Producing a weekly newspaper is a labor of love.

Journalists working in small communities certainly aren’t getting rich. Most work unpaid hours every week, are constantly pushed to keep current with technology and have the sword of a shaky industry hanging over their heads.

But what keeps us going is the people we deal with on a daily basis. Kids and teachers, cops and preachers, coaches and athletes – all combine to keep the job fresh and the professional juices flowing.

Despite that, the end product is better when it’s not all about us, not just our words and our photographs that fill these pages.

That’s where you come in. There are a lot of you out there, considering the two Courier-Herald publications arrive weekly in approximately 31,000 homes stretching from Black Diamond to Sumner. The newspaper simply is better when you’re involved.

Cast your eyes downward a few inches for a perfect example. OK, not this week. Generally, however, letters to the editor appear on this page as citizens take the opportunity to express their views to someone outside their immediate family.

Letters come from all ends of the societal and political spectrum, from right-wing wackos to left-leaning subversives. We make no judgments, of course, but enjoy providing the community forum. Everyone has opinions and your weekly newspaper is the perfect place to share: just keep in clean and stay on topic. It’s better if it’s not mean-spirited; if it’s libelous or obscene, it gets trashed.

A feature that still feels new is CommunityClick, the once-a-month feature that allows readers to submit photographs for publication. It runs the first issue of every month and, honestly, some months have been a bit more interesting that others.

We cannot be everywhere, not with five and a half people responsible for all the news, sports and community activities occurring around the clock in a handful of small cities and towns.

Take those photos and turn them in. It’s as simple as e-mailing to communityclick@courierherald.com or dropping off a photo at our Enumclaw office.

Finally, readers are the best source for what’s going on in our communities. We surely do not profess to know everything and appreciate a heads-up when something appears newsworthy. At the bottom of this page is a listing of all our reporters and their e-mail addresses, plus a phone number to call.

Remember, we can’t do this without you.