I would guess not many of you pay much attention to the information at the top of the front page of this paper. Of course, it lists the date of the publication and how many pages are included - but it is the sometimes overlooked numbers at the left-hand side of that header that I want to focus on today.

On the front page of this particular paper, you will see Vol. 58 Issue 3. You may already know this, but just in case, that means this is the third issue of the 58th year of publication for the Callaway Courier.

Fifty-eight years. That’s a long time, though it seems a little less so with each passing year of my own life… Some days it feels like I have been in media most of my life. In reality, it has been 20 years this year since I started in newspaper, and I worked in radio for five years prior to that. I truly love what I do. I thoroughly enjoy meeting people, getting to know them, and then sharing their stories and accomplishments with others. However, what I consider to be the absolute most important part of my job is preserving the history of this community - YOUR community - for decades to come.

Here’s the thing though. After a certain number of years at a job, and on Earth, a person can tend to become pretty set in their ways. Can anyone relate?

We sort of get in a rut, don’t we? “This is how we have always done it, and by golly that is how we will keep doing it!” The paper is no exception.

A short while after my company, Syndicate Publishing, purchased the Courier back in 2020, we made a lot of changes to the style of the paper you had become accustomed to. We changed the size and format and even changed the logo. Some of you embraced those changes; for others, it took a little more getting used to. And if I’m being honest, I am sure there are still some of you who would prefer we take this paper back to the way it used to be. Change is hard sometimes.

Now don’t worry. I am not writing this column to announce any kind of major changes coming your way! But starting in April I am going to make a few little tweaks that I hope will improve your experience as a reader of the Courier. One of those will be the addition of a personal column from yours truly each week. I also plan to dedicate a page to a look back in history from the pages of the Courier archives.

Some regular features may change locations from where they currently run, and things just may look a little bit different. The goal is to give you a paper you can enjoy and be proud of. The truth is, that is not always an easy task when I live 40 minutes away which is why I want to take a moment to give a shoutout to some very special people who have helped me tremendously by providing photos, story ideas, and sometimes even the stories themselves. Jo Chesley, Christie Pitkin, Ken Pitkin, Janet Kalinowski, Mary Ann Boldt, and Heath Birkel have not only helped me more than you know with content for the paper, they have also made me feel like a part of Callaway. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you! And they are not the only ones!

I encourage you to share your thoughts and ideas with me. And if you don’t like what you see, you can share that too. You can reach me at ellen@syndicatepub. com or my cell is 870-2191. Obviously, I cannot be everywhere at all the things, but I do hope to be here for you for a long time to come.