This Saturday, the Reporter will expand in the way it serves one Shelby County community with the launch of the Pelham Reporter.

The Pelham Reporter will be available at more than 200 locations throughout Pelham free of charge each Saturday morning and updated online each day.

Since we formally announced plans to create a newspaper and daily Web site for citizens of Pelham, we have been overwhelmed by the support within the community.

Pelham’s rich history, bright future and community spirit demand a newspaper and Web site focused on telling its stories. My only regret is it has taken us 166 years to bring Pelham its own newspaper.

By telling the stories that matter to residents of Pelham, we hope the newspaper and Web site will represent the soul and basic fabric of the community.

We believe a newspaper should be a champion of the community it serves. That’s not the same as a cheerleader. A champion will celebrate the successes and point out the failures of a community.

There are people who will wish we wouldn’t publish negative news.

But we firmly believe that an informed reader is an empowered citizen. People make better decisions when they are aware of all sides of an issue. If we recognize bad things are occurring, we can change them. Together, we can make our community better.

And we want our editorial pages to be a platform for different voices, ideas and opinions.

We want our newspaper to speak to the issues that you think are important.

Whether it is the schools your children attend, the taxes you pay, the companies for which you work, the roads you drive on or the safety of your neighborhoods, the pages of this newspaper and Web site should speak to things that interest you.

If you have suggestions or story ideas, please know they are welcome. We will take our stewardship seriously and look forward to being part of Pelham’s growth and development in the decades to come.