The ancient philosopher Heraclitus once said, "Nothing endures but change."

With that in mind, we at The Covington News have been busy making several improvements to your hometown newspaper - changes we hope you have noticed and are enjoying.

Some of the biggest and most important changes have been made on this very page, our Opinion page.

With the addition of editorials, which you'll notice to the left of my mugshot, we hope to engage you, our readers, in a new way.

An editorial, for those that may be a little confused about the word, is an opinion given from the perspective of the newspaper as a whole - not just an individual such as my commentary that you are reading at this very moment.

Our hope is that the editorials spark thought and talk in the community, and that you send us your thoughts in the form of letters to editor - whether you agree with us or not we want to hear your take on topics we discuss.

In the coming weeks, we hope to bring you more locally driven content on our Opinion page to give you a wider range of perspectives on the topics that matter most to those in Newton County.

The Opinion page should be a mirror to the community. Each issue should give insight into the thoughts and happenings of our community. With that in mind, we need your help to make an even truer reflection of Newton County.

Letters to the editor can be sent via e-mail to rbyrd@covnews.com or they can be mailed to Robby Byrd, 1166 Usher Street, Covington, GA 30014. All we ask is that you sign the letter and provide us with your city and phone number - those e-mailing can just provide us with a city and phone number.

Changes throughout the newspaper have been made in addition to the Opinion page. We want to give you the most enjoyable and user friendly experience, and the best way to do that is to offer a cleaner more vibrant newspaper.

In my experience, having been apart of three redesign projects now, change always comes with its fair share of headaches. We at the newspaper have to get used to a new way of putting the newspaper together. Readers have to get used to a new way of looking at the newspaper. But in the end - most always - everyone is happier because of the changes, which are a work in progress.

Our mission with the changes we've made is simple - yes, we had a goal in mind while making changes - to give readers in Newton County and the surrounding areas something they are not getting from any other news source. In-depth coverage of the people and places that matter most to us in our community is priority No. 1 for us.

That coverage includes charts, graphs and other visual elements that gives you a better understanding of the events and policies that affect you most by breaking complex issues into smaller, more comprehensible pieces.

Part of our new take on news is also to provide readers with stories that go beyond governmental body meetings and get at the heart of how policy changes and other everyday concerns affect the lives of those in Newton County.

Thus far we've tackled global climate change, inflation and school scheduling systems. We are planning and look forward to bringing you even more in-depth coverage in the coming weeks, months and years.

Even with all of these changes, we are still a hometown newspaper dedicated to the service our of local citizens. We want you to be just as involved in the newspaper as we are. That means we want to hear your feedback on anything from how well you we're doing our jobs to what stories you want to see in the paper.

My door and phone is always open for suggestions or comments, and I look forward to hearing from you.