Another year has come, and many of us are saying, ‘Where did 2016 go?’ While others are telling the year that was, ‘Good riddance.’

Some are looking for the next year to be different, better, or maybe even a continuation of the best parts of 2016.

In any case, one thing is for certain – time continues to tick on.

For a newspaper that has been publishing for 151 years, that means a lot.

We have seen much here in this newspaper, this year and in all the years prior. What a privilege it is to have a first-hand look at how the biggest stories in our community unfold day by day.

We highlight last year’s top headlines with our special section this week on the Top 16 of 2016. Within the pages you can get a recap on the stories that received the most notice, made the most impact or were the most meaningful for our community.

Also, we took time to celebrate first Christmas’s with the many families who submitted their photos for our Baby’s Cutest First Christmas photo contest. We publish one winner based on online votes, but there are a lot of really cute babies in this community!

As we put yet another holiday season behind us, and get back to the daily grind, we are excited, once again, to be your preferred source for news in Covington and Newton County.

As we have done before, we take a moment to remember the lyrics of the quintessential New Year’s song, Auld Lang Syne.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

Here’s to the start of a brand new year, full of opportunity and hope. Happy New Year, Covington!