We have recently begun efforts to start blogging again and this is my first attempt at the process, so bear with me.

In case you don’t know who I am, my name is Neil Pierson and I have been the reporter for the Puyallup/South Hill beat since October 2008. I previously worked for newspapers in Cheney and Moses Lake and The Herald is keeping me plenty busy.

I invite residents to stop by The Herald office, located at 103 W. Stewart, to say hello or drop me a line at 253-841-2481 extension 313, or by e-mail at neil.pierson@puyallupherald.com.

Another great place to find me is Tuesday nights at the Puyallup City Council meetings. A surefire discussion night will happen next Tuesday, Feb. 3, when the council moves forward on the evaluation of City Manager Gary McLean. That discussion was supposed to take place tonight, Jan. 27, but was pushed back because one of the council members had a family emergency.

I’d also like to take a moment to solicit some ideas from readers. You’ll see in Thursday’s issue (Jan. 29) that we’ve begun a “Student Spotlight” series aimed at highlighting some of the area’s best students. Our first feature is on a pair of twin sisters, Afshan and Tarannum Dhillon, seniors at Emerald Ridge High School. They were a delight to talk with and their passion is pouring out of their ears. We want nominations for these kinds of kids — you can e-mail a nomination to me at the address above.

Well, that’s all for now. I hope you’ll see the entire Herald staff blogging away very shortly.