Patch Sites Hit One Million Article Mark

Today, we received word that the far-flung sites of Patch.com have surpassed the one million article mark. From New Hampshire to California, local Patch sites have been reporting on the local news of over 850 communities.

The millionth article was posted by Kathryn Dolac, the local editor of the Dunedin Patch in Florida. It's about a man who is keeping up his mother's mission of collecting backpacks for donation after the death of his mother, who carried on the task for years. You can read it . Patch editor-in-chief Brian Farnham couldn't be happier, and he gives his reaction on the Patch blog.

Time for some fun with numbers. The New London Patch has produced 2,255 articles since it was launched on December 3, exactly eight months ago. It's a mere 0.2 percent of the total, though you do have to put that against the number of articles it would take for 850 sites to produce a million of them: 1,176 (and a half). In that regard, we're close to twice the average!

This site is the work of a dedicated regional team, numerous freelancers, and feedback and tips from the community. We hope you've been enjoying it, and we look forward to the next million! I'll close with a few highlights from our time in New London:

: This story and video on the Eagle heading out for a 75th anniversary European tour exploded on Facebook, with 336 people recommending it. The Coast Guard even asked to put the video on their official site!

: Patch associate regional editor Eileen McNamara did this investigative piece on the dog euthanasia rate in New London. She brought in numerous perspectives on the issue, from animal control policies to discussions with neighboring Waterford on regionalization.

Electric Boat Contesting City Assessment Of Pequot Ave. Complex: We broke this story about an assessment dispute, often a run of the mill matter but here involving one of the city's largest businesses and an alleged assessment discrepancy of some $250 million.