We have to ask because, to be frank, we don’t know. And honestly, what we think doesn’t matter. What you think matters most. After all, if a newspaper doesn’t have readers eager for the next edition, it doesn’t serve its purpose. You can’t sell ads or grow subscriptions if your main use to readers is as kindling for fireplaces and firepits.

We’re doing our best to continue delivering a quality product—one that Phil Castle would be proud of. After all, he set the standard by which all future editions of Business Times will be measured. You might say we have a fire burning to report the news Grand Valley readers want most.

This edition is the first without Phil’s involvement in writing, layout, or content. Not that rhetorical questions like “What would Phil do?” haven’t crossed our minds. And, since he’s in California, we did what everyone does with such questions: we answered them ourselves as best we could.

In our opinion, we’re doing pretty well for our first rodeo. In this edition, you’ll find stories you may have heard about, but with new details. You’ll also find coverage of stories you haven’t heard about at all. These are the main reasons businesses and readers seek us out.

Here’s something you may not know, and we hope you’ll be pleased to hear: While we’ve always covered local stories thoroughly, telling our readers about good people doing good things, we’re now focusing on going even deeper. We’ll be asking questions that haven’t been asked and reporting answers that haven’t been shared. It’s a simple concept based on a simple belief: We believe our readers want all the information they can get on any story, so they can make up their own minds. The only way to provide that is by asking more questions—and printing the answers.

Sometimes, those questions reveal a better backstory. Sometimes, people are happy to share new information—if only someone would ask. Worse yet, sometimes they have been asked, but the information wasn’t reported. Here’s our promise: We’re going to ask the questions, and we’re going to print the answers. Put another way, we’re hoping to spark your desire for more local news. We want to become your fuel source. And we hope it spreads to many more readers. In the Grand Valley, it seems there’s plenty of fuel.

Here’s another standard we’ll never shy away from: We believe any media outlet does more harm by not asking questions or, worse, by not presenting full answers when they disagree with the response. In this edition, some answers were quite surprising. This isn’t an accusation of any particular outlet, subject, or story that’s been previously told—just an observation of what much of today’s media has become: a “get it first, right or wrong” frenzy driven by agendas.

We hope you enjoy reading this edition. Take it all in, and then let us know: Are you seeing a story or a perspective you haven’t encountered before? Are you reading new information for the first time? We certainly hope so—because there’s more to come. And if you feel something is missing, be sure to let us know. A little extra lighter fluid never hurt when you’re getting things cooking.

We’re taking our role as an alternative, unique news source more seriously than ever. That eternal flame will never be extinguished at the Business Times.