A letter from the Editor
Dear Reader:

You have spoken and we have listened.

Over the course of my first 18 months working at The Community Journal - first as the assistant editor and now as the news editor - the number one request I have heard is more local news, more news about Ashburnham and Westminster.

We've listened and we're delivering.

The Community Journal has grown and evolved over its 10-plus years, most notably increasing frequency to a weekly newspaper back in 2003. We have expanded the coverage area at times as well, but now reached the conclusion that our mission should be to only cover Ashburnham and Westminster and to tell the stories of Ashburnham and Westminster residents.

Our refocusing does not mean the paper will be getting smaller. In fact we expect to be able to thoughtfully grow, and now the news pages will be entirely dedicated to just two towns. Over the course of the last few weeks, you may have noticed a couple of new columns and pages in the paper.

We have added a Lifestyles section to the Journal. On these pages we will include feature articles, columns and short notices about the variety of events in our area.

This section will also feature the Encore column highlighting nightlife in the immediate area. If you are interested in having your events listed please e-mail the column's writer, Lindsay Sauvageau, at lsauvageau@ leominsterchamp.com.

We have also started a Faith page. As part of our mission to create a community newspaper that truly represents all facets of the community, we want to make religion coverage part of the pages of the Journal. Local leaders from area houses of worship will write on topics of their choosing on a rotating basis.

As always we will be working to inform you with solid coverage of the news in Ashburnham and Westminster and entertain you with interesting and compelling features about your neighbors.

If you know of events that are taking place or if there are people doing interesting things, please let us know. My door is always open, so please visit - 53 Main St., Ashburnham. My fingers are attached to my keyboard, so send me an e-mail at editor@thecommunityjournal.com or you can call me at (978) 827-3386. Or even stop me on the street corner. This is your newspaper Ashburnham and Westminster. Let us know how we can serve you well.

Caitlyn Kelleher

News Editor