The only thing you can count on in life is change. OK, and death and taxes.

I&8217;m lucky enough to have a job that changes every day. Nothing about working at a newspaper is the same as the day before. News happens every day, and it is rarely the same as before.

The stories are different, the photos are different and the people are different. And the newspaper changes too.

Our Louisiana readers and sources may know that better than anyone. I&8217;m sure it&8217;s been said in Concordia Parish at least once in the last week &8212; &8220;I was just getting to know that reporter, and now he is gone.&8221; I think some of you have said it to me.

It&8217;s true. John Gunn, who joined us in the spring, had to return home due to a family medical concern.

John was beginning to get his feet wet in the parish pond, and we hated to see him go.

But the opening presented us with an opportunity we don&8217;t often have the chance to seize. We hired local.

John&8217;s replacement, Wesley Steckler, is a Miss-Lou native with ties in Natchez and Concordia Parish. He is the son of Dale Steckler and the late David Steckler, a man known for his community involvement and leadership in the area.

Wesley is a recent journalism graduate from the University of Southern Mississippi. He also spent time at Copiah-Lincoln College in Natchez.

During the month of June, Wesley interned for The Democrat, covering various stories in the area.

As a native, Wesley already has an interest in the community and what goes on here. He knows, or knows of, many of you, and you may know him. And, my favorite part, if I say &8220;turn at the KFC in Ferriday&8221; he knows exactly where to go.

As a hometown newspaper we would love to hire local reporters more often, but most of the time it just isn&8217;t possible. Apparently very few of you have an interest in working long hours and writing news stories every day. And often our local journalism majors would rather work away from home.

We have an advantage right off the bat this time.

We are excited about having a local on board, and we hope you will embrace him just like you have the rest of us foreigners.

Wesley will cover Concordia Parish, Ferriday, Vidalia, Monterey and all the places in between. He wants to meet as many of you as possible, so if you see him, introduce yourself.

He&8217;s still learning the ropes, so you may have to help a little along the way. But he&8217;s excited to be a part of the community again.

And to those of you who get frustrated by the turnover, remember change is a part of everyone&8217;s world. In the past, you&8217;ve played a large role in training young reporters who have had the chance to move on to larger newspapers and different opportunities. Your role in that process is as important as mine, and it is something to take pride in.

Meanwhile, our goals remain the same. We want to cover all the news that is important to you and some you may not know about.

If you have a Louisiana story idea or know of an event that is happening please let Wesley know at

wesley.steckler@natchezdemocrat.com

. Or you can always contact me.

Julie Finley

is the managing editor of The Natchez Democrat. She can be reached at 601-445-3551 or

julie.finley@natchezdemocrat.com

.