The very essence of life is change. Life keeps moving, shifting, and reshaping itself—and us—whether we welcome it or not. Without change, things stagnate. Sometimes it feels exciting; sometimes, frightening. Change always pushes us into new seasons and invites us to accept a new normal. How we respond to those changes often determines the course of our futures. Nature reminds us of this truth through the caterpillar's metamorphosis into a butterfly.

The Daily Journal is now in the midst of changes that will reshape its future. Along with several other publications—including the Farmington Press, the Democrat News, the Mountain Echo, and the Ste. Genevieve Herald—the Daily Journal was sold in September by Better Newspapers to Paxton Media Group, based in Kentucky. As part of this transition, business processes were restructured for greater efficiency and financial stability. Unfortunately, this reorganization also meant saying goodbye to colleagues and some of the ways we have conducted business over the years.

We have now entered the next phase of the transition plan. The property and building at 1513 S. St. Joe Drive, a Park Hills landmark for decades, was not included in the sale to Paxton. As a result, the Daily Journal staff must vacate the building, with a final exit date of Nov. 30. Due to circumstances and obstacles that prevented us from securing a new long-term location by that deadline, our short-term plan is for staff to work from home offices this winter. We will be actively searching for a location in Farmington and hope to resume operations open to the public in the spring. In the meantime, you will still find our staff making sales calls, covering sporting events, and chasing news—business as usual.

Rumors suggesting we are suspending operations or shutting down are simply untrue. To borrow from Mark Twain, reports of our demise and discontinued operations are greatly exaggerated. We will continue bringing you the news, sports coverage, and community stories that matter to the Parkland area. Our publications will remain available online, at regular retail outlets, and through USPS delivery. The Daily Journal will continue to publish on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday; the Farmington Press will continue to publish on Saturday. The only change is that our writing will no longer take place on St. Joe Drive.

For readers who prefer to make payments, deliver announcements or calendar items, or submit articles in person, we are arranging for our mail-solutions provider in Farmington to accept those on our behalf. We are also finalizing plans to establish pickup locations for instances when your newspaper does not arrive in your mailbox. Watch for an announcement next week with full details.

We deeply appreciate your loyalty through these ownership transitions over the years and look forward to continuing our relationship for many more years.

If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please reach out at 573-431-2010 or news@dailyjournalonline.com