I am very pleased to announce a new addition to the staff of the Chieftain: Jillian Hoefer has started work as our new reporter.

Hoefer, an Oregon native, graduated earlier this month from Eastern Oregon University with a bachelor’s degree in English/writing. She chose to attend EOU in part because both of her grandparents went to the school.

At EOU, she worked for The Voice, the university’s student publication, and the experience there helped shape her ambition to launch a career as a reporter and an editor. She also just wrapped up an internship at the La Grande Observer, where she performed with distinction.

She has what she terms a “menagerie” of pets, including a dog, cat, and five chinchillas she rescued from the Oregon Humane Society in 2017.

She likes to spend time outdoors tending to her garden, riding her dirt bike and hiking — so my guess is that she’ll be a good fit for Wallowa County. She also likes to cook, bake and make a variety of iced coffees at home. Her husband, Brett, is the guinea pig for any new recipe she decides to whip up; when he’s not taste-testing new creations from the kitchen, he works as a mechanic in La Grande.

I’m not certain yet how we’ll divide the Chieftain’s beats between Hoefer and our other reporter, Bill Bradshaw. My initial thoughts are to assign Hoefer to county schools and also have her keep an eye on law enforcement and the courts. Of course, with the Chieftain’s relatively small staff, everyone pitches in to cover everything, so the idea of beats here is more flexible than you would find in a larger newsroom.

One thing is for certain: There will be plenty of Wallowa County news for Hoeffer to cover, especially as we head into another busy summer. So it’s perfect timing for her to join the Chieftain’s staff. If you have a story idea for her, feel free to email her at jhoefer@wallowa.com.

It’s an understatement to say that I’m looking forward to working with her — and, in fact, I’ve already shipped a bunch of assignments her way in a classic (and somewhat regrettable) example of how the profession treats new journalists. I’ll ease up a bit.

Just for this first week.

In the meantime, if you happen to see her around the county, notebook in hand, chasing another story that I’ve assigned, feel free to say hello.

And if you have a story tip for her, email her at jhoefer@wallowa.com.