Gannett reporter Tonya Maxwell, who has been covering the environment for the Citizen-Times and its sister newspaper the Greenville News, will replace Ostendorff in Asheville (she’s been based in Greenville). Maxwell also worked for the Citizen-Times in the early 2000s.
There’s no word on whether a reporter will be hired to fill Maxwell’s environmental reporting position.
This isn’t the first time a Citizen-Times reporter has moved to WLOS. Maggie Lauterer worked as a reporter and columnist for the newspaper in the 1980s before joining WLOS. Her folksy reports profiling mountain people were quite popular. She decided to try her hand at politics in the 1990s and made a run for U.S. Congress, but was defeated by incumbent Charles Taylor.
Here’s Jon’s announcement via FB:
Today I am saying goodbye to my friends and colleagues at the Asheville Citizen-Times. Next week will be my last at the newspaper.
I have taken a job with WLOS News 13 as an investigative reporter. I am looking forward to this new opportunity in journalism in Western North Carolina.
The Citizen-Times has been my professional home for 15 years. I will miss my friends at the newspaper and at Gannett.
Thank you to all the editors, reporters and photographers who taught me the ropes and inspired me to grow as a journalist. You have been the best part of the job.
You will always be in my heart and I know I will see many of you again out covering the story.
4 Comments
Congratulations to Jon. He’s a top-notch reporter, and I had the privilege of working with him for several years. I wish him all the best in his new role.
Jon was one of the only writers at the C-T worth reading. He will make a fine addition to WLOS.
Glad to see it is still acceptable to be known as an ‘investigative reporter’ as the media is so controlled by BIG media today. So many reporters are afraid to
do their jobs and the publishers are happy with that.
Congratulations Jon! you are a great investigative reporter and will be a terrific addition to WLOS!