Hello Enumclaw, Black Diamond, Buckley, and the many unincorporated communities of the Plateau. My name is Alex, and I started this March as the new reporter at the Courier-Herald.

I was born and raised in Federal Way, so I’m excited to be working again in south King County, a place that I have always called home. I’m looking forward to meeting you while hiking the craggy trails of Mt. Rainier, fishing from the piers of the Puget Sound, and skulking the coffee shops and bookstores of the Plateau.

I am 26 years old, and I have worked in this business for the last six of those years. In that time I have gained a love and fascination with small towns and the small papers that cover them. They are the places where funny and surprising stories all-too-often slip between the cracks.

My goal as a reporter is simply this: To be curious, compassionate and relentless in pursuing the truth, and to write stories that are fair, cool-tempered and which contribute to a deeper understanding of the issues we face, not incite knee-jerk reactions or online vitriol.

An editor once told me that my news writing could be a little dry, and I consider that a compliment.

But I’m far from perfect, and I don’t have eyes and ears everywhere. So I want to hear from you on matters big and small. If I miss the apostrophe in someone’s name, let me know. If I’m not getting the real truth from people in power, let me know. If there’s something going on in town I’m failing to report on, let me know.

And if you’re just looking for a friend with whom to play tabletop games, take an impromptu bike ride or talk about electronic music, let me know.

Come June 14, I’ll be taking over for three months for my editor Ray Miller-Still, who will be on paternity leave. While Ray takes a break from his metaphorical baby for his literal one, I’ll be editing and putting out the paper, so direct all complaints to me.

Like you, I can’t wait for the COVID-19 pandemic to be over. The last year has been a tough one for me, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my time now with all of you.

So until the day I can meet you myself, I will leave you with a quote commonly attributed to Hollywood actor Elizabeth Taylor that seems appropriate to the times we’re living through:

“You just do it. You force yourself to get up. You force yourself to put one foot before the other, and God damn it, you refuse to let it get to you. You fight. You cry. You curse. Then you go about the business of living. That’s how I’ve done it. There’s no other way.”