Editor’s Note: The Gazette won’t publish a digital edition on Christmas

Dear Gazette readers,

It’s hard to believe we are deep into the holiday season and will soon be turning the calendar to 2026.

As we look back on 2025, it’s been one of the biggest years of change in The Gazette’s history — both in frequency of print and in ownership and a heck of a lot of news. But as we look ahead, I am excited about what I see for The Gazette. I also want to offer a profound thanks for you reading and supporting local journalism. You make our work possible, and that makes our region better.

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Christmas falls on a non-print day for us this year, and we will not be producing a local digital edition on Christmas Day. This allows our staff some time to spend Christmas Eve with family and friends. Any major local stories will be posted on thegazette.com. We will have a short section of national stories available, and we will resume local digital replicas on Dec. 26. We will be in print like normal on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 27 and 28.

We will produce a digital replica edition on Jan. 1.

Please note the Customer Care Department will be closed on Wednesday, Dec. 24 and Thursday, Dec. 25 due to the holiday. The department also will be closed on Wednesday, Dec. 31 and Thursday, Jan. 1 due to the New Year holiday.

The Gazette’s University of Iowa athletics beat writer Madison Hricik and photojournalist Nick Rohlman will be traveling to Tampa for the Iowa Hawkeyes’ appearance in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Look for their coverage as the festivities and pregame action build ahead of the New Year’s Eve game against Vanderbilt.

As we look ahead to January, our statehouse team of Erin Murphy and Tom Barton are working with others on the team to preview the 2026 legislative session, which begins Jan. 12. The preview stories will be available the week preceding the session, starting Jan. 4 and running daily as we approach the session. The series will focus on an array of topics including property tax reform, education, environmental policy and more.

We also will see some product updates and our newsroom will be doing a lot of learning. We’ll be transitioning computer systems used to build our website and produce newspapers. We also will be rolling out several product enhancements like a revamped news app that will combine the Green Gazette and add breaking news features. We’ll be refreshing our website and the look of the newspaper as well. More details about those changes will be available soon.

Despite all of the hustle and bustle, the change and uncertainty, the holidays for me are a period to reflect and recharge. In my family, we have a tradition of breaking Oplatki wafers ahead of our Christmas Eve meal. As you visit with friends and family, you break tiny pieces of the wafer and exchange blessings and good wishes before celebrating a traditional Christmas Eve meal. In that spirit, I want to wish each of you Happy Holidays and a prosperous 2026. I hope it is a year of peace, good health, learning and joy for you, your family and friends and for Eastern Iowa.

Thanks for reading,

Zack Kucharski, Executive Editor