As of Wednesday, July 1, The Fountain Hills Times will reinstate its online paywall.

“We removed our online paywall earlier this year, when it became clear that the COVID-19 pandemic was going to have a major impact on everyday life,” said Publisher Brent Cruikshank. “Back then, pandemic news was being updated daily, if not multiple times a day, and we wanted to make sure our readers had access to all of these vital updates without worrying about whether or not they hit their limit of free stories per month.

“Similarly, it felt like our small part in lessening the load, providing the local news at no cost while we were able.”

With major COVID-19 updates occurring less frequently and following months of free access, Cruikshank said the time has come to bring the paywall back.

There have been no changes to the model, which will return on July 1. Anyone may read up to 10 stories free of charge per month and, once that limit is hit, they will be asked to subscribe for unlimited access.

Various subscription plans are available, starting at $5 for 30 days and ranging to $47 for a full year. A subscriber gains access to all stories run on fhtimes.com, as well as the eEdition. The eEdition looks exactly like the print edition, only it is provided as a PDF to be read on computers, phones or tablets. If local, a subscriber may also choose to have the physical paper delivered at no additional charge.

A subscription can be purchased online at fhtimes.com by clicking the “Subscribe” button at the top of the page. For questions or to subscribe over the phone, call The Times at 480-837-1925.