As one of the youngest members of the baby boom generation and a longtime editor and publisher, I understand well how attractive the Inland Northwest is to seniors. Its hometown feel and robust parks, shopping, and entertainment fit nicely with the largest and best health care system between Minneapolis and Seattle.

I also understand that today's seniors grew up with newspapers in their hands and still crave the calmness of ink on paper rather than dancing pixels blasted through social media on smart phones. That's partly why we decided to launch Inland Northwest Senior, a monthly newspaper created specifically with you in mind.

As you'll see in the following pages, we hope to provide locally written articles focused tightly on the interest of seniors here, including news and features, guest columns, and briefs and lists of senior activities and events, as well as crossword and word puzzles and a bit of Spokane history. I've helped launch a newspaper before, and I know it will take us a few issues to get wind beneath our sails, so give us some grace, but I believe INW Senior will become a valuable and fun product for our community.

We plan to distribute this newspaper primarily through retirement communities and facilities, as well as at senior centers and through Meals on Wheels providers, all for free to our readers. If you are at such a community or center and don't see it regularly, ask your administrator to give us a call, and we'll get some papers on their way the following issue. And for those who want a paper delivered by mail directly to their home, we can do that as well. Visit www.spokanejournal.com/inwsenior and learn about our low-priced subscription options.

We'll also provide all of our articles for free online at that same website, in addition to an e-edition you can read on a computer or tablet.

Of course, newspapers such as this cost money to create and publish, so we will be selling advertising to companies and institutions that want to reach seniors, so pass the word and please use their products and services.

You represent a significant and important market in Spokane. Roughly 20% of the county's estimated 566,000 residents are over the age of 65. That's who we want to serve, and serve well. Thanks for reading, and please let us know how we can improve.