Michiana’s River Valley Trail was the topic of much news this week throughout the region, as Wightman broke ground on the next phase of the trail in Niles Township, and Be Healthy Berrien proposed extending the trail even farther.

Since the project was launched several years ago, we have been advocates of this pivotal movement to encourage Michiana residents to not only get out and enjoy what their community has to offer, but to get some exercise while they are at it.

Phase two, which will connect the Brandywine Creek Nature Center to the city of Niles, has been in the making since 2016, and we have been eagerly waiting for the next piece of trail to connect the township and the city, and we are pleased with the potential of connecting to Berrien Springs in the future.

The River Valley Trail was implemented at a time when Michiana residents were beginning to see the impact of the smart phone generation — fewer people playing outside and more people lounging on the couch with an iPad in hand.

Several years later as we have become more and more dependent on connecting socially through our mobile devices, amenities like the River Valley Trail are even more vital, offering a tool not only to offer exercise, but to give folks an outlet to engage with one another in a healthy way.

We are so proud to have so many driven individuals committed to bringing the dream of the River Valley Trail to fruition, and we cannot wait to see how much farther the trail will take us.

Opinions expressed are those of general manager Ambrosia Neldon, managing editor Sarah Culton and sports editor Scott Novak.