We're back!

The following published in today's print edition. You can subscribe online, as well.

It all started at a Taste of Shelby County event.

Pushing a cart rented from Mainstreet Shelbyville, I navigated Public Square, winding between vendors, the smell of ribs drifting through the summer air. Pulling from bundles of newspapers stacked on the cart, I distributed the first edition of Saturday Shelby to old high school classmates, their parents, familiar faces, and anyone else who made eye contact with me. The following day, seven thousand additional copies were mailed throughout 46176.

Over the next year and a half, supported by loyal advertising partners, we expanded to mail 12,562 free Saturday Shelby newspapers each week. I learned numerous lessons during that first business venture.

I learned that a real need exists for local news in a weekly format. By providing brief news and history recaps and human interest articles, we filled a void for thousands of city and county readers. When I stopped publication last year, my voicemail box quickly filled with messages from readers offering to pay for the paper to continue.

I also learned that the advertising component deserved substantial time and energy. While recognizing that advertising allowed the paper to be enjoyed at no charge, I simply do not have the resources to provide an ad-supported product.

However, I maintain the desire and ability to fill the local news void. Several weeks ago, I sent out a survey to determine if readers were still interested in our content offerings. The overwhelmingly positive responses convinced me that it was time to re-launch Saturday Shelby. Supported directly by readers, the new Saturday Shelby will focus exclusively on culling local stories and news of interest for our subscribers.

Although the format will seem familiar to previous readers, this special edition of Saturday Shelby is reaching thousands of additional Shelby County households. It’s exciting to introduce our local news product to those unfamiliar with our story.

I look forward to renewing, or beginning, this adventure with you. I ask that you support local journalism by completing a subscription form inside the paper. Thank you, citizens of Shelby County, for your past and present support!