I am interested in the conversations we can have on West of the Tunnel. Your comments offer a place to have a courteous conversation about the news and stories in our community — and honestly, a break from what we see so often on social media. Comments are a place to add information, share experience, ask questions, and disagree respectfully about the stories I publish.

Every comment is reviewed before it appears. I aim to review comments within a day, sometimes sooner. Publishing a comment does not mean I agree with it. I will not reject a comment because I disagree. I will reject comments that don’t meet the standards outlined below. You are always welcome to revise and resubmit a comment.

Please use your real name. Comments are published under the name you provide. I may decline to publish comments posted under names that are clearly fake or meant to impersonate someone.

Your email address is never published. I use it only to contact you about your comment, or to send comment updates you have asked for. I will not share or sell your email address, or use it for any other purpose than contacting you regarding your comment.

I will not publish comments that:

• attack, insult, or threaten other people, including the people in published articles and other commenters;
• use profanity, slurs, or demeaning language about anyone’s race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or age or are simply personal attacks;
• make accusations of crimes or wrongdoing that aren’t supported by the story or reliable sources;
• are off-topic, repetitive, or written mainly to promote a business, product, candidate, or website;
• share private information about someone, such as an address or phone number;
• contain spam, or links to sites that look unsafe.
• The decision whether to publish a comment is mine, and is designed to keep West of the Tunnel a place for respectful and honest conversations. Honest criticisms, differing opinions, and factual information are all welcome and encouraged.

Corrections. If you believe a story contains an error, please let me know directly through the contact page or email me rather than post in the comments. I am always anxious to fix anything that is wrong in a story.

If I don’t publish your comment, I may email you to explain why. You are welcome to revise and resubmit it.

I may update this policy from time to time. Questions? Contact me anytime.