diff --git a/DESCRIPTION b/DESCRIPTION
index 0e6566617..fd9401aee 100644
--- a/DESCRIPTION
+++ b/DESCRIPTION
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 Type: Package
 Package: sdmTMB
 Title: Spatial and Spatiotemporal SPDE-Based GLMMs with 'TMB'
-Version: 0.4.3.9013
+Version: 0.5.0
 Authors@R: c(
     person(c("Sean", "C."), "Anderson", , "sean@seananderson.ca",
            role = c("aut", "cre"),
diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index 152e50006..d2971e68a 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
-# sdmTMB (development version)
+# sdmTMB 0.5.0
 
-* Overhaul residuals vignette including brief intros to randomized quantile
-  residuals, simulation-based residuals, 'one-sample' residuals, and uniform
-  vs. Gaussian residuals.
+* Overhaul residuals vignette ('article') 
+  <https://pbs-assess.github.io/sdmTMB/articles/web_only/residual-checking.html>
+  including brief intros to randomized quantile residuals, simulation-based
+  residuals, 'one-sample' residuals, and uniform vs. Gaussian residuals.
 
 * Add check if prediction coordinates appear outside of fitted coordinates. #285
 
diff --git a/cran-comments.md b/cran-comments.md
index 2b0827e3a..f2cc46055 100644
--- a/cran-comments.md
+++ b/cran-comments.md
@@ -1,28 +1,18 @@
-This version fixes bugs, adds minor functionality, and maintains
-compatibility with a revised version of a preprint introducing the package.
+This version fixes a unit test that was broken by an update to glmmTMB (as per
+an email from CRAN on March 20 2024). This version also adds minor functionality
+and fixes several bugs.
 
 ## R CMD check results
 
-0 errors | 0 warnings | 1 notes
-
-checking installed package size ... NOTE
-    installed size is  6.1Mb
-    sub-directories of 1Mb or more:
-      libs   4.2Mb
-      
-* This is due to compiled code; we cannot reduce the size further.
+0 errors | 0 warnings | 0 notes
 
 ## Test environments
 
-* Local M2 macOS install, R 4.3.2
+* Local M2 macOS install, R 4.3.3
 * Intel macOS (on github-actions), R-release
-* Ubuntu 22.04.3 (on github-actions), R-release
 * Ubuntu 22.04.3 (on github-actions), R-devel
-* Ubuntu 22.04.3 (on github-actions), R-oldrel
-* Windows (on github-actions), R 4.3.2
+* Ubuntu 22.04.3 (on github-actions), R-release
+* Windows (on github-actions), R-release
 * Windows (winbuilder), R-devel
-
-With sanitizer checks:
- 
-* Ubuntu 22.04.3 (on github-actions), R-devel with valgrind
-
+* Windows (winbuilder), R-release
+* Windows (winbuilder), R-oldrelease