Welcome to East Hampton-Portland Patch

Welcome to East Hampton-Portland Patch.  My name is Mike Bartolotta, and I am your local editor.

I am excited to be overseeing a new website for two towns rich in history, where outdoor recreation is abundant and many local businesses have thrived and served our communities over the years. Small towns? Sure. But with separate school districts, two different forms of local government and about 25,000 residents, there is lots to tell and I can't wait to get started.

So what is Patch? It is part online newspaper and part community gathering place. Professionally reported local news and events, business reviews, high school sports, stories on average folks doing extraordinary things and much more. We will be your daily source for everything East Hampton and Portland.

Our emphasis will be on news you can use, including breaking news, watchdog journalism, faces of the community, commentary, a calendar of events and providing a comprehensive business directory.

As a journalist for more than 20 years, mostly with the Hartford Courant, and a self-proclaimed news junkie, I and my staff of freelancers will bring passion to our reporting, writing on stories you want to read about and others you don't know about. As a resident of East Hampton the past 14 years and having lived in Middlesex County most of my life, our stories will reflect the same care, concern and pride that you have in our communities.

But the East Hampton-Portland Patch isn't just your news source, it's your website. We subscribe to the idea that news is a conversation. Much of our reporting will emanate from what readers tell us in e-mails, comments on our site or in conversations around town.

What can you do? Keep us posted. Whether you work for the town or a local group or organization, share your news with us. Also, reader engagement is important to us. You will be able to post birth and wedding announcements, anniversaries and other items important to you. Have a son, daughter or spouse in the military? Post it. Comment on news stories, offer news tips and upload photos and video, too.

If you see me around town, please don't hesitate to say hello, or e-mail me at michael.bartolotta@patch.com. I look forward to hearing from you.