Welcome to Fredericksburg Patch

Hello. 

I think that's an appropriate way to start what I hope will be an engaging conversation with you, the reader. 

My name is Michael Theis. I am the editor of the newly launched Fredericksburg Patch, which is itself a local news and information website covering the Fredericksburg area. I hope to use this platform to bring you relevant coverage about the important things going on in the lives of our neighbors. 

Patch is a different kind of news format, one whose model revolves around the participation of the community in the public dialogue. Patch reflects that by, first and foremost, providing a constantly updating stream of news and information to inform the public. In addition to my reporting, I will also be managing a team of freelance journalists who will be out in the community reporting the news around you.

Second, our site is also designed to be very interactive. At Patch we believe news is a conversation, and our site provides many options for you to let me and my reporters know about the things going on in your community. Please, post an event, comment on an article, ask a question in our Q&A or post announcements. 

I'm new to the area. I moved here in September from Shepherdstown, W.Va., a town nestled on the cliffs above the Potomac River in the Lower Shenandoah Valley. Shepherdstown is also located a stones throw from Sharpsburg, Md., and the Battle of Antietam. My experiences reporting the news, and the interesting combination of history and current events, inspired me to take this job in Fredericksburg, a city with its own deep sense of history set against the backdrop of America's Colonial, Antebellum and Civil War periods. 

My professional career in journalism goes back five years to 2005 when I worked as a studio cameraman at WHAG NBC 25 in Hagerstown, Md. I worked as a videographer covering Capitol Hill for E&ETV and freelanced for The Hill. In late 2007, I started a job as a photo and video journalist with the Frederick News-Post in Frederick, Md., after which I wrote for the Shepherdstown Chronicle in Shepherdstown, W.Va. 

Fredericksburg Patch is your chance to lead and participate in the news and public conversation in your community. Please explore the site, sign on as a member, subscribe to our daily or weekly news e-mails, and follow us on Facebook or Twitter, so you can always be one step ahead of the news that matters most to you. And please send me a note with any story suggestion or comment that's on your mind at michael.theis@patch.com.

I look forward to covering Fredericksburg and getting to know you all a little bit better. As I said, I'm new here, so don't hesitate to introduce yourself.