Newsrooms are big on looking back during the holiday season to newsworthy moments, investigative projects and accomplishments as the yea reaches its end, and because I’m wistful to begin with, I do a lot of that reminiscing. We had a pretty good year. -Our work on Issue 1 in August probably was the high point, but all of our Statehouse coverage was excellent. -The second half of Cleveland’s Promise, in which we embedded two reporters in a Cleveland elementary school for two years, was an unprecedented look at education. -Our Rethinking Childcare series built momentum for subsidizing it as we head into the new year. -Our civil discourse work with Baldwin Wallace University and Braver Angels Ohio launched some healthy conversations. -We developed a foodie reporting team that is dynamite. -Our sports coverage resonated with readers, with our Ohio State Buckeyes package rocketing in 2023. -And for the fourth year in a row, our company was profitable, meaning our journalism is sustainable. (Credit our President Brad Harmon for that. The guy is a business magician. We’ve been in the black since the day he walked in the door.) All good, but I also know a simple truth: None of this matters absent one element. Without you, there is no us. I’ll never stop being grateful that you welcome us into your lives each day. It’s a privilege. It’s an honor. As I think back over 2023, I’m dumbstruck by all the ways you supported us. There’s the money, of course. Anyone who subscribes to our website or newspaper helps pay for the journalism. We have a newsroom 70 journalists strong, and your subscriptions help with their salaries and benefits. There’s also the communication. Through this column and text messages I send each weekday to people who subscribe (it’s free and restarts Jan. 2. Sign up at joinsubtext.com/chrisquinn.) you’ve sent me tens of thousands of emails and texts this year. No exaggeration. You offer us story tips, feedback, suggestions, criticism and a lot of good will. All of that communication helps us keep our finger on the pulse of Northeast Ohio, and I thank you for every one. Finally, we have your actions. You don’t just read our content and let us know what you think. You do something about it. When we put out the call about the plan by lawmakers to slip a special election past you, one that would have all but destroyed your ability to change the Ohio constitution, you rallied. Ohio readers made sure their friends knew, and our out-of-state readers circulated our content to their in-state associates. Word spread rapidly, and Ohioans voted in a landslide to spike what genuinely was a sinister effort by elected state leaders. Many of you also contacted your Cuyahoga County council members when we let you know they were dropping the ball on supporting Cleveland school children, And you voted in numbers exceeding all predictions, in August and November, demonstrating the influence of Northeast Ohio when we all take a stand. In short, you’re amazing, and my last column of the year is a short one, aimed solely at conveying my gratitude. Thanks for being there for us all year. Thanks for supporting journalism. Happy holidays. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. And: Peace. I’m at cquinn@cleveland.com. Thanks for reading | 