A new reporter will start Monday with The Western News. 

Bob Henline, 44, comes from Salt Lake City where he worked as an assistant editor and columnist for a monthly magazine since 2009. He will cover the county and Troy.

The product of a military household in rural Utah, Henline said he looks forward to becoming a member of the Libby community. 

“I like small communities,” Henline said. “I’m not thrilled with the big city. I remember when I was a kid and you knew your neighbor. I want to be in a place with a sense of community, where I know the people I see while I am driving to work.”

Henline is married to his wife, Melissa, who works as a veterinary technician. The couple has five children, including three adult stepchildren. 

Henline has a diverse background. He graduated from Boston University in 1990 with degrees in history, philosophy and political science. While attending school, Henline stumbled into playing football. The way he tells it, he was messing around on the football field one day with friends when the football coach noticed him. A few weeks later, he was starting at middle linebacker. Upon graduation, Henline enrolled in a master’s of public administration program at Georgetown University.

Henline began his journalism career when the Salt Lake Tribune published an investigative story he wrote exposing the illicit transportation of toxic waste. Experienced in both activist and objective journalism, Henline said he sees an advantage to simply laying out the facts.

“”I don’t see activist journalism as being as effective as unbiased journalism,” Henline said. “Objective journalism is where I want to be. The most important thing is getting the truth out. It’s better to inform people and let them decide when to get riled up.”

In his free time, Henline is a barbecue connoisseur. 

“I love my smoker and my grill,” Henline said. “An ideal afternoon is hanging in the backyard with some friends. I like to cook, read and write.”

A straight shooter, Henline said he does not mince words. He will know he is doing his job well when people in the community ask him for information about city goings-on. 

“I want to be that go-to guy,” Henline said. “I want people to come to me and say, ‘Hey, I heard this is what is going on. What can you tell me about it?’ I want to be the guy to call.”