As many of you are aware, this is the first edition of the new weekly Atmore Advance. We will not publish a print edition again until next Wednesday, Oct. 9.

I realize that change is never easy, but the staff at The Atmore Advance hopes that this change will be a positive one for our readers. Many of you have told us that you would like a larger, more comprehensive print edition with more stories, more photographs, and more information. We believe that we will be able to provide that for you.

Of course, I realize that many of you will also ask, “What about breaking news?” While it’s true that you won’t always be able to read about the stories in print right after they happen, you can still take advantage of our web-based products for timely news updates.

If you haven’t visited our website yet, at www.atmoreadvance.com, I encourage you to do so. We will be making a concerted effort to publish breaking news and developing stories when they happen, and you’ll be able to read them on our website first. We definitely hope that you make a habit of checking our website each day, because it will be the first place to find out about the news that affects you right here in Atmore.

I also encourage you to “Like” our Facebook page. We’ll be making updates throughout the day and if you “Like” our page, you’ll be able to get those stories and photos as soon as they are posted. We’ll also be running sports scores of football games, updated vote totals of elections, and much more. We have exciting plans for our Facebook page, and I urge all of you to “Like” us today. Just search for “The Atmore Advance,” and you’re on your way.

Finally, we invite all of our readers to sign up for our free daily email, “News in Advance.” Our email goes out every day in the morning, and is a perfect way to wake up and check out the big stories of the past day. It’s easy to sign up. Just send us an email to newsroom@atmoreadvance.com and tell us that you want to join our mailing list and start receiving your daily “News in Advance!”

Of course, all this technology allows us to get the news out quicker than we could before, but we know that many of you still enjoy the convenience of picking up a printed newspaper. You’ll still be able to get your paper every Wednesday, and it will be bigger and better than ever.

However, we can’t bring you the best paper possible without your help. There are plenty of great stories out there that we haven’t heard about yet, and we invite you to share them with us! Please email any story ideas or photos to newsroom@atmoreadvance.com. You can also call our office at (251) 368-2123 or stop by at 301 S. Main St. We love meeting our readers, friends and neighbors face to face.