The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Brent Boyer

Editor Brent Boyer writes "From the Editor" for Thursday's Steamboat Today. Contact him at 871-4221 or e-mail bboyer@steamboatpilot.com.

Steamboat Springs — Monday was a particularly happy day in the Steamboat Pilot & Today newsroom, and for good reason.

For the first time since October, the Editorial Department is back to full staffing. And while that’s exciting for our reporters — especially those who have attempted to juggle multiple beats for the past couple of months — I think our readers stand to benefit the most. The Hayden and South Routt communities will again receive the coverage they deserve, and there will be an increase in law enforcement, court and business reporting.

Allow me to take a moment to introduce our new reporters and their assignments.

Blythe Terrell is the Pilot & Today’s new Hayden and business reporter. Blythe is a 2005 graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, where she was managing editor of the student newspaper. She interned at the Kansas City Star, Traverse City Record-Eagle, Third Sector magazine and Orlando Sentinel before spending the past 2 1/2 years as a copy editor at the Austin American-Statesman. After beginning her career tearing apart the stories of others, Blythe realized her true passion was in writing and reporting. It’s an opportunity we’re excited to give her. Blythe can be reached at (970) 871-4234 or bterrell@steamboatpilot.com.

Blythe’s presence means reporter Melinda Dudley can dedicate her full attention to the South Routt and law enforcement/court beats. Melinda can be reached at (970) 871-4203 or mdudley@steamboatpilot.com.

Joel Reichenberger started last week as one of our two full-time sports reporters. Joel graduated from Kansas State University in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in print journalism. He earned a degree in electronic journalism a year later. After interning at the Kansas State Collegian and Topeka Capital-Journal, Joel spent 2 1/2 years as a sports reporter and editor at the Eudora News and De Soto Explorer, two weekly papers based near Kansas City. Despite an unhealthy love for the Kansas City Royals and all Kansas State University athletics, Joel will fit in nicely in Northwest Colorado. He can be reached at (970) 871-4253 or jreichenberger@steamboatpilot.com. As always, sports news and photos also can be e-mailed to sports@steamboatpilot.com.

Joel replaces Dave Shively, who for the past year and a half has been a sports and outdoors reporter for the Pilot & Today. Dave’s Sunday Outdoors page is one of the most popular sections of our newspaper, and I’m happy to report Shively isn’t going anywhere. He has been named our first full-time magazine reporter, assuming responsibility for much of the editorial content in At Home in Steamboat Springs magazine as well as our other magazine products, including Explore Steamboat, Yampa Valley Real Estate and Colorado Hunter. Dave’s new phone number is (970) 879-7762. His e-mail address is dshively@steamboatpilot.com.

Two additional staff updates worth noting: Steamboat Springs High School senior Katie Birch is doing a reporting internship at the newspaper. She’s already had one story published, and we’ll push her to continue producing one story a week throughout the remainder of the second semester. University of Colorado School of Journalism and Mass Communication master’s student Kristi Mohrbacher begins her internship at the Steamboat Pilot & Today later this spring.

I know staff changes can be confusing for readers who have come to rely on a particular reporter covering a particular beat. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need help getting pointed in the right direction.

Full staffing also means Editor Brent Boyer no longer has an excuse not to write a weekly column discussing newspaper issues. Look for his From the Editor piece every Thursday in this space.