I don’t mean to sound cliche, but I’ve got some good news and some bad news.

Bad news first: Starting next semester, the Northern Star will no longer publish on Fridays.

Due to the bad economy and low reader traffic at the end of each week, cutting Friday issues is the best way to ensure the Star’s existence well into the future; however, we hope this is only temporary and five-day publication can resume come fall 2012.

I’d like to point out that we never wanted to make this choice. The Northern Star has published five days a week since the 1960s, and we didn’t want to change that legacy unless it was absolutely necessary. It was a tough decision, but ultimately the best for everyone involved.

Now for the good news: Despite this setback, we at the Northern Star are determined to give you the best product possible. Since we have less room for content, our goal is to make sure none of it goes to waste.

This also means that the Northern Star’s website will become even more important, especially on days we don’t publish. We will have exclusive content, photo galleries, videos, breaking news and more so you can get the information you need from the publication with your interests in mind.

And if you haven’t done so yet, search for “The Northern Star” to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at NIUNorthernStar so we can get you the news as fast as possible.

So, please, tell us what you want to read. Write us a letter. Send us an email. Give us a call. We want to make the Northern Star the best it can be, and we cannot do that without your help.