Introduction and Editor's Note

By now, you may have noticed my name floating around the websites, and wondered, who’s this new kid in town? Well, here’s a bit about me:

I graduated from UC Berkeley's Journalism School a couple of years ago, worked at KALW Public Radio, and after being in South America reporting and traveling for the last year, I'm happy to be back in the East Bay doing what I love -- community journalism.

If you've visited these Patch sites in the last few months, you may have noticed the need for more local stories. I’m working (very hard) to change that by reporting and circulating relevant news and information that matters to you.

But I need your help! I'll be setting up shop at The Junket in El Cerrito on Mondays, 3-5 p.m. and The Bear Claw in Pinole on Fridays, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. I’m still looking for a cafe in Martinez and welcome suggestions. During these times, I invite you to stop by, introduce yourself, share story ideas and thoughts on what you'd like to see more of on Patch.

I'm also looking for volunteer contributors to write local columns on a variety of topics. If you’re interested, please e-mail me at nicole.jones at patch.com, or just stop by during one of my cafe days.

And if you haven’t already, don't forget to follow your Patch news sites on Twitter and Facebook. And sign-up for our awesome newsletter, too.

I look forward to meeting you soon! In the meantime, don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.

All the best,
Nicole

Facebook: El Cerrito Patch, Hercules-Pinole Patch and Martinez Patch
Twitter: @ElCerritoPatch, @PinolePatch, @MartinezPatch