You have a new place to find breaking news and smart analysis from many of B.C.'s best political journalists.

It's called The Hook. Please, check it out.

We heard you

We are launching this "superblog" in response to a number of requests we've heard from you, our Tyee readers.

You wanted more timely political reporting, an "early radar" on news critical to the province's future.

You wanted shorter, faster reads, and more of them throughout the day.

You wanted a broad range of voices, from all corners of the province.

You wanted navigation that allows you to be able to cut straight to those political issues that matter most to you.

The Hook is designed to provide all this -- and just in time for a very busy election season!

The Hook will be full of news about this fall's federal and municipal races, as well as the U.S. presidential campaign -- and it will carry right through to May's provincial contest.

The Hook will also keep you up to speed on issues ranging from aboriginal affairs to the 2010 Olympics, to housing, food & farming and more.

The Hook's big catch

Why do we call The Hook a "superblog"? Because, unlike most blogs which give you the work of one or two people, The Hook' will publish quick, timely reports and analysis by seasoned Tyee journalists and a wide network of contributors.

The Hook's reporting team is spearheaded by Tyee investigative editor Monte Paulsen (who has shared in a Pulitzer Prize), Tyee editor David Beers, Tyee Victoria bureau chief Andrew MacLeod and Tyee contributing editors Tom Barrett and Tom Sandborn. Chipping in regularly: highly regarded political pundits, including Frances Bula, Murray Dobbin, Sean Holman, Crawford Kilian, Irwin Loy, Rafe Mair, Will McMartin, Heather Ramsay, Bill Tieleman and dozens of other contributors around B.C. and in other provinces.

All of this you can find by going straight to The Hook.

Or you can browse -- and click on -- The Hook's unfolding headlines by viewing the window we've added The Tyee's home page, just below the day's main features.

Online political junkies will be pleased to know they can subscribe to an RSS feed straight from The Hook.

Remember 'Election Central'?

The Hook evolved from Election Central, a blog The Tyee has published during past provincial and federal elections that became must reading for many media members, politicos and activist citizens in B.C. and beyond. Election Central remains a key category for The Hook; you'll find it on the left-hand navigation bar along with many other key areas of interest.

So if you like Election Central, think of The Hook as Election Central 2.0.

The Tyee, named for a feisty wild salmon, will be five years old in November. Consider The Hook an early birthday present from us to our loyal readers, who are the reason for our success. And be assured, we're also going to keep publishing the in-depth investigative and explanatory features that have won us acclaim and a big audience.

So please, don't be shy. Jump on The Hook!