It’s time we were up front with each other.

All of you need information to make life run more smoothly and be more enjoyable.

We have that information.

It’s a marriage made in heaven, really.

But every married couple hits those communication road bumps.

You — our beloved readers — have told us that you appreciate the thorough reporting of area news but that you also need a quick, easy way of getting the day-to-day details on your own time.

So we’ve dedicated a space for you, right up front.

Starting this Monday, we added a new feature to the front page of the newspaper. It’s a rail of information down the left-hand side, and we are calling it “Up Front.”

Each Monday through Friday we’ll pull the “need to know” items that were formerly mentioned within longer stories into an easy-to-use rail of information on the front page.

We’ve kept some of your favorites — the Who’s News, which highlights an area achievement — and some necessities like the index of what’s inside the newspaper. But it’s what we’ve added that we think you’ll like even more.

Each day of the week will bring new information, including a list of what public meetings are coming that week, what’s going on at the area convention centers, fun events you might want to attend that weekend, announcements about things such as garbage pickup holidays and daylight saving time and more.

And just for fun, Up Front will also allow us all to wish a happy birthday to our friends.

Anyone can contact our office at 601-442-9101, ask for Carla, and submit the birthday of a friend or loved one.

A $5 donation — we can take payment over the phone — will wish your loved one happy birthday while helping those in need in our community through the United Way.

The $5 fee will go to the United Way of the Greater Miss-Lou, an organization that provides funding for many, many local non-profits.

We hope all our readers will pass on a loud “Happy Birthday” when they see those individuals around town.

Up Front will also include a brief weather forecast with details about what you can expect later in the week too.

And, last, but not least, we’ve devoted a bit of space to our spouse in this relationship — you, the reader.

Each day we will select a reader of the day and give you special recognition at the top of the Up Front rail.

We think — and hope you’ll agree — the changes will allow us to better serve you, to improve communications in this relationship.

We know you are busy and may not have time each morning to read through everything. But we do think a glance at what’s Up Front will help you plan your day and your week.

Then, with a little bit of pre-planning, we hope you’ll find the time to sit down and enjoy the rest of the newspaper later in the day.

We’ll continue to focus the remainder of the newspaper on in-depth looks at the things we know matter to you — the good and the bad.

Let us know what you think over the coming weeks. We’ve made our changes with you in mind, and your opinion is all that matters to us.

We’ll be up front with you if you’ll be up front with us.

Julie Cooper is the managing editor of The Natchez Democrat. She can be reached at 601-445-3551 or julie.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.