Going out on a limb here. You have a car. You drive it a lot -- every day in fact, perhaps to and from work. You get stuck in "rush hour" traffic from time to time and wonder what's up with the starting and stopping, the police cruisers, the lane closures.

Maybe you wish you could know about road construction, bridge projects, accidents and weather conditions before you turn on your ignition, before you head home from the job.

If this sounds like you, meet your new, favorite reporter: Meghan Malloy.

Malloy, who started a few months ago at the newspaper, covers public safety and commuting. Put bluntly -- cops and cars.

She also is writing a new column that runs every Monday in the KJ -- the Kennebec Commuter -- and a new "blog" at both newspapers' Web sites, under the same name.

First, the difference between a column and blog.

A column offers detail and explanation in the typical newspaper genre. Malloy wrote in her newspaper column a few weeks ago about why drivers need to have their brakes looked at before the winter season starts. She's written about construction projects, parallel parking and surviving Augusta's rotaries.

At our Web sites, we can count precisely how many people read newspaper articles and columns. The Kennebec Commuter column has ranked in the top five "stories read" at our Web site each Monday for the past two months. It's proving to be popular.

"We're getting a decent number of online comments (posted at the end of her columns) and I get several e-mails each Monday from people who seem to be getting a kick out of it," Malloy said.

A "blog" is a shorter piece published just at our Web sites. The writing isn't quite so elaborate but the urgency and immediacy are greater.

Malloy updates her blog each weekday at 3:30 p.m. to tell motorists what to expect on the way home. She wrote about rain-slickened roads two weeks ago after a heavy storm. Last Thursday, she "blogged" about two major accidents in Augusta that day, though the news was, both had been cleared in time for state employees and others to head home.

This will continue to be her approach online. "This blog is immediate and gives information that people need to know at that time, such as accidents in the area, bridge or lane closures," Malloy said.

Malloy and her editor, Teresa Hineline, say the commuting blog and column cry out for reader interaction. Malloy is doing daily checks on road conditions and accidents but she can't know everything. Many motorists may spot hazards and accidents before we hear about them.

If you see something, and want to make sure it gets put online right away or in the paper the next day, just tell us about it.

"We welcome readers to call or e-mail us when they see something we don't," Hineline said.

You can reach Malloy at 621-5431 or mmalloy@centralmaine.com. You can find Hineline at 621-5645 or thine line@centralmaine.com.

Eric Conrad is executive editor of the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel. He can be reached at econrad@central maine.com.