From Staff Reports

The next issue of the Columbiana newsletter, the Sentry, will carry a special announcement that the newsletter will become a regular monthly addition to the Shelby County Reporter, published the last Wednesday of each month beginning with the May 26 issue.

&uot;The inclusion of our newsletter in the Reporter will allow the circulation of the Sentry to increase from 1,400 to over 7,000 households each month,&uot; councilmember Tom Seale said.

He said advertisers will reach a much larger audience and the newsletter will be available on-line at www.shelbycountyreporter.com, the Reporter’s website which averages 70,000 hits per month.

Seale said news and information about Columbiana will be read throughout Shelby County, the United States and the world.

At its Tuesday, April 20 meeting, the Columbiana City Council voted to transfer all unapplied newsletter advertising revenue to the

Reporter in the amount of some $20,395.

Mayor Allan Lowe said the move to the Reporter will triple the newsletter’s circulation at half the cost.

And he called it a &uot;no lose situation.&uot;

&uot;When your city council was elected and took office in October 2000, one of the major goals was to improve communication between the city and the citizens of Columbiana,&uot; Seale said.

&uot;That desire resulted in the first issue of the Sentry being published and distributed in February 2001.

&uot;The newsletter has evolved and improved since that time to become a very informative and important part of our city’s identity.&uot;

Seale said the quality and content of the Sentry reflects on individuals and organizations who have become regular contributors.

&uot;The Reporter will print our newsletter in full color, something previously too expensive for us to even consider,&uot; Seale said.

He also noted that beginning in May, current recipients of the Sentry will receive a copy of the Reporter every week

of the year at no charge.

&uot;If you are a current subscriber, the city of Columbiana will assume the cost of your subscription,&uot; Seale explained.

Seale said an expanded readership and cost savings are just two of the reasons this change is being made.

&uot;The City Council is very excited about the partnership between the Shelby County Reporter and the city of Columbiana,&uot; Seale said.

He said the deadline for the June 2004 issue is Friday, May 7.

&uot;I am sure you will be as excited as we are to have this opportunity to promote Columbiana, our schools, clubs, organizations and citizens through the Shelby County Reporter.