What's Patch: It's Dallas' Newest News And Community Platform

Good things come to those who wait, and the same can certainly be said for North Texans. What is it you've been waiting for, you ask? Well, it's Patch.

Patch has been around in some form or fashion since 2011. I won't claim to be familiar with every iteration of Patch, but I know it employees some 200 passionate journalist all over the country.

And what we do is work days, nights and weekends to bring you important, quality stories.

It goes beyond the soundbyte, the news story. It's much bigger than that.

I can also say that when you try Patch, you'll like it.

A lot.

Quite simply, it's a hyper-local news and community platform that also allows readers to participate, and share news and information from their community.

• Become a contributor to Patch, post calendar of events directly to the site!
• Need more help? Click here.

In the Dallas area there are a total of five Patches with more to come.
It's free, and you, the consumer, have the power to participate.
In fact, here's a list of those in your area:

• Plano
• Coppell
• Arlington
• Irving
• McKinney-Frisco

You can also follow us on our Dallas Patch Facebook pages, or any other Patch facebook pages. Such as:

• Plano Patch Facebook
• Coppell Patch Facebook
• Arlington Patch Facebook
• Irving Patch Facebook
• McKinney-Frisco Patch Facebook

About me:

I'm Payton. I am the editor for all Dallas-area Patch sites, and I'm working hard to bring you relevant, important news with an impact. I'm here to help make sure your commute goes smoothly. I'm watching weather radars to help you avoid freezing roads, tornados and particularly hot days. I'm helping you stay informed about my own home, North Texas.

But I can't do it without your help. That's why I ask you to email me at any time. Notice a major accident on your commute home? Shoot me an email. See a house on fire? You can tell me about that too. Any time you'd like to reach me, just send an email my way at Dallas@Patch.com.

I graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a journalism degree. While I was there, I had the great honor of taking a Dow Jones News Fund placement exam. The stars aligned, and I was granted an internship at the Beaumont Enterprise. It was there that I first experienced a real newsroom and learned about the most important parts of journalism alongside some of the best journalists I know.

When my time in Beaumont came to an end, I answered one of the most exciting phone calls I've ever received.

"We want to talk to you about our Dallas editor position at Patch."

Several interviews — I must say, Patch is thorough — and a month or two later, I officially joined the Patch team in October 2017.

I'm still a new face at Patch, and, by default, I'm still learning. Each day brings new challenges and several new opportunities for growth. I haven't underestimated these opportunities, and I cling to each one in hopes of becoming a better journalist — and better serving the people of Dallas.

Please don't hesitate to reach me with any story ideas, tips, comments, or, yes, even complaints.

While Patch does rely on local editors like myself, the best stories always come from you. So let's do this together.

Contact me any time at james.potter@patch.com.