There’s an unforgettable scene in the 2006 children’s animated movie Over The Hedge in which a hyperactive squirrel named Hammy is given a shot of caffeine before being sent on a mission to take on an evil exterminator.

Hammy’s hyperactivity goes into hyperdrive in a climactic scene of that movie.

Ignoring the fact that I have been forced to relate to life through children’s movies until my own children get older, I’ve been thinking a lot about this movie because of all that is going on at the Trib.

January is the month that all the hyperactivity, brought on by our new ownership, jumps into a caffeine-driven hyperdrive aimed at benefiting you, our readers.

It all begins on Tuesday when well-known local cardiologist/ordained minister/Baylor University professor Dr. Michael Attas debuts a unique column on the pages of our Health & Fitness section.

Attas approached us several months ago knowing the issue of health care weighs heavily on Central Texans’ minds.

But far from jumping into the political nuance of this politically charged debate, Attas wants to take an altogether different approach with his column.

“It will include reflections and essays on contemporary American medicine through a combined perspective of a practicing physician and the lens of the Christian faith as well as modern philosophy,” he wrote.

Our hope for his column is that readers gain some insight into the mind of a doctor and a member of the clergy at a time when health care is being pummeled by misinformation and politics from both sides.

Understanding the health care debate from an ethical, philosophical and practical perspective holds the promise of wonderful insight into this important issue.

Then one week from today, we return a once-popular feature to the Trib: a Farm & Ranch page.

We recently reached out to the Texas Farm Bureau, one of those hidden jewels in our midst, to seek a good columnist who knows farm and ranch issues.

We were put in touch with Bobby Horecka, a longtime agriculture writer who lives in China Spring. He offers a wonderful sense of those issues important to area farmers and ranchers — both those working full-time and the weekend warriors.

Horecka grew up working his grandfather’s farm and has spent his adult life telling stories of men and women who don’t mind “a little dirt under their nails.”

We’re excited to have him share some of those stories with us.

Finally, early next month we’ll be joined periodically by local lawyer Greg White, who is an expert in the appeals process and will give us some insight into major legal issues of the day.

Waco legal institution Cullen Smith suggested a good legal column would benefit Trib readers.

And, as is his way, Smith followed through on his idea by introducing me to White, who has a keen ability to explain legal issues to those of us who don’t understand the nuance of law or the implications of certain legal battles that often play out in the pages of the Trib.

We’re excited about the expertise these community writers bring to the Trib. We’re confident they’ll add to our understanding of complex issues that define so much of our region and our nation.

Contact: csanchez@wacotrib.com.