Dear Readers,You’ll notice a change in the Post Independent starting Sunday, when the overall length of the paper will shrink by one inch.This will save paper and production costs, but make the paper a bit easier for readers to handle, especially for folks on the go.Other than on the comics pages, however, you probably won’t notice much of a change in our content. But to squeeze what used to be 16 inches of “Funnies & Features” onto the 15 inches now available for printing, a few things had to go.Post Independent copy editor Charlie Wertheim used his shoehorn to minimize the losses.On weekdays, we were forced to drop the panel comics “Rubes” and “Real Life.” The geometry of the new page, however, allowed us to add another strip comic. We are bringing the popular Sunday comic “Zits” into the weekday paper as well. If you like the Sunday antics of Jeremy, the teenage star of “Zits,” you will get a kick out of his weekday life.In addition, believing that change keeps our brains flexible, we decided to drop the weekday comic “Sally Forth” and replace it with “Non Sequitur,” a wry look at the absurdities of everyday life by cartoonist Wiley Miller of Santa Barbara, Calif.One “Non Sequitur” fan wrote, “After `Far Side’ left the comics and `Calvin & Hobbes’ soon followed, I thought I would have no further reason to open the comics pages. Thanks to `Non Sequitur,’ I now have a good reason to continue starting my morning with a laugh.”The GSPI staff previewed a sheaf of “Non Sequitur” comics, and we think you will like them too.The daily “Funnies & Features” pages will still include the horoscope, Annie’s Mailbox, People in the News and the crossword puzzle.Meanwhile, our Sunday four-page comics pullout will change a bit too.Because of the shorter page, we dropped “Dear Prudence” and “People in the News,” but kept all 13 of the comics in the section.We also reformatted the Sunday Puzzler into a horizontal layout that should be easier on the eyes. And the Sunday horoscope will still be found in the color pullout section.All in all, I think we are still offering readers a daily and Sunday “Funnies & Features” section that gives you a chance to laugh, get a bit of advice, work a puzzle, snag some gossip and see what the stars hold for your day.Locals’ Choice resultsRemember voting in the Locals’ Choice contest in April?We had more than 1,000 ballots turned in, our best turnout in five years of the contest.Now, the ballots are counted, the votes are tallied, and we know who the winners and runners-up are.The results will be published in a special section to be inserted in the Post Independent next Friday, June 6.If you want to know the best places to shop, to eat and drink, to play and hang out, don’t miss it. You’ll also find out the best teen babysitter, the best singer, the best band, the best old car, the best lawn ornaments and the best smile.The ballots had 100 categories, and you’ll be able to find out how the voting turned out.Locals’ Choice is a fun way to celebrate our community, and in many categories, the voting was like a piece of plywood – broad and heavy. People are passionate about the places they patronize, and the voting showed that we have all sorts of winners in every category.- Heather McGregor, managing editor