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In January 2020, when the United States witnessed its first confirmed case of COVID-19, no one could fathom where the virus would take us — including us at the Valley Times-News and the entire newspaper industry.

By April, we made the difficult decision to adjust our print frequency down to two days a week with electronic editions on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. We understood the aggravation and shared in that aggravation. However, it has allowed us to keep our doors open and continue bringing news coverage to Chambers County.

It has not been easy, and we still feel the effects of this change, but our staff remains dedicated and prideful.

One thing that COVID did not change was the fact that we never put out a true Sunday edition in either print or digital form. The move to our current digital platform provides a unique opportunity we plan to take advantage of this coming Sunday.

In years past, if there were a Saturday game, the coverage would only be available on our website and social media.

This year, Lanett is hosting a two-game kick-off event Saturday that pits the Panthers against Notasulga and the LaFayette Bulldogs against Loachapoka. Instead of making everyone wait, we will publish a special Sunday electronic ‘sports extra.’

Now, please don’t misunderstand, all Friday games will have the same coverage and be included in our Saturday edition like always.

In fact, we thought it important that every team playing this week receives in-person coverage and they will — including Valley who is on the road against Handley. For all of them, we will have someone roaming the sidelines and bringing you live updates.

This special edition could not have been possible without our valued sponsors, and we thank each of them for putting their faith in something we have never done before.

Hopefully, this will lead to more special editions in the future, but for now, we want to renew our commitment to our sports coverage and remind everyone we are the best source for area sports coverage.

Also, if you have not picked up your copy of Gridiron, swing by our office today.

We appreciate every supporter of VTN, and we thank you for sticking with us. Don’t miss out on our special Sunday edition.