Today you have your answer: No one. At least no columnists.

These were good writers and, basically, we decided to quit while we were ahead and try some new things. In the course of seeking feedback earlier this year -- through this column, through a community feedback session we had in November and through other sources -- we've gotten some good ideas that we want to try.

Other ideas have been on our "someday" list for awhile. (Frankly, I can't remember how some of them got there.)

One of those ideas is the cartoon to the right. That will run monthly.

Another is the "rants and raves" column next to the cartoon. That will run as often as we have stuff to fill it -- please keep the rants and raves coming.

The other new ideas will be rolled out over the next few weeks -- stay tuned.

A bit about our cartoonist: his name is Luke Lang and he is a 42-year-old youth minister. He lives in Durham, just over the county line, with his wife, Diana, his daughter, Delanie, and two "slightly neurotic" beagles. They have lived in the Triangle since February 2007.

Lang did his first editorial cartoons when he was 16 years old for his then-hometown newspaper in Oklahoma.

"This only lasted two weeks," he said. "The city councilman, who was the topic of my second cartoon threatened to sue the paper unless they fired me. Needless to say, I was let go and I learned a powerful lesson about free speech and small-town politics."

Since then his work has appeared in numerous newspapers, magazines, books and advertisements. He is also an author; his second book, "I AM Standing Up...True Confessions of a Total Freak of Nature," is being published by Youth Specialties/Zondervan and is due out in December.

I'll let Lang give you a couple other tidbits about himself: "I'm a big fan of movies, music and Mexican food. ...I also have an extensive collection of Pez dispensers (seriously)."

Let's give Luke Lang a big North Raleigh welcome.