Progress is what happens when impossibility yields to necessity.

&8212; Arnold J Glasow

Progress can be defined in many different ways depending upon one&8217;s perspective. For some it is exciting, presenting a chance to learn and grow. For others, progress is something to fear, pointing out that failure is always a possibility.

Princeton University (2003) defines progress this way:

Progress

n 1: gradual improvement or growth or development; &8220;advancement of knowledge&8221;; &8220;great progress in the arts&8221; [syn: advancement] 2: the act of moving forward toward a goal [syn: progression, procession, advance, advancement, forward motion, onward motion] 3: a movement forward; &8220;he listened for the progress of the troops&8221; [syn: progression, advance] v 1: develop in a positive way; &8220;He progressed well in school&8221;; &8220;My plants are coming along&8221;; &8220;Plans are shaping up&8221; [syn: come on, come along, advance, get on, get along, shape up] [ant: regress] 2: move forward, also in the metaphorical sense; &8220;Time marches on&8221; [syn: advance, pass on, move on, march on, go on] [ant: recede] 3: form or accumulate steadily; &8220;Resistance to the manager&8217;s plan built up quickly&8221;; &8220;Pressure is building up at the Indian-Pakistani border&8221; [syn: build up, work up, build].

Here at the Shelby County Reporter, we typically define Progress as our largest single edition of the year – one that gives us the opportunity to produce some of our best work – from writing, to advertising design, to printing, to distribution. The edition you are reading this week is the culminating event of months of work.

While producing a single newspaper of this size would be no great chore for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (they do so most every Sunday), it is an exciting challenge for those of us who call Shelby County home.

Here are a just few story highlights from today&8217;s edition that I expect you&8217;ll find worth reading: Students of Shelby County are receiving an excellent education and will be putting it to use in making our world a better place. Very few things in life are as cute as a baby picture; you&8217;ll find some real cuties in the Babies of 2005 section. A Picture Perfect Day as told through the photographer&8217;s lens shares a seldom seen perspective on our county. Residents of our county stay active, from Geocaching to youth hockey; learn more about their activities in the Community in Motion section. As the focus of page two of today&8217;s Progress Edition, the Shelby County Person of the Year is named; this is a new feature of Progress we hope you will look forward to year after year.

It has been an exciting challenge to bring this to you; one that I expect you will find was worth the effort. We truly hope you enjoy the newspaper this week