It's official: Ezra Maille takes over role as Black Mountain News reporter
Regular readers of Black Mountain News will have noticed the name Ezra Maille at the top of many articles in the paper and online. That will continue to be the case.
Maille, who had been serving as a general assignment reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times and Hendersonville Times-News, agreed to help out with coverage for Black Mountain News in August after the reporting position became vacant. He's been doing it ever since.
This week, Maille agreed to stay on as the permanent community reporter for Black Mountain News.
"I was both pleased and relieved when Ezra said he'd help us out over the summer in Black Mountain after Ty (Roush) left," content coach Todd Runkle said. "He brings a lot of versatility to the paper, and I'm excited that Ezra decided to make it official and stay on with us. Black Mountain News is in good hands."
Originally from Virginia, Maille came to Buncombe County to attend UNC Asheville. He said he fell in love with journalism after taking his first course on the subject as a sophomore. He graduated cum laude in May 2021 with a bachelor's degree in communications with a focus on journalism.
Maille said he enjoys hiking and backpacking, and that "living in the mountains is a great place to be.
"I'm very excited to be working in a community that loves its newspaper," he continued. "Black Mountain has been very welcoming to me thus far, and I've enjoyed getting to know the town and the people in the Swannanoa Valley. There's plenty of work for me to do as the sole reporter for Black Mountain News, and I appreciate the engagement of the community in offering ideas and leads as news and events occur."
Maille said he looks forward to continuing his coverage of the Swannanoa Valley.
"I highly value journalistic integrity when it comes to reporting," he said. "As a journalist, my priority for Black Mountain News will be to continue to provide detailed stories, unbiased news and to center and uplift the voices of the community."