I ‘m confident you find the look of your newspaper a refreshing and not too drastic change.
I kind of like the narrower page, a little easier to handle and the type seems a bit easier to read.
I also like the calendar format. I think it will offer more information than the previous form.
And two days a week?
A little history… drum roll, please.
My wife and I first came to Rochelle in December 1969. We were students at Northern Illinois University and had just gotten married. Rochelle offered us an affordable (cheap) apartment and easy access to DeKalb.
I was a journalism major. So naturally, I stopped in the newspaper office and asked about part-time work. Milli Stansbury was the editor at the time and she hired me as a stringer — reporting on meetings regular staff could not attend.
The News published on Tuesday. The Leader came out Thursday. There was no Sunday paper.

I ended up sticking around for the next 11 years or so before going into education.
Despite what certain politicians say, newspapers provide a wealth of information to their readers.
Granted, the age of Google and Facebook and the Internet itself have changed how newspapers operate. Some papers, like the Chicago Tribune, only offer online editions to subscribers in the outer areas, such as Rochelle. Other papers, such as the Register Star in Rockford, have shrunk in physical size and in the content.  
While the Internet does provide lots of information, users have to be careful of all the outright lies that get posted and reposted.
Case in point: Recently, a popular local restaurant closed. Facebook was filled with comments about why, and some of them were pretty nasty.
Eventually I hope both parties get a chance to tell their sides of the story. I just hope people don’t rely on social media for their news, because sometimes it just isn’t fair or accurate.
That being said, I do hate to see an empty space in a downtown area that seems to be on the cusp of growth.
*****
I was wandering the halls of Rochelle Township High School when I ran across an art project involving pin hole cameras.
Several student-created pin hole cameras were on display, as well as photographs made with the basic devices.
They were cool, both the cameras and the photos.  
All in black and white, the images were stark and sometimes beautiful.
I was impressed by the project and results.

Terry Dickow is a retired elementary school teacher with lots of opinions, some you will like, some you won’t. He can be contacted at terrydickow@gmail.com.