Meet the new faces at the Review-Journal
Six new bylines have appeared in the metro and business sections of the Las Vegas Review-Journal since the beginning of this year, bringing locals, young reporters and an industry veteran to the Southern Nevada newspaper.
Executive Editor Glenn Cook said the recent crop of new hires stood out in their hiring process for their skills and work ethic.
"The talented new reporters hired by the Review-Journal in 2024 share a number of traits," Cook said. "They're thrilled to be in Las Vegas, they ask great questions and they are committed to telling the community's most important stories."
Alan Halaly joined the newspaper in January 2024 as the water reporter. Halaly is a 2024 graduate of University of Florida, during which he covered climate and other beats for the Miami Herald, NPR-affiliate WUFT and other outlets. He said the record heat and drought impacts felt this summer proved to him the importance of the beat.
"My reporting has already shown me so much of the nation's driest state, and I still get excited every time I hit a cattle guard driving out of the valley to discover a new place and issue," Halaly said.
Business team hire
Emerson Drewes began as a general assignment business reporter on Sept. 3, following a summer internship at the Seattle Times. Drewes is a Las Vegas local, a previous R-J intern and a 2024 University of Nevada, Reno graduate.
"Las Vegas has always had such an expansive business landscape and it has only gotten bigger since I've been away," Drewes said. "Driving around, my parents and grandparents would point to new developments and construction sites around town and tell me what was there or what used to be there, and now I get to return the favor and be that person for them."
Breaking news reporters
Four new breaking news reporters joined the metro desk this summer. Estelle Atkinson began reporting for the breaking news team in May 2024. Atkinson received a master's degree in journalism from University of Southern California this year and a bachelor's degree from University of Oxford in 2023.
"Working on the Review-Journal's breaking news team is incredibly fulfilling and allows me to build on my educational background in law as I learn and write about crime, courts, Nevada's prison system and more," Atkinson said.
Noble Brigham joined the R-J in June after graduating from Brown University. His byline has appeared in The Providence Journal, Idaho Statesman and The Virginian-Pilot. He said he's already had a chance to cover some of the state's most interesting stories, such as former Las Vegas city councilwoman Michele Fiore's ongoing criminal case.
"I was excited to take this job because I admired the Review-Journal's strong reporting and thought Las Vegas would be a great news town, which it has turned out to be," Brigham said. "I also liked the idea of working in a large, in-person newsroom and I appreciated the fact that the R-J's print edition is not an afterthought, as it has become at many papers."
Katie Futterman began in July. A New York City native and graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont, Futterman said she's been motivated to learn more about Las Vegas through her co-workers and her reporting.
"I was so nervous to move across the country by myself, but Las Vegas has been the most welcoming city I could ever imagine," she said. "Everyone here is so passionate about what they are doing, and reporting on it has shown me so many different communities within this vibrant city. It feels as though there are endless stories to tell."
Akiya Dillon joined the Review-Journal on Sept. 9. Dillon graduated from Duke University in May and previously interned for Newsday and the Los Angeles Times. Dillon, a Las Vegas local, said she knew she wanted to return to her hometown to start her career in criminal justice reporting.
"I'm really excited to see what's next," Dillon said. "I love covering this city and learning new things about the city. What a better way to do that than as a journalist?"
