Lake County Leader names new editor

As the new editor of the Lake County Leader, I would like to tell our readership a little bit about myself, and to list a few new goals I have for the paper.

I am originally from Joplin, Montana, where I grew up on a farm north of town. I graduated from Chester-Joplin-Inverness High School in Chester and attended the University of Montana, where I majored in journalism and minored in Media Arts. In 2015, I graduated with honors from the university, which boasts one of the top ten journalism schools in the country.

In January of 2015, I started working part time for the Leader while finishing up my degree. I spent a lot of time covering the southern end of the county, mostly writing about sports. After graduation I moved up here and started full time under David Reese, the editor at the time. This past summer I covered a wide variety of subjects, then narrowed my focus to sports when school started. After our editor went back to Bigfork this fall, I was named Sports Editor, and have been pretty busy since then. This past week, I was named editor, and am excited to take on the challenge.

Growing up in a small town lends itself to understanding what this community wants and cares about. Obviously, I’m very interested in small town sports. You’ve probably seen me at a game or two. I played three sports in high school and understand that on most Friday nights, sports are the only entertainment for some towns. I’m also very interested in agriculture and local groups like 4-H. Growing up in an agricultural community taught me that many people invest their entire life on a piece of land and can be very passionate about it. I also participated in 4-H and believe it teaches kids important life lessons.

At 23, I understand that I might not be as knowledgeable as past editors. I can’t promise that I will be perfect, or that I will make everyone happy. What I can promise is that I care, and that I will try my hardest to make this paper the best it can be.