With this issue, The Citizen celebrates 35 years of North Boroughs publishing history. Looking back it seems as if so much has changed, and so little.

In 1976, when Earl Rankin published the first issue of The Citizen, competition was fierce. There was another weekly newspaper in the North Boroughs, as well as a biweekly for the North Hills and two daily newspapers that published weekly sections dedicated to the area. Today, the weekly and biweekly are gone, and the dailies limit their regional coverage.

Which is not to say that the competition is any less fierce today. In this age of global connectivity, news travels at the speed of sound through Web sites, social networks and cell phone feeds. Much of it is just about as reliable as the gossip we used to pick up at a lunch counter in Bellevue or a street corner in Emsworth, and that’s where we come in.

With 35 years of North Boroughs history under our belts, we’ve pretty much seen it all. Although the particulars may change slightly, the stories tend to remain quite similar over the years. At the heart of so much that happens in our community throughout time, there are the same concerns over the fundamental issues of every day in history: How will we educate our children? Who do we trust to govern our towns? What is the best way to prepare for the future, or repair the mistakes of the past.

The faces change, the pictures change, but the heart of the matter remains the same, as do the challenges.

It has been an honor to serve this community for 35 years, and we are tremendously grateful for the support we have received from both our readers and our advertisers. There are local businesses advertising on the pages of this newspaper today who were advertising in the very first issue published on April 7, 1976. We take that kind of history very seriously.

In the years to come, The Citizen will make every effort to deliver accurate news accounts in the quickest way possibly without sacrificing that all-important professional accuracy. We will continue to provide advertising opportunities that are affordable to the small businesses that support our towns. We will be with you to celebrate your victories, commiserate over your losses, and record the important events of your life.

Those are just a few things that will never change as we continue to make history together.