Thanks for the Memories...and the Stories

Wow – what a wild ride. In the last 15 months, since I started reporting the local news for Patch in Millburn and Short Hills, there have been three natural (, and an ), , and , the , and a .

If that weren’t enough for one idyllic little suburb with the best high school in the state, there was a of home and auto break-ins, and , , an and a

Then there were the parades, games, plays, concerts and restuarant openings and closings and, after the hurricane, reopenings.

I love covering local news, and this town provided more news than I could ever imagine it would. It has been great. I've learned that running a news site as opposed to a newspaper is more time consuming than I anticipated. You never put it to bed.

For a local news junkie, that’s great. But as a mom, it's tough to juggle. So when I was offered an opportunity to also do what I love as the Publications Editor at Montclair State University, I knew the family friendly hours would be better fit for me.

As one of the oldest Patch sites, Millburn-Short Hills Patch has the good fortune of having lots of loyal readers. I have appreciated the news tips and the occasional copy-editing help. I also appreciated your help during Hurricane Irene, when many of you posted and video from all over the township as dawn broke. It was a terrific example of community journalism and one of Patch’s finest moments. People are passionate in their town, about the schools and the township, and that’s pretty powerful when channeled positively.

Patch will soon name a new editor, who will also appreciate that help, but in the meantime please send your tips and story ideas and Patch questions to the Essex County Regional Editor Elizabeth Moore at Elizabeth.Moore@patch.com.

If you need to reach me about something, you can send an email to lauragriffinpatch@gmail.com. I wish you the best and, specifically, I wish for very mild and uneventful hurricane season.