By Jim Newell

Review Editor

All things change. It’s the one inevitability in life, and when you embrace change you can make it meaningful.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”

The Greek philosopher and teacher Socrates made that supposition more than 2,400 years ago and it still holds true today.

As many of you are aware, nearly eight weeks ago the View Newspaper Group purchased four local newspapers from the Sherman family. That includes The Lake Orion Review, The Oxford Leader, The Clarkston News and The Citizen in Ortonville.

Two of the most noticeable changes are the new design of the newspaper and VNG’s distribution model.

The newspapers all sport a fresh, updated design and layout.

The second change is that the paper now reaches nearly every household in the Orion community. Where the paper used to go to a couple thousand or more subscribers, it now reaches 14,500 homes each week.

That’s more news reaching residents, more stories about community groups – your family, friends and neighbors – doing wonderful things to support each other; and more exposure for our local business community.

It always surprises me when I cover some event and someone from the community learns I’m from The Review and says, “I didn’t even know we had a local newspaper.” Well, no one with an Orion mailing address can say that anymore.

One thing that has not changed is that The Review editorial team will continue to cover local government, Lake Orion schools, public safety, sports, human interest features and all other stories that make up the multi-faceted Orion community.

As journalists – let me emphasize local journalists – we care about the community. That’s because we live here; it’s our community, too, and we’re invested in what happens in Orion Township, the Village of Lake Orion and Lake Orion schools.

And View Newspaper Group has a strong commitment to the communities they serve, with a track record of getting involved in local events, becoming members of local groups and promoting community journalism.

This weekend I was at the Lake Orion Flower and Art Fair and the Kicking for a Cause kickball tournament and longtime subscribers at both events told me they like the new look of the paper and that they’re glad their family and friends who did not get the newspaper before would now have it delivered to their homes each week for free.

We appreciate the trust and loyalty of our readers and local business owners who have supported The Review over the years. If you like the new paper you’re holding in your hands and want to become a Review patron, turn to page 17 for details.

Thank you, Orion.