Journal-World readers have a passion for the newspaper. When we made changes to the format earlier this month, we received calls, letters and e-mails.

Last weekend, the editors met several hundred readers at Hy-Vee on Sixth Street. Many people made a special trip to talk with us. The response was flattering. Some shared a complaint or two, but most said they enjoy starting their day with the Journal-World.

One woman told a funny story. “My husband and I are fighting over the Sports section every morning,” she told me. “He loves the Sports, and I want to do the crossword, but it’s in the same section. You have to take the crossword out of there so you can save our marriage.”

You spoke and we listened. Starting with Monday’s Journal-World, we will be making adjustments related to comments we heard about the placement and amount of national and international news, and the ability to share the paper over the breakfast table. The changes include:

¢ While the paper will remain three sections Monday through Friday, nation and world news will be more prominent in the first section and there will be more of it. Page 2A will feature What’s News Today, a look at an important event; Image of the Day, a striking photo from our wires; and national and world news in brief.

¢ To make room for the additional news, People in the News will move to the comics page in the second section. Birthdays, horoscopes, and the Tune In and Annie’s Mailbox columns will join People in the News.

¢ The puzzles – Universal Crossword, Jumble, Becker on Bridge, Jumble Crossword and Sudoku – will move to the back inside page in the Classified section. The Universal Crossword also will run seven days a week.

Printing the paper in three sections creates more color pages for news and advertising. The larger news and Sports sections also accommodate more advertisers in the main news sections of the paper. Plus, the arrangement ensures a prominent position for the popular Pulse section every day.

From surveys we conducted, it is clear that the reason people welcome the Journal-World into their homes is because of the local news coverage we provide.

These alterations will complete our transition to make local news the focus in the Journal-World.