Progress.

Sometimes it is measured in broad strokes. Businesses opened. Employees added.

Additional housing units built.

Other times, it can be more nuanced. In this newspaper, you will find our Progress Edition.

Sometimes this special section has a theme. It can be expanding business, generational business or something along those lines.

I tend to be a little more free-flowing in my thought process about special sections. Sometimes a theme is essential. Other times, I take the “let’s write interesting stories” approach.

The latter is my approach for the 2024 Progress Edition.

We worked on stories about more than brick and mortar. We started interviewing and writing ... and interestingly, a theme emerged. Organically, our Progress Edition primarily features supporting organizations and entities. The auxiliary. The volunteers.

Some of these groups aren’t necessarily front and center, but it’s nice to have a chance to feature them within our newspaper pages.

This theme is one that organically evolved, and sometimes, those are my favorites. Sometimes as a writer, I need to let the story tell me where it needs go to. As an editor, I’m learning sometimes if you loosen your expectations, exciting themes can rise to the top.

Please take a few extra minutes to peruse our C-section and read our extra progress stories. It’s been such a pleasure to feature these stories.

Karen Bonar Publisher