The Merritt News is pleased to welcome Robin Poon to its staff as a full-time reporter. Poon arrived in Merritt last month to fill in for editor John O'Connor while O'Connor was away on holidays. He has since agreed to stay on permanently, filling the vacant reporter role.

Poon comes to the Merritt News after two years serving as editor of the Bridge River-Lillooet News. Both newspapers are owned by the same parent company, Glacier Media.

Poon grew up in the Lower Mainland and attended journalism school at Ryerson University in Toronto.

Coming from Lillooet, Poon is excited for the chance to work in a larger, more accessible community that still maintains its small-town charm.

Learning about Merritt's idiosyncrasies and building a new network of contacts will take time, he admits, but fortunately, he will not start completely from scratch.

Poon is already familiar with regional issues common to both areas, like troubles in forestry.

He looks forward to discovering the merits of Merritt, as well as exploring the city's less savoury aspects in the coming months and beyond.

Feel free to introduce yourself to our new reporter when you see him!