Greetings Clearwater,
My name is Jaime Polmateer and I’m the new editor for the North Thompson Times, and as such, I thought I’d take a moment to introduce myself.
I arrived in town two weeks ago after spending some time in 100 Mile House, where I got my introduction tutorial from the staff at 100 Mile Free Press.
That was after a five-day drive from my hometown in Ontario where I paid a visit and searched for work following a three-year run of reporting in the Prairies.
I attended college in Oakville, Ont., just outside Toronto, and got my journalism diploma while also meeting a pal who’d eventually help me land my first newspaper gig in Lloydminster, Sask.
After spending a couple years in the Border City as a general reporter I moved down to Estevan Sask., then shortly got bumped up through the company to editor/only reporter of its weekly newspaper in Brandon, Man., the Westman Journal.
During that time as a flatlander I covered all sorts of topics, from lighthearted human interest features, to harder more sensitive stories and pretty much everything in between.
I took a few months off from reporting and, as mentioned, went back to my little hometown of Englehart, Ont., (pop. 1, 500) to visit family and friends I hadn’t seen in nearly two years.
Also during that time I went through the journalism job boards and sent out applications here, there and everywhere before getting a call from Black Press—apparently there was a small town in B.C. that had a longtime editor approaching retirement and they wanted someone experienced at a publication with a one-person news staff.
I answered the call, loaded up my little Pontiac and hit the road once again.
(Did I mention I like to travel?)
I’d never been to B.C. before, and only ever saw mountains once, so the idea of moving out here was appealing to say the least.
I’d like to see every nook and cranny this planet has to offer before I expire and so far B.C. has definitely been a highlight, even if I’ve only been here less than a month.
Besides travel some of my hobbies include reading, writing (kind of a given), electric guitar and the kind of yelling-screaming heavy metal music where you can’t understand what the singer is hollering about.
I also like other types of music, but for some reason the noisy stuff has stuck with me the most—it turns out a lot of what they’re actually saying is inspirational and not as angry as it seems.
Another thing I should note is, during my travels, it’s been brought to my attention that I’ve been cursed with an unfortunate resting facial expression.
There’s a term for it, but I don’t think it’s fit for print.
I just want to put this out there so if you see me driving around, attending an event, or really just see me at all, you know I’m not angry, upset or unimpressed.
I’m a generally happy person, and more often than not, I’m probably just singing the South Park theme song in my head and contemplating what I’m going to eat later.
Now that we have that out of the way, I’d like to congratulate my predecessor, Mr. Keith McNeill, on his retirement.
I’ve met a few Clearwater residents already and one theme that keeps popping up is how big of shoes I have to fill; after spending the last week and a half following Keith around, I know the bar is set high.
The breadth, width and scope of his knowledge is vast, especially in terms of the local market, and all I can do is try to live up to the standards he’s set for the publication over the years.
And try I will.
So that pretty much sums it up; I look forward to learning more about your town, sharing your stories and my door is always open for news tips and article ideas, so please don’t be shy.
Gracias,
Jaime
newsroom@clearwatertimes.com
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