Where do we go from here?

A quick search in the Daily Inter Lake archive for “Frank Miele” garners thousands of results — 17,612 to be precise. Over his 34-year career here, Miele helped put out some 12,400 issues — give or take a few. Stack all those newspapers up and they would tower more than 10 stories high.

These impressive numbers help paint the portrait of a man dedicated to his craft and the community he cares so much about.

Last week, the Inter Lake staff and many in the public celebrated Miele’s well-deserved retirement. Stories were shared and a few tears were shed. At Tuesday’s open house, the line to congratulate Miele stretched out the back door — a telling sign of his far-reaching respect in the valley.

As Miele maneuvers into his next chapter, it’s important he knows that his career here was important and meaningful. Thank you for your service Frank, and thank you to the community for helping send him off with so much love.

So where do we go from here?

For sure, change is inevitable — after all, Miele’s voice and style were his own. New leadership, in any business, will bring some new approaches.

Yet, readers should know that the bedrock of what they have come to expect from the Inter Lake, day in and day out, will endure. We remain committed to fairly and accurately reporting the stories that matter to you, while also offering a free exchange of ideas on our opinion pages. This, we promise you.

Certainly, reader feedback will help us shape the newspaper going forward. Let us know how we’re doing or what you would like to see from your daily newspaper. After all, the reason we do this every day is for you, the reader.