Halvorson joins staff as county reporter

HALVORSON

A new by-line appeared in the Wharton Journal-Spectator and El Campo Leader-News this past week - but it's one that's actually familiar to many in this area.

Barry Halvorson, a long-time bureau reporter with the Victoria Advocate, has joined the newspaper staff as regional editor. He will be based in the Journal Spectator office in Wharton, but will focus much of his time on stories that have a county-wide interest. His stories will also be appearing in the East Bernard Express.

Halvorson began his duties on Monday and hit the ground running by covering the Wharton County Commissioners Court.

Journal-Spectator News Editor Benjamin Sharp couldn't be more pleased to have Halvorson on board. With more than two decades of journalism experi- ence, Halvorson is a veteran reporter who has a keen eye for finding the "missing" details in a story, Sharp said.

"I've known Barry for several years and our paths have crossed many times in the past as we've covered stories in this area," Sharp said.

"Barry has always gone the extra mile in all the articles he's done. He has an amazing knack for finding an aspect of the story that other reporters failed to consider.

"That makes his writing unique and pertinent."

Halvorson's reputation will help the newspapers continue to achieve their goal of being accurate, meaningful and trustworthy sources of news for area residents, Sharp said.

"Barry is known for being honest, correct and un-biased. He is already well respected by Wharton County's elected offi- cials and law enforcement agencies and has a reputation for fair and balanced reporting," Sharp said.

"We are very excited to have him as a part of our staff."

Chris Barbee, general manager, agreed.

"When we determined another reporter was needed in Wharton, Barry was at the top of my list. Like Ben, I was well familiar with his work, and have respected him as a journalist since he began reporting in this area. We are all happy that he accepted our offer to join our family-owned newspaper group," Barbee said.

Halvorson has spent more than 20 years in journalism after graduation from Texas Lutheran University in 1984 with a degree in communications. During his seven years at the Advocate, Halvorson covered a region that included Wharton, Jackson, Lavaca, Fayette and Colorado counties.

As part of his reporting duties, Halvorson is expected to continue to develop stories that impact the lives of all Wharton County residents.

"I think that's a big advantage for me," Halvorson said. "Moving here will allow me to bring a fresh perspective while already having a feel for Wharton County's communities based on past experience."

After graduating from TLU, Halvorson's first full-time employment was with KWED Radio in Seguin. From there he moved over to the Seguin Gazette Enterprise.

"I spent more than a decade at that paper doing a wide range of reporting including covering city and county issues, law enforcement, courts, features and serving as sports and interim managing editor," he said.

"While I've worked for bigger papers, my passion has always been with community newspaper coverage," he said.

"I like small towns and the values of the people who live in them. While there are a number of places you can find national and international news, it is only in your local paper that you can find the news that most affects your own community."

Halvorson may be contacted at bhalvorson@journal-spectator. com.