In 2012, we intend to turn up the beams coming from that lighthouse, so we can serve our readership in more relevant and significant ways. We are calling this initiative the Lighthouse Project, with a subtitle that reads: "Southwest Florida's past, its present and your vision of the future." On the first Sunday in April, the Daily News will publish a special section on the history of our area, fro
m the early settlers to the present day. This unprecedented look at our past is the first step in fostering a community conversation about our future. We cannot truly know who we are as a community until we understand the past. On Sunday, April 22, we will publish a second special section. While the first section is a detailed look at yesterday, this section will be about today — who we are as a community. The third special section will be published Sunday, April 29. It will focus on the future by detailing where recent visioning exercises, some commissioned by local government, say we should be heading. Those special sections will lead to citizen discussions in May and early June. By closely listening, we will better understand what issues our journalists should be monitoring in hopes of giving our readers the insight and knowledge needed to hold our elected leaders accountable. Phil Lewis
Executive Editor
