Oh, hey. I’m Eric. I work here now. But before I get into that, I sense there could be some initial confusion. So, just to clarify, I am not Kris Hill.

I know we look alike, speak alike and briefly shared a computer, but, I recently found out, we are not the same person. It wasn’t my lack of charm or love of health foods and marathons that gave it away. It was the fact that I know almost nothing about the Covington-Black Diamond-Maple Valley area, while she may well be the crown jewel of industry knowledge on the subject — although her protege, and my new colleague, Katherine Smith, seems to be a close second.

To recap, you are stuck with the less connected, less knowledgeable and less athletic version of your reporter/editor of the last eight years. Thus, it might be unwise to expect Young taking over for Montana, or Rodgers subbing in for Favre. Maybe more like China landing on the moon more than 40 years after Neil Armstrong. Hopefully I can etch my own byline somewhere into your lunar hearts and bring a new perspective to the area — and I’ll try to be gentle.

Briefly about me: I grew up in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wis., and graduated with a journalism and sports studies degree from the University of Iowa in 2008. I’ve worked at Midwestern newspapers ever since.

A majority of my writing came at a small, bi-weekly newspaper in Iowa Falls — population 5,000, which jumps to 6,000 when the community college is in session — and a moderately small daily in Dubuque — a hearty, Bush Lite-weilding gang of 57,000.

I fled to Seattle for my girlfriend, Laura, an angel epidemiologist with the CDC. We met in college and love bloomed years later. I adore my new city and hand-me-down hipster friends, have never been happier, yada-yada-yada.

Although I am not exactly a city slicker, I understand that I’m not a natural Convingtonian or Black Diamonder or Maple Valleyite (was I even close on any of those? I’ll call and ask Kris.) I love meeting people and telling stories that you might find interesting. Because that is what I truly want — to tell fun, compelling, honest and fair stories that will get you reading our paper. Therefore, I need to know what you want to read. Pull me over on the street — unless you are a cop, please — or email me, write me a letter, anything. I want to hear from you and help keep this newspaper’s strong reputation and credibility intact.

But if I fail, please don’t tell Kris. She knows where I work.