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It’s been a busy three and half weeks since longtime Daily News-Miner Managing Editor Kelly Bostian left the job he loved for a job in Oklahoma, doing work that returns him to the type of outdoors journalism that readers of this newspaper came to love. Kelly, who was managing editor here for just over 13 years, is somewhere in eastern Oklahoma, no doubt beginning what is sure to be a successful tenure as the outdoors writer for the Tulsa World.

And here I sit, in the office once occupied by a man who was my partner in journalism for nearly all of my 14 years at the News-Miner.

It feels funny at times.

I had intended my first blog entry as managing editor to be somewhat general in nature, maybe telling readers a little about myself.

And then, lucky for you all, news happened and you didn’t have to read something boring about the new guy.

It’s been, for the most part, non-stop Sarah Palin ever since Sen. John McCain chose Alaska’s governor as his running mate. Her selection has consumed lots of space in the print and online editions of the News-Miner—and a fair amount of time inside the newsroom, as well. “Where do we fit in in this national story?” “What can our newsroom do?” “Which of the many wire service stories should we publish?” “What’s fair?” “What should be off-limits?”

Those questions have combined to bring lots of challenges for us as we handle Gov. Palin’s historic run for the vice presidency. Those challenges are even greater these days because of the addition of the newspaper’s Web site, which operates in a manner different from the traditional print product and which has a different set of story-telling possibilities.

It’s a great time to be a journalist in Alaska. And we’ve got good, dedicated people working to bring you the Alaska angle on the governor’s national campaign.

And, if I ever find myself in a bind while sitting here in the office in the weeks leading up to Election Day, I can always turn around and look at Kelly’s autograph on the wall behind me, right where I had hoped he would sign it on his last day at the News-Miner. And I can think: “Now, how would he and I have solved this problem…”