Welcome to PI Connect

Well, I was all set to write a nice, long introductory post here, but I'm nearing the end of one very long day. Between preparing Wednesday's paper, sifting through video of Monday's General Plan Advisory Committee Meeting (see the final product here), packaging the first Street Beat of our new digital era, editing a highlights package from Tuesday's Patterson High football practice and trying to get started on stories for Saturday's paper, I simply ran out of time and gas.

Then again, after plowing through my column about all the changes we're unveiling on Wednesday, I'm sure you've just about heard enough from me as it is.

So I'll keep this short. What you're looking at is the PI Connect blog, a place for discussion of Patterson's most contentious issues as well as breaking news and who knows what else. Reporter John Saiz, who covers just about every meeting in town and does so with the greatest of ease, will bring his knowledge and insight to this blog. I will merely attempt to look like I'm keeping up.

You also have a role in all this. You'd be surprised how much we get out of reading the comments on some of our articles, and I'm not just referring to the entertainment value of them. A lot of you obviously care very deeply about this town and where it's headed, and I hope many of you will find your way to this blog and use it as another outlet for your thoughts and emotions. We're here to serve you, and the more you tell us what you're interested and what you want to see, the better we can accomplish that goal.

If I can offer one piece of advice, it would be to come back soon (and often). John tells me he's already planning to elaborate on Monday's GPAC meeting in a blog post on Wednesday. And I'm going to get really ambitious on Thursday and try to post to this blog via a text message from my cell phone — as far as I can tell, that's the only way I'll be able to give you all an update on Diablo Grande's much-anticipated bankruptcy hearing before I leave the courtroom. The hearing starts at 10 a.m., and I'm hoping to have at least a one-liner announcing a sale another continuance as soon as it's been approved.

That's all I've got for tonight. See you soon.