Ownership of the paper has now transferred to WorldWest Limited Liability Company of Lawrence, and with that change comes a renewed commitment to serve the readers and residents of Tonganoxie and southern Leavenworth County, a region certainly destined for growth.

During the more than 100 years of coverage this weekly paper has provided the region, the world has changed in many ways.

The horses and buggies of The Mirror’s first readers have given way to high-powered, fuel-efficient cars. Rutted dirt tracks have been replaced by paved roads, and a trip to Lawrence or Kansas City is undertaken in a matter of minutes, rather than half a day as it once was.

As the millennium approaches, so do changes for Leavenworth County. Growth and development can be seen in every part of community life, from schools and churches to housing and real estate. Development is evident all around, leaving those responsible for public services wondering how they will deal with the resulting demands and their costs.

But, despite the changes, and because Tonganoxie is still a small town in many ways, the people dealing with many of these issues are the same people our readers know and see every day.

That sense of closeness in the face of rapid change makes it easier to deal with issues and arrive at solutions that are understood and accepted.

What we hope to do, as the new Mirror staff, is complete that circle of community by reporting on the stories of change and clearly explaining the problems and benefits accompanying that change.

Our doors are open to our readers, and we offer our pages as a forum for ideas, arguments and solutions. We strongly believe information must be presented accurately, fairly and completely to keep all our readers informed and prepared to deal with the changes that are most certainly coming our way.

Our hometown staff is committed to the area and committed to producing a newspaper that will thoroughly and accurately cover our community, suburban Leavenworth County and the U.S. 24-40 corridor.