I read somewhere that there is scientific proof that time does go faster the older one gets. So I better wish our readers a Happy 2013 before the new year has gone by, at least for me.

Perhaps things are going faster for you, too. If you have been following this column for awhile, brace yourself. The litte Missy, whose birth two days after Christmas still seems like just a few years ago, turned ... well, let's say Ike, Mike and Spike have a mature mom these days.

We end this year with a look back at the year that was in New Hampshire with our Page One year-in-review.

Yesterday's Sunday News highlighted, by means of our Citizen of the Year feature, one of the sadder stories we had to report in 2012. Greenland Police Chief Mike Maloney died in the line of fire when a drug suspect shot several police officers and then fatally wounded the chief.

Correspondent Jason Schreiber's story on the chief was a reminder that some extraordinary people walk among us. Chief Maloney was a regular guy who really became a part of the town. He was never a desk-bound chief. He would do everything from pest control to traffic duty to backing up a drug task force.

Doing the latter cost him his life, but not before he helped pull one of the wounded officers to safety.

When we started the Citizen of the Year, we decided it would be to reflect the best in New Hampshire. Chief Maloney certainly fit the bill.

We would like to think that the new year would bring no more stories of such violence, but we know better. Although we won't publish a print edition tomorrow, New Year's Day, UnionLeader.com will be on the watch for breaking news. Perhaps for a day or two, at least, the news will break good.

Nothing ever stays the same, of course. One of our friendly news rivals, Mark Travis, has moved from being publisher of the Lebanon Valley News to publisher of the Concord Monitor. Mark is a worthy competitor and a guy who doesn't let anything get him down. We wish him well.

Ditto for our own Paula Tracy. Paula has covered about every kind of news we ever threw at her. But she was tough to hit because she was always outdoors whenever possible, especially when it was snowing. Paula is starting a new ski and outdoor gig for WMUR-TV in the new year. We wish her happy trails.

And did I wish you a Happy New Year yet? Seems like so long ago.

Write to Joe McQuaid at publisher@unionleader.com.