I also own a small business in Chelsea called Surelutions, which specializes in website design, development, and management for nonprofits and community-focused businesses. We work with clients across the U.S., including many right here in Chelsea.

Yes, very much so. Many of the projects we work on at Surelutions include directories, calendars, resource guides, and information hubs. One of my favorite things is taking a bunch of information and organizing it. It started early, too. When I was 8 years old, I took a spiral notebook and created a color-coded directory of all my brother’s and my stuffed animals. 

In fact, this isn’t my first time building a community resource for Chelsea. If you've been around for a while, you may remember me from Things To Do In Chelsea -- an events website I created and ran from 2007-2012. Or perhaps we crossed paths when I was involved with ChelseaMich from 2010-2018, which was a collaboration between community leaders, the Chamber of Commerce, and City of Chelsea to boost economic growth.

No, not like Lisa who is a true “old school” journalist with decades of experience. Although I have some early experience working on a newspaper, where I became very familiar with the AP Stylebook. 

I have a degree in psychology and anthropology. My career and expertise centers around web design, development, accessibility, usability, information flow, building and managing community websites, and running a small business. 

Lisa and I have different skills and strengths, which is why we’ve created The Chelsea Post as a new website instead of continuing Chelsea Update without Lisa at the helm.

In March, Lisa Allmendinger announced she will be retiring due to illness, and shutting down Chelsea Update. You can read her messages here:

• March 15, 2026 - Publisher's Message: I’m Retiring
• March 22, 2026 - Publisher's Message: With Gratitude and a Lot of Tears
• April 5, 2026 - Publisher's Message: That's All Folks

If you'd like to send Lisa a message, her contact information is here: Contact Chelsea Update

Please read the articles before you reach out. Some people have not read past the headline and missed some important details.

My name is Leslie Surel. My team and I at Surelutions have worked behind the scenes at Chelsea Update for more than 10 years, managing the website, providing support, and coordinating ads. If you're an advertiser, you may already have chatted with us via email.

Absolutely. Lisa Allmendinger, Publisher at Chelsea Update, actively helped launch the new site by making connections, sharing resources, and getting the word out.

She’s looking forward to writing articles on her own time, without the pressure of publishing daily news.

Although Chelsea Update has closed its doors, you will continue to be able to access the old content.

When Lisa and I discussed the logistics of shutting down Chelsea Update, we were both keenly aware of the extensive history on the site.

We decided that Chelsea Update will be archived, not deleted. I promised Lisa that I’d be a good steward of Chelsea Update, keeping her legacy intact, and managing the archives along with the new Chelsea Post website.