By the time you read this, a brand new year will be upon us. I hope your Christmas and New Year’s holidays were wonderful and you had many opportunities to make some wonderful memories. After all, when the leftovers are gone, the wrapping paper is on the curb and the corks have been popped ... memories are all we really have anyway, aren’t they?

Like the beginning of anything else that’s new, I’m excited about 2013. In my position here at the Bureau County Republican, we have a host of new and interesting items planned for you, our readers. Contests, features, new products ... in a changing media world, we know we must also change, so we’ll continue to bring you a product that you can be proud to call your hometown newspaper.

Please keep in mind you — our readers — are integral to the success of your hometown newspaper. We want your input. No ... we need your input to publish a newspaper filled with all the items that are important to you. As always, you’ll notice many opportunities to make the BCR an interactive newspaper.