It’s never fun to talk about money, but we must.

After three years, the Pine Knot News has overhauled its subscription rates, making them simpler and, yes, a little pricier.

Rising postal rates and inflation bear some of the blame. Growing pains are also part of it. We’ve gone from a minimum of 16 pages to a minimum of 20 pages per week. There are more and better stories and local advertising in the paper. Our small army of freelance writers and part-time employees is growing too.

As an independent, locally owned newspaper, we are a rare breed. We enjoy that independence, but it also me...