Earlier this year, Wizards announced the cancellation of States (in the US) and Champs (in Canada), saying that the tournaments were not achieving the goals they were meant to achieve. While literally any change of any kind will garner some outcry, I think this one especially bothered people because there's a cadre of folks who enjoy getting together at these big tournaments. I'm in that group - I don't do FNMs (I mean, Friday night is a terrible, terrible time for a tournament for me, just to start with), so I'm either playing with my small group of friends, or going to large events such as PTQs, Regionals, and States.
In this announcement Wizards confirms a rumor I heard a week or two ago -- States and Champs are coming back. This year, they'll be on November 8, about a month after Shards of Alara releases.*
This makes me happy, and I hope I can make it to Regionals this year.
*And wow, that release is only about a month from now. Goodbye, Time Spiral!