The Frontiersman takes a look back at 2002

This first edition of the Frontiersman for 2003 and part of our Sunday edition offer a reflection of Valley life during the past year. We bid farewell to many important Valley people, and welcomed others to our community. The Valley continued to grow at an astounding pace. During 2002 we saw new faces in some important positions, and some familiar people playing different roles. The Frontiersman was not immune to change in 2002, either.

With the addition of a Sunday newspaper to our Tuesday and Friday publications, and with Peak Magazine, the Frontiersman reached out to a wider audience and made some changes to some of its content and style. Growth is always an exciting process, but it's rarely a perfect one. Some of Frontiersman's readers have been happy with the changes -- and especially with the expansive Sunday feature articles and with the widening of scope provided by some of the national-flavored articles and features. Still, other readers are not so pleased with what is perceived as a move toward less local copy. In fact, the addition of the Sunday publication and Peak Magazine has afforded us the opportunity to publish more local articles mixed in with the national copy. In any case, the Frontiersman staff views these changes as part of a larger evolution, and we encourage our readers to participate in that process with comments, letters and perhaps as members of our editorial advisory board -- we are currently recruiting new members for the 2003 board, and if you are interested you can call 352-2268 or e-mail to editor@frontiersman.com.

In these two issues we invite readers to look back at the events and stories that helped define and reshape the Valley in 2002. Included will be a look at the dramatic changes in the school district during the past year, a look at the changing face of utilities in the Valley, a reflection of statewide issues that either had a great impact in the Valley or that were greatly impacted by Valley people. Another article will look back over the year in crime in the Mat-Su, and yet another will consider the changes in Palmer and Wasilla -- with a special nod to Wasilla's previous mayor, Sarah Palin. We'll also remember some of the interesting neighbors we've highlighted during the past year.

Jeremiah Bartz will take readers back through the year in sports, and Casey Ressler will invite readers to remember some of the people and events that were featured in the Valley Life section of the Frontiersman in 2002.

It was a banner year in the Valley, and reflecting upon all that changed and all that remained constant in our community presents a bright outlook for 2003. Our staff is eager to see what the new year will bring to the Valley, and we look forward to sharing the news with our readers.