Editor's Notebook: Patch Celebrates its 100th Site Launch

Has it really been only a few weeks since the launch of Middletown Patch?

After settling in to the rhythm and pacing of our town's news cycle, my knee-jerk reaction was to acknowledge the simple achievement, but in news, we're taught to look for the bigger picture and for those long-lasting implications in peoples' daily lives.

I didn't have to look far.

Today Patch launches its 100^th site, in Morristown, NJ, a milestone after just two and a half years since its original community news sites launched in February 2008 in Maplewood, South Orange and Millburn-Short Hills, N.J. To date, 100 communities in nine states have "gone live" and many more Patches are sprouting up from coast-to-coast.

Middletown, Newport and Portsmouth Patches were the first to launch in Rhode Island on July 30, 2010, and more are coming to the Ocean State soon.

We're working hard to provide comprehensive community news to Aquidneck Island residents, along with vital information that people use in their daily lives.

The truth is, we're able to report the local news because you've opened your homes, your workplaces, and sometimes even your hearts to us, to share the stories of your lives, and we consider this an honor.

Since our launch, Middletown Patch has reported on 94 news stories pertaining to town government, schools, and public safety, as well as about our farms, resources, volunteers, charities, businesses, and arts and culture.

We've also had the privilege of telling important stories shared by some of our neighbors.

Most recently, I wrote about Shantel Bailey Day to celebrate the life and legacy of the young 16-year-old youth struck down and killed by a speeding motorist seven years ago. Indeed, I was touched and inspired by the courage and determination of her mother, Lisa Stedford, who turned such a horrible tragedy into a positive life's mission. Besides working to save lives on the roads, the Shantel Bailey Project to date has given out 11 scholarships in Newport and Middletown to enrich the lives of young people throughout Newport County.

I was also inspired by Señor Dana Ramey, Rhode Island's Teacher of the Year. A Middletown High School foreign language teacher, he teaches by example about pursuing one's life dreams with hard work, perseverance and an unwavering belief in one's self. His spirit and passion for learning is contagious and it's easy to see how he inspires his students daily. (He and his wife also make amazing homemade salsa and he even let me make a video capturing his recipe.)

So many wonderful people in Middletown have already made such positive lasting impressions—too many to list—but I'd be remiss to not mention the talents of some area writers who have begun making wonderful regular contributions to Middletown Patch, including columnists Jessica Walsh, Ray Dutra and Sarah Fernandez. They help us see Middletown from very unique perspectives.

One hundred sites don't exist in a vacuum and, to me, the addition of so many new Patch communities across the U.S. confirms what was suspected from the beginning—that people are responding to greater connections to their local government, neighborhoods, businesses and schools through this powerful new media tool.

Bigger picture? I think we're onto something and I wake up every day hoping to utilize this powerful medium to its greatest potential for Middletown readers.

That's where you come in.

Upon this 100^th Patch launch, I invite you browse our news site, directory listings, and especially some of the interactive features, which allow you to post your own announcements or calendar events, volunteer needs, or send requests for news you'd like to see reported.

I look forward to your story.