When we are invited to speak at different community forums, one of the questions always asked is "will our paper survive?"

 We can answer that with a resounding yes. Community newspapers like The Covington News will continue to be the strength of their communities.

 We too have been affected by the economic downturn, but with the faith of our advertisers, the loyalty of our readers and a tightening of our belts, we have in fact become stronger.

 In October 2008, we introduced a new interactive Web site called CovNews.com to the community. We said then that this addition to The Covington News would become a daily publication. We have been in a learning process since that time, and our news staff is discovering how to best utilize this new technology.

 When the new CovNews.com started, we were averaging 2,500 visitors a month. After the change, we now are averaging over 32,000 visitors per month. We thank you for that.

 This weekend, our staff did a fantastic job of posting news briefs about the severe weather conditions on our Web site. The Covington News in turn carried full details of our weather news in today’s edition.

 Some time ago we stopped the comics in The Covington News because of our own belt-tightening.

 We promised to bring them back as soon as we could.

 We are proud now to tell you that your comics are back and in color everyday on the CovNews.com Web site. They’re easy to find; just go to www.covnews.com and click on the "comics" button. You will actually be able to send your favorites to your family and friends.

 We hope you enjoy our comics from Creators Syndicate; we are one of three newspapers in the country who are currently running these comics.

 The concept and vision of The Covington News came to life 144 years ago. The managers of the paper from that time until the present have guided the paper through wars and depressions and civil unrest.

 Sometimes we have done a good job being the voice of our community, and sometimes we have not. But, we still have been here. When we have gone off course, the will of our readers has brought us back on course.

 We recognize that we have a responsibility to guide the paper so that it may continue to be the heart beat of our community — reporting its pulses and its palpitations.

 The addition of the CovNews.com to The Covington News will ensure that in the year 2109, the editorial writer of that day will be able to tell folks about the changes that will make the publication viable so it can continue to serve its community for the next 100 years.