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A Backward Glance



The last post of the year. Here it is. 

I just re-read the last post of 2022 and it’s honestly a bit sad to see how much is still relevant and/or unimproved. 

My two most-read pieces in 2023 were 

What Lurks Behind the Door,  about M4L’s bait and switch tactics 

Local Man in 2023, about Phelps Luck principal Ed Cosentino’s trip to work via scooter

As always, the most fun I have writing the blog comes when a post sparks lively conversation in the comments. Often those are posts like, “Did you ever go down this back road?” or, “What do you have in the back of your refrigerator?” Posts about controversial issues may get more clicks, but they aren’t necessarily the ones that get people chatting.

Go figure.

A great joy for me in 2023 is that the scariest people in town don’t read my blog anymore. Or, if they do, they aren’t talking about it anywhere that I can see. This may be because I have been deemed irrelevant and I guess I am okay with that. Columbia/HoCo has some mighty scary people. I’d just as soon be unworthy of their notice.

We lost the Columbia Flier this year, and TwitterX is disintegrating into jagged and distorted fragments. Learning about local news, issues, and happenings has become more like the childhood game of Telephone than ever. This space will never be an adequate substitute for local journalism but I hope to shine a light where I can.

I continue to learn so much from my readers. Thank you. What would a community blog be without community? Your engagement is what takes a village green and a town square and boosts it to something exponentially greater.

What local issues from 2023 will we be talking about in 2024? Let me know.


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