The first entry on this blog carries a date of Dec. 9, 2017, one of nearly 500 posts that have appeared over the past two years.

I want to give a belated thanks to all of you who have stuck with me and continue to read what I write. We never know what the day may bring, but I hope to keep writing in 2020 with a continued focus on Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the Alaska Legislature.

After 41 years as a newspaper reporter in Alaska, I began this project because I thought that there was not enough political analysis and commentary in Alaska about the GOP tax bill pushed through by Congress. The press releases from Washington, D.C. did not tell the truth about the bill to cut taxes and explode the deficit and there was little appetite to counter the PR campaign.

After decades of pounding a keyboard in the pontification racket, my desire to comment on things that caught my attention had failed to diminish.

As I wrote in that first entry, “Rather than simply complain about what is missing, however, I've decided to do my part to expand the discussion, if only in a small way.”

“I think I have something to contribute, but finding readers for this venture is another matter. We'll just see what happens.”

What happened has been far beyond my expectations. This blog has expanded the discussion in a small way and I still think I have something to contribute.

According to Squarespace, the site I use to host the blog, Reporting from Alaska had 330,000 unique visitors in 2019 and 880,000 page views, statistics that are both surprising and welcome. The network of readers continues to expand.

I have heard directly from hundreds of Alaskans, as well as from people in the Lower 48, and want to thank you for your continued support and encouragement, even from those who disagree with my interpretation from time to time. Or on a daily basis.

In this site I share my opinions and provide information, whenever possible, to show the facts and the evidence used in the analysis. I have no boss who tells me what to write or stay away from. But I do get lots of ideas from readers—many submitted on a confidential basis—that have led to important revelations about government activities.

The main way in which readers keep up to date is by the 6 a.m. emails that go out whenever I have posted a new blog entry. If you would like to add your email to that list or pass along suggestions or comments, please write to me at dermotmcole@gmail.com

Happy New Year. And best wishes to all for 2020.