We go to your meetings and community events, take your picture and write your story to get the word out.

We talk to you about your business and build the ad you want to help you grow.

Once a week, we assemble it all into your newspaper, the first draft of the history of our county.

The thrill of seeing that finished product never gets old.

Once a year, we submit what we believe to be our best work to our news association.

They send it to professionals from across the country, who judge us against our peers at papers all over Washington, and this year, your community newspaper came out on top.

Maybe it’s not the Oscars, but to us, it’s a big deal, the kind of news we rush to share with parents and children who sometimes wonder if any newspaper is worth all the care and work that newspaper people proudly pour into it.

We think so, and on a day like this, we’d like to say, “Thank you.”

The most important thanks go to you, our readers.

Your choice to pick up this weekly paper ensures our continued existence.

Without you, there’d be no story to tell and no paper to tell it in. From your continued involvement in our community to your constructive criticism of our work and steady stream of news tips and suggestions, you are our most important partners.

As publisher, I’d also like to include a big, “Thank you” to everyone at The Leader, who made the newspaper great this year. From your reporting, editorials and photography to your page design and advertising, your hard work is paying off.

We’re better for it and our community is, too.

At 130 years old, The Leader feels pretty lively today.

-Lloyd Mullen

(The Leader’s Editorials are the opinion of the Editorial Board: Publisher Lloyd Mullen; co-owner Louis Mullen; Editor Dean Miller and Leader readers who lobby The Leader. Each editorial is signed by the person who writes that editorial on behalf of the Editorial Board.)