We have been keeping our latest redesign under wraps, and it has been killing us.

The next issue of the Hermiston Herald’s print publication is scheduled for Wednesday, June 1. It’s modern and slick, and we are pleased as punch.

Our work behind the scenes at the paper are not just on the aesthetics, however. We’re working to add new voices to the Herald. New freelancers and columnists have already joined a staff that includes award-winning writers, such as Community Editor Tammy Malgesini.

Really, we hope the new Herald meets with your approval.

As we work to give you the best paper we can produce, we would like to give thanks this Memorial Day. Brave soldiers died to preserve our freedoms, and we are in their debt. Tammy’s column, “Inside My Shoes,” is online and describes a Memorial Day tradition that you will find interesting. It might even give you ideas for how you can commemorate this special day.

While you’re on our website, please take a look at our recent reporting on a new Oregon Child Development Coalition center in Boardman, plans for a homeless shelter in Umatilla County and a new parks & rec department for Umatilla.

And have a good Memorial Day.