Editor's Note, May 16

More than 50 years ago, my grandmother sat down at a typewriter and began pounding out her first lonely hearts column for the Lincoln Journal Star. In those days, the newsroom was filled with the clatter of the linotype, ringing rotary phones, and the smell of hot type-setting lead, mingled with stale cigarette smoke and fresh news print.

I'm sure she never could have imagined that within her lifetime, the chaotic, harried bustle of news production would be reduced to a single, slim Mac— a computer no bigger than a child's storybook. Or that the black and white type would dissolve into the gray glow of the Internet.

It would be dishonest to pretend that I don't have ambivalent feelings about this change, even though I am happily employed by a web-based news company. The Internet is nothing if not a contradiction: A real force to be reckoned with that does not physically exist outside a computer terminal. It's a portal to all the world's knowledge and just as many lies. It's the most public of places where someone can roam cloaked in complete anonymity. It's intimate, and even invasive, but faceless at the same time.

In short, it can be a confusing, overwhelming and sometimes threatening. In this virtual world, Patch is meant to be not just a homepage, but a home. This site is a friendly place on the web. We're here to help you figure it all out and connect in a meaningful way with people in your town.

I hope to get to know all of you as I make the rounds in Burnsville. The first week here has been quite the challenge, and I ask for your patience as we get this site in working order. If you see news happening, let me know. I'm always here.

In the short span of time I've been with Patch, I've already seen some substantial changes in the site. This week we welcomed our first blogger, , a mother of three kids, including two special needs children. See her first blog post . We're hoping she keeps up the good work. 

Each Patch site around the metro area is looking to build a solid base of  bloggers, so if you want to blog about anything from your prized poodle to politics, drop me a line.

In the next few weeks we also hope to debut some new features for you to enjoy:

• A , a listing of Burnsville's cheapest gas every day of the working week so that you can get the best deal on unleaded before you begin your morning commute.

• Movie times on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Eventually we hope to put up movie reviews as well. I'm looking for a reviewer. If you or someone you know would like to do that, please let me know.

• Artist spotlights on Saturdays.

Let us know what you think about these features. We appreciate any and all feedback you can give us.

All the best,

Clare Kennedy

Local Editor