Dear readers,

On behalf of the Wisconsin Rapids City Times staff, we would like to thank you for your support throughout 2019. Without the support of the businesses and families that call central Wisconsin home, we could not provide this publication as a community service.

We are truly grateful for the support that keeps our publication viable and free to the public.

As we enter into the new year, our publication’s distribution service will undergo a significant change. Beginning with the Jan. 15 edition, the City Times will switch to the United States Postal Service to deliver our publication.

The conversion to mail will ensure on-time and consistent delivery. With increasing difficulty in finding carriers to fill open positions, the delivery system will provide service in the seamless manner we need to provide timely news and information.

With an unemployment rate that has moved from 9 percent to 3 percent in the past decade, baby boomers retiring, and the amount of degree-carrying job candidates coming from our colleges, a worker shortage has appeared that is not expected to go away in the next decade. This places our services at a disadvantage.

In addition, the conversion will allow us to reach areas in certain communities we were unable to service in prior years.

The change in delivery will assist us in providing the product and service that the community and our advertisers request, and deserve.

Our publication will also maintain several drop points at local businesses to provide additional availability to the communities we serve.

As we make this transition, our deadline for placing ads and receiving press releases will be moved up to Thursday at 5 p.m. in order to maintain our Wednesday publication date.

We wish you all a wonderful holiday season and look forward to working with you in the new year.

Kris Leonhardt

Editor