Beginning Feb. 1, all local news coverage published in the Gloucester Daily Times will be free and available to the public at www.gloucestertimes.com. Readers will no longer need to log on to the online Plus Edition to receive complete access to the local news that appears in our print editions.

This also means online readers will have complete access to all printed obituaries and funeral arrangements.

This change is the latest in a long line of improvements to the Gloucester Daily Times' Web site. Over the last year, a multimedia section was added to the site to redefine readers' experience of local news through audio, video and photographic slide shows. Rallynorth.net, a site completely devoted to local high school sports, debuted in September and has become a huge hit with students and local sports enthusiasts. Readers can now purchase online high-quality reprints of the RallyNorth photos. In addition, the Classified Connection Web site expanded and WheelsNorth.com, the largest news and used car automotive Web site North of Boston, made its debut.