Contrary to what some readers may think, this newspaper has not abandoned business reporting.

We still write a decent amount about local companies - some that are coming and others that are going, some that are expanding and others that are getting smaller. We also publish business news briefs when they are submitted.

The problem, for the past couple of years, is that we haven't packaged our business coverage as such. It's been part of the regular news section. But make no mistake, our business coverage on a whole has decreased as we have expanded in other areas.

Next week, we're going to start something that aims to rectify this. We plan to launch a weekly business mini-section on Thursday in an effort to better showcase business-related news and bring readers some information that otherwise never makes it into the paper.

My opinion may be slightly biased (I'm a former business reporter), but I believe well-written and reported local business news is among the most interesting content newspapers can offer.

I'm not talking about mutual fund performance or SEC stock purchasing filings or trends in deferred compensation programs. No, this business section is not meant as a must-read for CEOs and CFOs.

I'm talking about the stories of local entrepreneurs who are taking a risk, of family businesses that have survived generations, of employers implementing unique programs for their workers. Each week this section will have those types of centerpiece stories.

The section will also include columns by financial experts in our community. They won't be advertisements for their services, but pieces filled with tips on how individuals can better manage personal fiscal affairs.

We plan to include statistical charts with the latest data on local employment figures, the housing market and sales taxes.

And the section will be the new home for those business-related news briefs. This will be the place to go to learn about local people who have been hired or promoted, and local companies that have received awards.

For now it's a package that will run every Thursday at the front of the third section in the paper - section C. Please understand this doesn't mean business news appears that day only. When stories break on the business side any day of the week, you'll find them in the A-section.

But as we move forward on this new section, I'm eager to receive feedback on what else we should include, or maybe what we shouldn't be using, so we can make it better.

Executive editor Jeremy Boyer's columns appear Saturdays in The Citizen and he can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net