Hello, Atmore. My name is Justin Schuver and I am the new publisher and editor of The Atmore Advance. I am very excited to be a part of your community and hope that I get to meet all of you as soon as I can.

I most recently spent two years as the managing editor of The Post-Searchlight in Bainbridge, Ga., and have been working in the newspaper business since 2005. My father is also a newspaper publisher in Branson, Mo., so I suppose you can say that I have “ink in my veins.”

While I believe that all newspapers are important, I especially believe in the importance of small-town community newspapers, like your Advance. We have been publishing here in Escambia County since 1927. To this day, you can open up an edition from 10, 30 or even 50 years ago, and see exactly what was happening in Atmore at that time. You can not only read about the big news stories of the day, but also who got married, who won awards at school, and who won the big football game. You just can’t get that kind of information anywhere else but in a community newspaper.

Although I have only been in your community for a few days, it already feels like home to me. I have found everyone to be very friendly and welcoming, and ready to offer that unique “southern hospitality.” I grew up in Gadsden, and so coming to Atmore has really been like returning to my roots.

I realize that sometimes you will like what we put in the paper, and other times you will disagree with it. Either way, I would love to hear your feedback. I know that our staff at the Advance works extremely hard to produce the best newspaper that we can, but we are always looking for ways to improve.

Please feel free to email me at justin.schuver@atmoreadvance.com, or call me at (251) 368-2123. Thank you for reading The Atmore Advance.

Schuver is publisher and president of The Atmore Advance.