Meet The Fayetteville Observer staff members bringing you local news every day

Those of us in the Fayetteville Observer newsroom aren't just journalists. Like yourself, we live and work here and care about our community.

Here's your chance to learn more about the staffers bringing you local news every day. Please support the work being done by these local journalists by subscribing to The Fayetteville Observer.

Rodd Baxley

Rodd Baxley, a Bladenboro native and graduate of West Bladen High School and Pfeiffer University, has been a sports reporter at the Fayetteville Observer since 2018. He covers Duke and North Carolina athletics. Read his work here. Reach him at rbaxley@fayobserver.com.

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Andrew Craft, senior photographer

Andrew Craft has been staff photographer at the Fayetteville Observer in North Carolina since 2005. His assignments have varied from covering the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan to photographing the pet of the week. He has been named North Carolina Photographer of the Year five times and his work has been recognized by Pictures of the Year International, NPPA's Best of Photojournalism, Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar and the Southern Short Course in News Photography. See his photos here. Reach him at acraft@fayobserver.com.

Beth Hutson, news director

Beth, who joined The Fayetteville Observer as a copy editor in 2008, is the lead editor of North Carolina's oldest newspaper. She is originally from Florence, South Carolina, and previously worked at The Morning News in her hometown. In her free time, she enjoys trying out new vegan recipes in the kitchen and indulging in an unhealthy-for-her-wallet obsession with eyeshadow. Beth is passionate about audience engagement and loves hearing from readers. Contact her at bhutson@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3533 with story ideas or feedback about the Observer's coverage.

F.T. Norton, military and public safety editor

F.T. Norton is the editor who oversees the military and public safety beats at The Fayetteville Observer. See more work here. Her career in news began in 1998 when she took a position as a crime reporter at a daily newspaper in Northern Nevada and then stayed on that beat for 13 years as she raised her twins. In 2011, Norton moved from the desert to the beach, spending six years covering crime in North Carolina's port city of Wilmington, then two years as editor of the Sanford Herald, before joining The Fayetteville Observer as the pandemic waned in 2021. Reach her at fnorton@fayobserver.com.

Joseph Pierre

Joseph Pierre grew up in Saratoga County in upstate New York. He graduated in 2022 from the State University of New York at Fredonia, where he majored in media management with a minor in English. Prior to his employment at The Fayetteville Observer in June, he worked as a press coordinator at the New York State Assembly. In his spare time, he trains in amateur boxing and one day hopes to travel the world and learn about new cultures. Until then, he's exploring his new home in North Carolina. See more of his work here. You can reach Joseph at jpierre@gannett.com.

Myron B. Pitts, opinion editor

Myron B. Pitts is an award-winning Opinion editor and columnist for fayobserver.com and The Fayetteville Observer. He has worn many hats at the Observer, from editor of the entertainment section to assistant editor in neighborhood news. He is married with two young children and is head of his church’s outreach team. Myron loves to read and enjoys all types of music, especially hip-hop and jazz, and he makes music playlists for family and friends. He is a fanatic of hot sauce and spicy foods. He does not like white condiments of any kind, with mayo being public enemy No. 1. He is building up a Marvel heroes T-shirt collection for the ages, thanks to his wife and sister-in-law. He likes to run, bike and weight train — when he is living healthy like he should. Read more from him here. You can reach Myron at mpitts@fayobserver.com.

Rachael Riley, military reporter

Rachael Riley is the military reporter at The Fayetteville Observer. A native of Texas and an alumna of Texas Christian University, she started covering municipal and general assignment beats at papers around Texas, before moving to North Carolina in 2016. Spending more than a decade combing through city and county budgets, she decided to start looking at the Department of Defense and telling the stories of veterans, soldiers and military families. She’s been with The Fayetteville Observer since July 2018. In her spare time, she's either thrifting, planning her next road trip or trying to avoid bears in the Carolina mountains. Read more of her coverage here. You can reach Rachael at rriley@fayobserver.com.

Taylor Shook, food, dining and business reporter

Taylor Shook writes about food, dining, business, health, real estate and LGBTQ+ life at North Carolina’s oldest newspaper. She curates the weekly Fayetteville Foodies newsletter and manages the Fayetteville Foodies Facebook group. Contact her with story ideas, tips and feedback about coverage. The easiest way to start a conversation with her is to mention anything about chicken wings. Read her stories here. You can reach Taylor at tshook@gannett.com.

Lexi Solomon, government watchdog reporter

Lexi Solomon writes about local government at North Carolina's oldest newspaper. She is a 2022 Virginia Tech alumna and native of Williamsburg, Virginia, with dual degrees in Russian and National Security & Foreign Affairs. In her free time, she loves to curate Spotify playlists for her loved ones, hike and add to her endless Goodreads lists. She is especially passionate about issues affecting the Hispanic community and LGBTQ+ folks. Contact her at ABSolomon@gannett.com or at 910-481-8526 with story ideas, tips and feedback about coverage — or just to say "Go Hokies!" Read her coverage here.

Paul Woolverton, senior North Carolina reporter

Paul Woolverton is an award-winning reporter who has been at the Observer since 1993.

Read more of his work here. He can be reached at pwoolverton@gannett.com or 910-261-4710

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Meet The Fayetteville Observer news staff