The Daily Dispatch will be hosting two open houses leading up to the change in August.

One will be a subscriber only open house, and they will receive their invitations in the mail, and a general open house will be held on Thursday, July 17, from 4 to 6 p.m. at our offices  at 530 11th Street.

We will continue to provide updates and a “Frequently Asked Question” log on both the newspaper and website to try and satisfy all questions and concerns.

You can ask  questions or voice your concerns to Editor and Publisher Larry Blaskey by calling the office at 364-3424, his cell phone at 220-8775, or by email at publisher@douglasdispatch.com.

Question:  How are you going to address this for subscribers who have already paid for a daily newspaper?

Answer: Subscriptions will be pro-rated out. If one buys a three-month subscription, they are contracting to receive 65 publications. They will still receive those 65 newspapers, whether it takes three, four or five months. Also, the subscription rates will drop from $22 to $14 for a three-month carrier delivered subscription. All subscription rates will drop by approximately 40 percent.

Question: We have a child who delivers the Dispatch?  How will this change affect us?

Answer: While we will be publishing earlier to make the newspaper available by 10 a.m. to stores and racks, we will be delivering the newspaper to subscribers in the early afternoon. It is important to us to maintain the youth carrier force.

Question:  Can you list three or four items that will be improvements in the Dispatch?

Answer: (1)  Each issue will grow. Instead of getting an eight-page newspaper four times a week and 12-pages on the weekend, each edition should be 12 to 16 pages. (2) It allows us more time for local news coverage and investigative pieces. (3) The earlier deadlines will make the newspaper available to readers by 10 a.m. and have same day delivery in McNeal and Elfrida.

Question: What about Dear Abby and the comics?

Answer: While most of our focus will be on local news, we will be retaining the same features like Dear Abby, Dr. Gott, the crossword, comics and horoscopes. We will continue to carry Relish,.American Profiles and USA Today magazines.

Question: Will we still get the TV Guide?

Answer:The TV guide will still be printed and will be available a day earlier, on Thursday.

Question: What about breaking news and election results?

Answer: While we are reducing our newspaper publishing days, we will still be maintaining the website daily. It will be updated with breaking news, sports scores and stories and we will continue our election coverage up to and through the Primary and General Elections.