Heather Bell has returned to the staff of the Radford News Journal and News Messenger as Community News Editor.
Bell is covering news from City of Radford and Montgomery County for the two local newspapers in her new position, which began Dec. 24.
“The newspaper business is a true love for me,” said Bell. “I am so happy to be back at it, chronicling our community.”
A 1999 print journalism graduate of Radford University, Bell joined the newspaper staff as an intern in 1998 and covered primarily the City of Radford as a fulltime reporter and then editor for more than a decade. She also served a stint as editor of both the News Journal and News Messenger. She remained on staff on a part-time basis, covering Radford City Council, school board, news and features in the city before taking a leave of absence in 2017. She and her husband owned a local restaurant from 2010 until 2018.
Bell said she enjoys being part of informing the public about happenings in the community, as well as helping to keep a written history of the important events around us. She said her favorite subjects are photographs of happy children and covering local government.
“Local government affects the lives of citizens more than any other level of government,” said Bell. “While national and state government is also impactful, local government affects our daily lives more, from tax rates to local laws. I think it’s important for citizens to know about the decisions their local governing boards are making.”
Bell resides in the City of Radford. She can be reached at hbell@ourvalley.org
