Back before he cut his swath through Philly alternative media circles and Philly politics, Brian Hickey was the kind of reporter in Atlantic City you loved seeing on a story, but just didn't want to go up against. As a Press of A.C. reporter back in the late 90s into 2000, Hickey outwrote and outreported the pack time and time again. Hickey's stories just kept going, fueled by the best reporter instincts and intensity, finding the elusive witness, the grieving relative, the best quotes, the twist in the story. He was the ultimate house end reporter, as we say in the biz, always getting the story from the people closest to it, the highest compliment for a reporter, in my book. He was so good I tried to help get him hired at the Philly Daily News, which seemed like a great fit for a kick-a-- reporter like Hickey. Ultimately, he made his own way onto the Philly scene, becoming managing editor of the City Paper and then campaign manager for electricians union boss John Dougherty's run for state Senate. Recently, Hickey has been doing freelance video for Philly.com, including on Election Day, and working on a new publication, Boardwalk Journal, proving once again that once a shore reporter, always a shore reporter. As has been widely reported, Hickey was critically injured Friday night after being struck by a car that fled the scene three blocks from the PATCO station in Collingswood. He's in Cooper Medical Center in tough shape with head trauma and other injuries. I know all his old friends at the Press and the motley collection of people who comprise the Atlantic City press corps, past and present, are pulling for him in a big way. The police are asking anyone with information about the hit-and-run accident to call 856-854-1901, Ext. 223. A fund-raiser is also being planned, details here.