The State newspaper today retires the weekly Neighbors section of community news, a concession to a lagging economy and an adjustment to changing times and technology.

The Neighbors sections were introduced in 1981 — before the arrival of the Internet and newspaper websites — to provide readers a closer look at community news and to enable advertisers to take their message to specific communities in and around Columbia. For three decades, Neighbors has been an essential source of news and information about our neighbors, our schools, our community groups and our local activities.

Community news continues to be essential to The State’s coverage of the Midlands, in print, online and through mobile devices. The newspaper’s Metro section continues to cover news about local schools, government and civic affairs.

Beginning this week, The State also has added “themed” columns to its Metro front:

• Monday, People: Highlighting schools, military and community groups

• Tuesday and Friday, Giving help, getting help: Focusing on volunteer and donation needs, fundraisers and other community drives

• Saturday, Matters of Faith: Highlighting church events and programs, anniversaries and more.

The Metro section, as well as the Friday Weekend section, also continue to publish calendars and lists about local events and activities.

The State newspaper also is creating a weekly, print environment for advertisers seeking ways to reach specific areas of the Midlands. The Life&Style section each Thursday will include zoned advertising opportunities similar to those previously available in Neighbors. This makes it possible to target their message in a popular, colorful section of The State. For more information, please contact Emily Fernandez, Sales Operations Manager, (803) 771-8655, or ecfernandez@thestate.com.

This website includes news and information from the newspaper as well as additional content, such as a photo gallery posted each Tuesday from Midlands schools and a robust calendar of community events posted at gocolumbia.com. In addition, we continue to cover high school sports in our daily Sports section and on our midlandspreps.com site.

How to submit news items

Here are answers to frequently asked questions.

Where do I send a press release or story idea?

Email: state@thestate.com, fax the information to (803) 771-8430 or call (803) 771-8415.

Where do I send a calendar item?

Email: calendars@thestate.com or fax the information to (803) 771-8430.

Emails should include a brief description of the event listing, time, date, location (including street address) and contact information.

Items are published on a space-available basis as a courtesy. Items must be on time and provide complete information.

Where do I send letters to the editor?

Email: stateeditor@thestate.com

Guidelines are available at thestate.com/letters.

How do I find contact information for a specific reporter or desk, such as sports?

A list of newsroom contacts and emails are available at thestate.com/contact.

Here is a partial list:

General comments: (803) 771-8624, or comments@thestate.com

Advertising: (803) 771-8338

Switchboard: (803) 771-6161

News Contacts

Newsroom: (803) 771-8415

Education: Dawn Kujawa at (803) 771-8561, dkujawa@thestate.com

Event listings: fax information to (803) 771-8430, calendars@thestate.com

Executive Editor: Mark E. Lett, (803) 771-8451, mlett@thestate.com

Food, dining and restaurant news: Susan Ardis, food@thestate.com

Home and garden events: (803) 771-8441, homeandgarden@thestate.com

Local news: Eileen Waddell, (803) 771-8621, ewaddell@thestate.com

Managing Editor: Steve Brook, (803) 771-8464, sbrook@thestate.com

Online managing editor: Gary Ward, (803) 771-8598, online@thestate.com

Photo, sales and reprints: (800) 390-7269, thestate@mycapture.com

Religion and faith news: Carolyn Click, (803) 771-8386, cclick@thestate.com

Shopping and retail: Kristy Rupon, (803) 771-8308, krupon@thestate.com

Sports news and game results: (803) 771-8470, statesports@thestate.com

State government: Steve Brook, (803) 771-8464, sbrook@thestate.com

Newsroom mailing address