National Newspaper Week officially kicked off Sunday and runs through Saturday of this week.

This marks the 74th year of the national recognition, which observes the importance of newspapers to communities large and small.

First, we would like to thank our advertisers and readers from the River Parishes and beyond who support L’OBSERVATEUR each week and have allowed us to deliver the news, sports and fun to you for more than 100 years.

Sometimes, the news can seem bad, and reports of school scandal, water concerns and violence within our law enforcement ranks has certainly captured the attention of the regional media when it comes to the River Region.

Those stories deserve our attention, but they fall well short of capturing the full picture when it comes to the news of our region.

We have been very pleased with our ongoing Saturday front-page series, LOOKS BRIGHT, which highlights a youth or youth program in the region that is either making a positive impact now or destined for great things in the future.

Our regular Wednesday feature, Giving Back, highlights the many community-based efforts and groups in action each week impacting our lives and neighborhoods for the better.

The best part of these features is they are community-generated, and the subjects and topics for coverage are consistently influenced by you, the reader.

We have an email address — stephen.hemelt@

lobservateur.com — set aside for suggestions, and those routinely turn into the subjects of our next pieces.

Our twice-weekly B section Lifestyle covers, routine special sections and quarterly magazine C’EST LA VIE each offer windows into the community, telling stories of the people, places and traditions that make our neighborhoods some of the richest in culture and personality in the whole state.

So, as we continue through this National Newspaper Week, remember L’OBSERVATEUR is your community newspaper for the River Parishes. The stories, specials and features are about you and for you, so please take an active role in our next 100 years of coverage by letting us know what you want to read about.

It’s been a pleasure serving you, and we all look forward to continuing the work each week.